The 1909 George de Relwyskow Sr World's Lightweight Championship Belt

After all this time Ruslan never fails to amaze. Okay, by the 1980s I had lost interest but I knew a heavyweight championship belt in the 1960s and it wasn't like this.

Then Ruslan shows us the photographic evidence of Tiger Dalibar Singh wearing the belt. Incredible Ruslan. Not being a romantic like Ruslan I think it more likely this was just a cheapskate way of avoiding buying a new belt.

I wonder if this belt was still owned by the Relwyskows and only used on their shows and publicity shots. Was a different belt used by Max Crabtree on the other Joint Promotions shows? That's a serious question, and would bring in to doubt use of the phrase "symbolic of the British heavyweight championship" as Relwyskow was a small part of Joint. And I'm certainly not questioning Ruslan's research.

Don't think your opinion about the pay won't be popular Ruslan. I would think most reading this forum know such figures must be fantasy. In 1960 a working man would be grateful to earn £10 a week, and many of us will remember queing up at the teachers desk once a week to hand over two half crowns for another week's school dinners.

Great stuff Ruslan.

in the early 1900s in average wrestlers were paid a crown (silver 5 shillings coin) per match. wrestlers of some fame obviously were paid more, but again it was very little money in compare to what the organizers were making on gate receipts and betting control.

Would the winner of the 1909 contest really be paid a salary of £100 per week?

"Russian Concussion"

Fantastic!

I don't know how he does it.

Lovely stuff as always Ruslan, great pictures.

Mike Marino held all most famous Relwyskow Family belts among them the 1909 Holy Grail of British Wrestling.

Belle Vue Open To All Heavyweight Tournament

The Relwyskow Championship Belt

Sept 25th - Nov 27th, 1965

1st Round

Sept 25, BELLE VUE

1st Heat of First Round

D.Joyce 2-0 J.Rawlings

Geoghegan bt Leidermann

Joyce stpd Geoghegan

Oct 2, BELLE VUE

2nd Heat of First Round

Vachon 1-0 Pierlot

Davies 1-0 Verna

Davies bt Vachon

Oct 10, BELLE VUE

3rd Heat of First Round

Mitchell bt Kumali

The Mask bt Nelson-DISQ

Mitchell bt The Mask

Oct 16, BELLE VUE

4th Heat of First Round

Wall stpd DaSilva

Cox bt Hussey-DISQ

Cox stpd Wall

Oct 23, BELLE VUE

5th Heat of First Round

Tibor bt Allan

Walsh bt F.Sullivan

Walsh bt Tibor

Oct 30, BELLE VUE

6th Heat of First Round

Zaranoff kod Cassio;

B.Joyce bt B.Rawlings

B.Joyce kod Zaranoff

Nov 6, BELLE VUE

Quearter-finals

G.Davies kod D.Joyce

B.Joyce bt N. Walsh

D.Mitchell stpd J. Cox

Semi-finals

B.Joyce kod J.Cox

G.Davies bt D.Mitchell

Final

Gwyn Davies beat Billy Joyce

The 1965 International Heavyweight Championship KO Tourney for this Belt at Belle Vue, Manchester, England

Tiger Dalibar Singh - British Heavyweight Champion Wrestler, 1980s.

The reference to the origin of this magnificent trophy.