Boyle's Thirty Acres
Encyclopedia
Boyle's Thirty Acres was a large wooden bowl arena in Jersey City, New Jersey
. It was built specifically for the world heavyweight championship bout between Jack Dempsey
of the United States and Georges Carpentier
of France on July 2, 1921. It held approximately 80,000 fans and was built at a cost of $250,000. It was situated around Montgomery Street and Cornelison Avenue, on a plot of marshland owned by John P. Boyle.
in New York City. However, Nathan Lewis Miller, the governor of New York
, opposed prizefighting and indicated that he did not want a Dempsey-Carpentier bout to be held in New York State. After a number of offers from other promoters, Rickard settled on a proposal from Frank Hague
, the mayor
of Jersey City. Hague obtained a parcel of land owned by John P. Boyle, a paper box manufacturer. The site was once the home of the Jersey City baseball team. The actual size of Boyle's land was 34 acres (137,593.2 m²). The octagonal structure was built using 2250000 feet (685,800 m) of lumber
. The arena covered 300000 square feet (27,870.9 m²) and during construction had the services of 500 carpenters and 400 laborers. C.S. and J.W. Edwards were the contractors. Construction started on April 28, 1921 and was completed a few days before the fight. The arena was initially due to hold 50,000 fans. However, the demand for the international extravaganza was so enormous that Rickard had to expand the arena to hold a capacity of around 80,000 to 90,000 fans. It had the greatest seating capacity of any amphitheatre
ever built. In the contest between Dempsey and Carpentier, the strength and power of Dempsey was too much for the Frenchman who was knocked out in the fourth round, with a broken thumb.
cards after the Dempsey-Carpentier bout. On July 27, 1922 the great lightweight
champion Benny Leonard
recorded a newspaper decision win over Lew Tendler
. Luis Ángel Firpo earned a title shot at Dempsey by knocking out ex-champion Jess Willard
in the eighth round before a paid attendance of 75,712 on July 12, 1923. Firpo had less luck in 1924 when he was defeated by Harry Wills
before 70,000 fans. Other notable fighters to have fought in Boyle's Thirty Acres were Tiger Flowers
, Paul Berlenbach, Mike McTigue
, James J Braddock and Johnny Wilson
.
or the Polo Grounds. Rickard announced that the wooden arena would be demolished and in June 1927 the wrecking ball
brought the short history of Boyle's Thirty Acres to an end.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. It was built specifically for the world heavyweight championship bout between Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
of the United States and Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier was a French boxer. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908-26. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and his fighting weight ranged from...
of France on July 2, 1921. It held approximately 80,000 fans and was built at a cost of $250,000. It was situated around Montgomery Street and Cornelison Avenue, on a plot of marshland owned by John P. Boyle.
Background
Tex Rickard, the promoter of the bout, initially wanted the fight to take place at the Polo GroundsPolo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
in New York City. However, Nathan Lewis Miller, the governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
, opposed prizefighting and indicated that he did not want a Dempsey-Carpentier bout to be held in New York State. After a number of offers from other promoters, Rickard settled on a proposal from Frank Hague
Frank Hague
Frank Hague was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jersey from 1922 until 1949, and Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1924 until 1949.Hague has a widely-known...
, the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Jersey City. Hague obtained a parcel of land owned by John P. Boyle, a paper box manufacturer. The site was once the home of the Jersey City baseball team. The actual size of Boyle's land was 34 acres (137,593.2 m²). The octagonal structure was built using 2250000 feet (685,800 m) of lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
. The arena covered 300000 square feet (27,870.9 m²) and during construction had the services of 500 carpenters and 400 laborers. C.S. and J.W. Edwards were the contractors. Construction started on April 28, 1921 and was completed a few days before the fight. The arena was initially due to hold 50,000 fans. However, the demand for the international extravaganza was so enormous that Rickard had to expand the arena to hold a capacity of around 80,000 to 90,000 fans. It had the greatest seating capacity of any amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
ever built. In the contest between Dempsey and Carpentier, the strength and power of Dempsey was too much for the Frenchman who was knocked out in the fourth round, with a broken thumb.
Other notable boxing cards
Boyle's Thirty Acres was used for a number of boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
cards after the Dempsey-Carpentier bout. On July 27, 1922 the great lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
champion Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard was an American lightweight boxer. He was named as number 8 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years and number 7 on ESPN's 50 Greatest Boxers of All-Time....
recorded a newspaper decision win over Lew Tendler
Lew Tendler
"Lefty" Lew Tendler was an American boxer. He is a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.-External links:******...
. Luis Ángel Firpo earned a title shot at Dempsey by knocking out ex-champion Jess Willard
Jess Willard
Jess Willard was a world heavyweight boxing champion. He won the heavyweight title from Jack Johnson in April 1915 and lost it to Jack Dempsey in July 1919....
in the eighth round before a paid attendance of 75,712 on July 12, 1923. Firpo had less luck in 1924 when he was defeated by Harry Wills
Harry Wills
240px|rightHarry "The Black Panther" Wills was perhaps the most well known victim of the "color line" drawn by white heavyweight champions after the title reign of Jack Johnson...
before 70,000 fans. Other notable fighters to have fought in Boyle's Thirty Acres were Tiger Flowers
Tiger Flowers
Theodore Flowers became the first African-American middleweight boxing champion, defeating Harry Greb in 1926. Known as "Tiger", he began boxing professionally in 1918 at the age of 23 while working at a Philadelphia shipbuilding plant...
, Paul Berlenbach, Mike McTigue
Mike McTigue
"Bold" Mike McTigue was the light heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1923-1925....
, James J Braddock and Johnny Wilson
Johnny Wilson (boxer)
Johnny Wilson was born Giovanni Panica on March 23, 1893 in New York City. He was a professional boxer who fought from 1911 until 1926. The highlight of Wilson's career came when he captured the world middleweight championship by defeating Mike O'Dowd by decision over 12 rounds on May 6, 1920...
.
Demise
By 1927, most major title bouts in the New York area were being held either at Yankee StadiumYankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
or the Polo Grounds. Rickard announced that the wooden arena would be demolished and in June 1927 the wrecking ball
Wrecking ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings. It was most common during the 1950s and 1960s. Several wrecking companies claim to have invented the wrecking ball...
brought the short history of Boyle's Thirty Acres to an end.