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The sport of boxing has long resonated with fans because of
the culture and accessibility it provides. Ask any follower
of the sweet science about their favorite fighters and they
will rattle off names ranging from world champions to
neighborhood club fighters. These lists are usually
accompanied by stories of chance meetings, autographs, or
hours spent around the gyms and arenas where fighters honed
their craft.
A red-brick building near the intersection of Kensington
Avenue and Somerset Street stands as a quiet monument to the
bygone glory days of Philadelphia boxing. From 1917 to 1963,
this structure, known as the Cambria Athletic Club (A.C.),
hosted some of the city’s most popular and punishing weekly
fights. Once a bustling arena that drew crowds from across
the region, the building now serves as a warehouse in the
heart of Kensington’s “Badlands,” a neighborhood long
plagued by open-air drug markets and crime. Today, police
patrols replace fight crowds, but the echoes of bell rounds
and cheering fans still linger in its walls.
ORIGINS AND EARLY YEARS
The Cambria A.C. was opened in 1917 by local promoter Johnny
Burns, who managed the venue until his sudden death in 1940.
After his passing, his wife Rosie made history as the first
woman in the United States to hold a boxing promoter’s
license, taking over management of the club. The venue
itself was a converted movie theater, named after another of
Burns’ properties, Cambria Stadium, an outdoor arena near
Frankford Avenue and Cambria Street that operated during the
“outdoor season” for more than four decades.
With seating for roughly 2,000 spectators, the Cambria A.C.
held its first boxing card on February 2, 1917. Its
reputation grew quickly, becoming infamous for its bloody,
hard-fought matches. Locals gave it colorful nicknames such
as “The Bucket of Blood,” “The Blood Pit,” and “The College
of Hard Knocks.”
TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY
The Cambria’s gritty reputation was cemented by the
intensity of its bouts, but tragedy also struck within its
ring. On January 29, 1956, middleweight Robert Perry of
Philadelphia was fatally injured after being knocked out by
Rudy Watkins of Baltimore in the sixth round. Perry was
rushed to Episcopal Hospital, where he later died from his
injuries, a sobering reminder of the sport’s inherent risks.
A HUB OF PHILADELPHIA BOXING
Throughout the early 20th century, boxing was one of
Philadelphia’s favorite pastimes. Arenas such as the Olympia
A.C. at Broad and Bainbridge Streets and the Nonpareil A.C.
at Kensington Avenue and Ontario Street competed for crowds,
but the Cambria held a special place among working-class
fans. Before television brought fights into living rooms,
Friday night cards at the Cambria routinely packed the
house.
By the 1950s, however, the rise of televised boxing and the
growing convenience of watching fights at home cut into
attendance. The Cambria gradually transitioned into a
smaller club venue, hosting local prospects and regional
draws until it finally closed its doors in 1963.
THE FIGHTERS WHO MADE IT FAMOUS
Over its 46-year history, the Cambria A.C. hosted an
extraordinary lineup of Philadelphia’s best fighters, many
of whom became world champions:
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Benny Bass, who held world titles in both the
featherweight and junior lightweight divisions, fought
at the Cambria more than 20 times, including one of his
final bouts in 1940.
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Tommy Loughran, the South Philadelphia light heavyweight
champion (1927–1929), fought four times at the Cambria
between 1920 and 1921.
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Johnny Jadick, a Ukrainian-born Philadelphian and 1932
world junior welterweight champion, fought there 49
times from 1923 to 1936.
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Midget Wolgast, Philadelphia’s Hall of Fame flyweight
champion from 1930 to 1935, appeared in eight bouts at
the venue.
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Bob Montgomery, the “Philadelphia Bobcat,” captured the
New York World Lightweight Title in 1943 and again from
1944 to 1947. One of his early career setbacks came at
the Cambria in 1939, when he lost to Tommy Speigal for
the Pennsylvania State Lightweight Title.
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Harold Johnson of Manayunk, a two-time world light
heavyweight champion in the early 1960s, fought there
three times.
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Joey Giardello, future middleweight world champion
(1963–1965), appeared twice at the Cambria in 1951.
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George Benton, the beloved “Mayor of North
Philadelphia,” fought back-to-back bouts there in 1955.
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“Bad” Bennie Briscoe, one of Philadelphia’s most popular
fighters, began his career at the Cambria, with three of
his first four fights held inside its ring. His legacy
would later inspire boxing historian John DiSanto to
name Philadelphia’s annual boxing awards after him.
In addition, countless local club fighters filled the
more than 1,300 boxing shows at the legendary venue through
the years, including popular attractions like Carmen
Bartolomeo, Billy Abel, Jimmy Carlini, Ike White, Jimmy
Beecham, Charlie Cummings, Chico Corsey, Eddie Corma, Jimmy
Soo, Frankie Carto, Joey Fagan, Slim Jim Robinson, Jethro
Cason, Tommy Griffin, as well as
"house" fighters from the Johnny Burns stable including
Pat Haley, Marty Gold, Harry "Kid" Lewis, Nate Goldman,
Frankie Ferro, Young Chappie, Al Monahan, Matty White, and
Jimmy McNulty.
LEGACY
When the Cambria A.C. closed in 1963, it held the
distinction of being the oldest active boxing venue in the
United States. Its Friday night fights inspired generations
of promoters and venues throughout the city. From 1961 until
2010, The Legendary Blue Horizon on North Broad Street
carried that tradition forward, embodying the same gritty,
working-class spirit that once filled the Cambria’s smoky
rafters.
Though its ring has long been silent, the Cambria A.C.
remains an enduring symbol of Philadelphia’s storied boxing
heritage and a reminder of a time when the city’s toughest
fighters and most loyal fans packed the “Bucket of Blood” to
witness the sweet
science at its rawest.
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