2006 Scots Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee (Posthumous)
“Old Timer”
Born in Edinburgh in 1904 but raised in Lanarkshire, Tommy Milligan was a record breaker and record setter supreme, even when suffering disastrous defeat in the ring.
For example, when former British, Empire and European welterweight champion Milligan bowed out the sport he had graced with skill inside the ropes and dignity outwith the Hempen Square, he did so in style. For although he was a first round knockout victim of Welsh opponent Glenn Moody in Carntyne greyhound stadium that day in 1928, the attendance was a Scottish record for an outdoor promotion – being 40,000.
Yet here again, Tommy Milligan was only breaking an attendance record for a boxing promotion that he himself had set up at Edinburgh’s Industrial Hall in Annandale Street, when 20,000 spectators crammed into the auditorium to see Scotland’s Tommy relieve legendary former World Champion Ted “Kid” Lewis of his British and Empire Welterweight titles, while Edinburgh police fought on the cobbles outside with 10,000 disappointed spectators unable to gain entry to the championship venue.
Again, although he crashed to defeat by a tenth round stoppage to American World Middleweight Champion Mickey (The Toy Bulldog) Walker, Tommy Milligan received (according to a letter which appeared in the 1930′s in the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch written by Tommy’s manager Paddy Greechan), a stupendous £4,858 for his losing June 30th 1927 effort at London’s Olympia against Walker.
Put in perspective £4,858 at 1927 values would be worth £1.2 million today so that sum still probably stands as a record for any Scottish boxer contesting a title in Britain.
Certainly one man who was impressed with Tommy Milligan was English boxing historian, the late
Gilbert Odd who, writing in 1948, commented, “….I well remember Tommy Milligan when he made his first appearance in London at the old national Sporting Club…. A mere lad of eighteen ….. He pleased every one by the spectacular manner… In which he hammered into his opponent in non stop two fisted fashion to gain a decisive victory…”
It was form such as this that attracted Tommy Milligan and his manager to Scotland’s first big time
boxing promoter Nat Dresner. After a deal between Milligan’s manager Pat McGreechin and Dresner, Milligan’s rise to the top, first as a welterweight then a middleweight was rapid.
His victories over Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis and Italian Bruno Frattini for the European middleweight championship, and in Lewis’s case (the Lonsdale belt) were “firsts” by a Scottish boxer at these weights. Tommy also scored superb victories over Plymouth’s Ted Moore, & Hamilton Johnny Brown although a trip to America was less successful with only one victory in three American contests. Milligan’s British form led the then Edinburgh Evening New’s boxing critic to note on Saturday 12th February 1927, After his display in his second fight with Ted Moore I am more than ever convinced that Tommy Milligan is not only the best middleweight in Britain, but he is as good as we have ever produced – Milligan fights with a fury that amazes those who meet him with Mufti…”
The latter point highlights that Tommy Milligan was a highly intelligent and articulate gentleman outside the ring. Indeed, one of the highlights of the victory dinner honouring Benny Lynch’s world flyweight title victory over Manchester’s Jackie Brown at Glasgow’s “Grosvenor Hotel” in 1935 was Tommy Milligan’s speech.
Another great admirer of Tommy Milligan was Scottish international referee Eugene Henderson who, in his days as Scottish welterweight amateur champion, helped Milligan prepare for important pro’ bouts such as his world title challenge against American champ Mickey Walker in 1927. In fact, Eugene Henderson, writing in 1959, scorned those who blamed Tommy Milligan’s lack of a big punch as explaining his tenth round by Walker. Henderson said “… I had rejoined the Milligan training camp at Shieldmuir… And was sparring with Milligan when suddenly I received a tremendous dig just below the heart… Despite the blow being encased in a 16 ounce glove, it put me down.”
Eugene Henderson was a ringside spectator at Olympia during the Walker & Milligan bout and he noted prior to the fight, Milligan was the fittest, fastest specimen of physical perfection I had ever come across. However, Tommy’s defeat, Eugene put down to abandoning his boxing and trying to mix it with Walker. After that Tommy Milligan’s career went into a relative decline. Despite having out pointed Leith’s Alex Ireland in 1924 and being miles ahead against Ireland in their March 1928 British and Empire middleweight title joust in Edinburghs Waverley market Tommy Milligan was disqualified in the ninth round for a low blow against the 1920 Olympics silver medallist Ireland. Before Newcastle referee Tom Murphy applied the closure the Edinburgh Evening News noted … Time and time again the challenger (Ireland) appeared to be on the verge of being knocked out but Milligan’s timing was out. The ninth round disqualification didn’t make Tommy Milligan unpopular with his fans who carried him shoulder high from the ring. However, that crushing first round knockout a little later that year at Carntyne dog stadium before 40,000 – A Scottish attendance record only broken by Benny Lynch in October 1937 against Peter Kane, was the end of Milligan’s boxing career. However Tommy lived on until 1970 and was not one of Scottish boxing’s hard luck stories. The man from Craigneuk deserves fully, his place in the Scottish Hall of Fame.
