1933 Frank Markey from Blantyre, on left hand in pockets
Pictured here in November 1933, is boxer Frank Markey (on the front left with hands in his pockets), at a weigh in at Dundee with boxer Jim Cowie. This was an important fight for the 1933 Scottish featherweight championship final.
Unfortunately, Frank was beaten, but under controversial circumstances. Jim Cowie, Dundee, became feather-weight champion of Scotland on 15th December 1933 in the Music Hall, Edinburgh. He was scored, outpointed against Frank Markey, Blantyre, over 15 rounds. Markey gave the Dundee boy an exceedingly good fight, and opinions in the capacity house were pretty evenly divided as to the justice of the verdict. There was a tremendous storm of booing when it was announced, the crowd very much in favour that the Blantyre boy should have won it. The booing continued while Dundee’s Cowie was being presented with his championship cup and gold badge by Mr Gerald King, Glasgow. There was ‘such a pandemonium in the hall that it was impossible to hear word that was beingspoken in the ring. The margin of points in Cowie’s favour must have been very narrow indeed. Markey had a certain amount of cause for complaint, and when reporters saw him afterwards the Blantyre boy was very down-in-the-mouth. All he would say was, “I won it.”
Frank Markey (Blantyre) was a professional boxer who was active between 1926 and 1944. He boxed at flyweight; bantamweight; featherweight and took part in 159 professional contests.
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Marian Maguire Great info, keeping Blantyre and its residents history alive.
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The Blantyre Project Stories of Blantyre people are always a favourite of mine.
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Jeanette Allardyce Ward The wee man on the right in the suit looks like Eric Pollard from Emmerdale
Paul Burns Frank was my Mothers uncle, just showed her the picture and it’s brought back a lot of memories to her, thanks for posting.