Francis George Parks (March 1875 – 22 May 1945) was a British amateur heavyweight boxer.[1] He joined the Polytechnic Boxing Club in 1892 and won the Studd Trophy in 1902.[2] He also won a bronze medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics.[3][4]
Frank Parks | |
|---|---|
 Parks circa 14 May 1911 | |
| Born | March 1875 |
| Died | 22 May 1945 (aged 70) |
| Known for | British amateur heavyweight champion |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
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Biography
editHe was born in March 1875 in London, England, to George Parks and Eliza Ann Barrington.[5][6][circular reference][7] Around 1896, he married Ada Sarah Waller in London, and they had the following children: Maud Lilian Parks (1897–1983), Francis George Parks (1898–?); Rose Gladys Parks (1900–?), Ivy Mary Parks (1904–?), and Olive Eva Parks (1907–1991).[8] He was the ABA Heavyweight Champion in 1899, 1901, 1902, 1905 and 1906.[9][10]
In 1911, he and Reuben Charles Warnes went to the United States with the Amateur Boxing Association of England to fight in Madison Square Garden in a series of exhibition bouts.[10] In one of the 1911 matches in the United States he lost to William Spengler in three rounds on a referee's decision.[11]
Championships
edit- Amateur Boxing Association of England heavyweight championships in 1899, 1901, 1902, 1905 and 1906.[9][10]
- French Boxing Championship in 1905.[2]
Legacy
editA plaque in the shape of a laurel wreath was dedicated to Frank Parks by the Polytechnic Boxing Club "as a token of admiration by his many friends for his high example and untiring effort for the welfare of the this [sic?] club for 52 years". The plaque is dated 7 November 1946.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Sources tend to confuse and conflate the two brothers. There is a "Frederick Mostyn Parks" listed in Sports Reference as the Olympic medalist. There is "F. Parks" and "Frank Parks" listed in The New York Times for the exhibition matches in the US. The obituary by the Polytechnic Boxing Club is about "Frank Parks". Other sources use a pastiche of information on each in their records. On January 2, 2011, Elaine Penn, the University Archivist for the University of Westminster, wrote: "I have just discovered that Fred and Frank Parks are brothers. I quote from the Poly Boxing Club report in the Polytechnic Magazine for December 1908 (page 173) regarding an Open Competition promoted by the City Police AC: 'Fred. Parks (Frank’s brother) was our other member who showed up most conspicuously, as he beat three men in the earlier bouts and succumbed in the final only through not having enough physical strength to meet a comparatively fresh man who had just had the benefit of a bye. We must say that we were delighted with the manner in which Fred boxed during the whole of the evening, and we feel certain that before long he will become a boxer with reputation very little short of that held by his brother Frank.' "
- ^ a b c "Frank Parks". Polytechnic Magazine. 1 June 1945. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
Frank Parks who has died following a fatal accident at his Hampstead home on 22 May. He was an Associate of the Polytechnic, having become a member in 1892. Well known in business and Masonic world, he is best remembered for numerous successes in boxing in the early years of the century. He entered his first competition at Polytechnic in 1892. Won the English Championships in 1899 and repeated the same feat in 1901, 1902, 1905, and 1906. Won the Studd Trophy in 1902 and the French Championships in 1905. ...
- ^ "Frank Parks". Olympedia. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Olympic Boxing". Sporting Life. 28 October 1908. Retrieved 29 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ George Parks and Eliza Ann Barrington in the 1881 England census
- ^ "Frank Parks (1875-?) aboard the SS St. Louis". 13 May 1911. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
First Name: Frank
Last Name: Parks
Ethnicity: Great Britain English
Last Place of Residence: London, England
Date of Arrival: May 13, 1911
Age at Arrival: 36y
Gender: M
Marital Status: S
Ship of Travel: Saint Louis
Port of Departure: Southampton - ^ Joanna Parks writes: "I believe he had 5 kids - Francis George Parks born in 1898 in Marylebone, London (husband's grandad) and Ivy, Olive, Rose and Maude but I have no dates on them. I haven't even been able to find his wife."
- ^ Francis George Parks (1875–1945) at Ancestry.com
- ^ a b "ABA Heavyweight Champions". BoxRec. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
Fred [sic] Parks (Polytechnic ABC)
- ^ a b c "English Champions Arrive. Quintet of Amateur Boxers Ready for Bouts of Pastime A.C." The New York Times. 14 May 1911. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
Evidence of a real international amateur boxing series became manifest last night with the arrival on the steamship St. Louis of the quintet of English ... Parks, the mammoth of the party, is another five-time winner of the English title, with victories achieved in 1899, 1901, 1902, 1905, and 1906. ...
- ^ "English Boxers Show Up Strongly. Only One Britisher Fails to Outpoint His Opponent in Special Tournament". The New York Times. 28 May 1911. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
The five English boxers who recently came to this country to compete in the international boxing tournament were given their tryouts last night in some special matches against the pick of American amateurs at the National Sporting Club, and easily showed themselves superior to the home talent. Metropolitan, National, and Canadian champions competed in the exhibitions, but none showed up to advantage, as did the Englishmen. ... Frank Parks ... faced William Spengler
External links
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