Results: Pro Wrestling in India and Sri Lanka (1891-1892)

A collection of pro wrestling results from India and Sri Lanka in the early 1890s.

Some research that I was able to do on three popular and experienced pro wrestlers (the Scot Duncan C. Ross, the Englishman Tom Cannon and the Greek Antonio Pierri) visiting India in 1891 and then Ross visiting Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon back then) in 1892. There's not a lot of information and I'm sure they wrestled other matches too beyond the ones mentioned below, but I think it's all quite interesting. All numbers and quotes describing the attendance are from the local press.

Left to right Tom Cannon, Antonio Pierri, Duncan C. Ross

9 December 1891
Bombay (Mumbai today), India
Novelty Theatre
"crowded audience"
Greco-Roman rules: Tom Cannon drew Antonio Pierri (1:1 falls)
= Cannon and Pierri had issued an open challenge for 1,000 Indian rupees, but no one took up the challenge to wrestle them. Cannon then said they were willing to even wrestle in the local Punjabi style (kushti), provided a rule about the shoulders being pinned to the ground was included (there was no such rule in the local style). No one accepted that challenge either so Cannon and Pierri wrestled each other. The report says there were five "bouts" between them, which went like this: 9:35 minutes (no pins), 6:40 (no pins), 3:10 (Pierri scored a pin), an interval, 15:20 (no pins), 10:30 (Cannon scored a pin).

9 December 1891* in Rangoon, India (Yangon, Myanmar): Duncan C. Ross (referred to as World champion wrestler) deposited 250 rupees with the sporting editor of "The Rangoon Times" binding himself to wrestle Tom Cannon, Antonio Pierri or anyone else either in Calcutta or Rangoon for a side bet of 1,000 to 5,000 rupees.
* The report listed the date as 9 November, but I believe that's wrong and it was actually 9 December.

19 December 1891
Calcutta (Kolkata), India
Corinthian Theatre
Giulio Bartulette def. Tom Cannon
= Cannon protested and said Bartulette had deliberately twisted his arm. There was a big commotion, the crowd was unhappy, Cannon then left and Bartulette was hooted. Most likely Bartulette was Basilio Bartoletti, who was the top Italian pro wrestler at the time.

Basilio Bartoletti

after 19 December but before 24 December 1891
Calcutta (Kolkata), India
Corinthian Theatre
For 1,000 rupees: Tom Cannon def. an opponent
= The exact date is not known. It's not clear who the opponent was. May be have been Bartulette.

23 December 1891
Calcutta (Kolkata), India
Corinthian Theatre
"fairly good house"
Mixed rules: Captain Duncan C. Ross def. Giulio Bartulette (2:1 falls)
= Bartulette, billed as the Italian champion, won the first fall (Greco-Roman) in 14:35, Ross won the second fall (collar-and-elbow) in 4:05, and Ross took the third fall (catch-as-catch-can) in less than 3 minutes. After the match Bartulette admitted his defeat and challenged anyone to wrestle him with a 1,000 rupees side bet, but no one stepped up.

24 December 1891
Calcutta (Kolkata), India
Fillis's Circus
"overcrowded from floor to ceiling"
Karim Bux def. Tom Cannon (about 10 minutes)
= The rules of the match included the following conditions: gouging of eyes or nose and tearing the ears not allowed, hitting with closed hand not allowed, hitting with open hand allowed, catch any way you like, the shoulders of the man thrown must both touch the ground, but not necessarily at the same time. Cannon had issued an open challenge for any native to meet him and Karim accepted. The 20-year-old Karim Bux, along with a group of other wrestlers, had just arrived from Jodhpur to compete in the Championship of India. Karim himself wasn't a popular wrestler at this point, but it's said his father Rohim Bux was a popular wrestler in Upper India. The Maharajah of Cooch Behar was the referee for the match. When he lost Cannon protested the referee's decision and was insisting that he had not been pinned properly, but the decision stood. After the match Captain Duncan C. Ross (referred to as the World's champion for mixed wrestling) issued a challenge for any native wrestler to face him with a 1,000 rupees side bet.

It was reported that two days after the match above Tom Cannon sailed for Egypt (where he was to visit Port Said, Alexandria and Cairo), with the intent of visiting Sri Lanka on the way as well. Cannon claimed to be upset that such an important figure as the Mahajara would let an unjust victory stand and gave that as the reason why he's leaving India.

On 2 April 1892 in Bangalore (Bengaluru), India, Captain Duncan C. Ross was supposed to wrestle an opponent as part of an event that was advertised as a "gladiatorial and military exhibition" and that also featured weight throwing, shot put, fencing, horseback combat, etc., but the scheduled opponent wasn't there. Ross then accepted a challenge from a local wrestler for a match on 11 April.

14 April 1892
Bangalore (Bengaluru), India
Bangalore Maidan
2,000 to 3,000 fans + a larger crowd turnaway crowd
Mixed rules: Captain Duncan C. Ross def. Gulam Khadir Kalifa via forfeit
= The match took place in a ring about 25 feet in diameter cordoned with rope and stakes of bamboo. Two out of three falls match. They were supposed to wrestle in the native style first (with the pinfall rule added to it), then in the English style (Cumberland and Westmorland) and finally the style for the third fall was to be determined by a coin toss. The betting was heavily in favor of the native man: 1 to 6, 7 and even 11. The report mentions Ross had been in India for the past four months, but hadn't done much. Gulam was a student of Rohim Bux's. The match was wrestled in several periods and they went as follows: 10:30 minutes (no pins), 6 minutes (Ross pinned Gulam), and then they were supposed to wrestle Cumberland style, but Gulam refused to put the Cumberland harness on so the match was ruled in Ross' favor.

16 April 1892
Bangalore, India
5,000 fans
Captain Duncan C. Ross vs. Gulam Khadir Kalifa ended without a winner (3 minutes)
= Billed as a continuation of the match from two days prior. After about 45 minutes of back and forth talk ultimately Gulam agreed to wrestle, but in the native style and not Cumberland style like they were supposed to. They wrestled for about three minutes and then Gulam claimed he had been fouled. The report suggests there was no foul - it was just a case of Gulam claiming foul. People got upset, but there was police on sight to control the crowd. It reads like Cannon was cheered over the local man.

It was reported that shortly after the match above Ross was headed to Madras (India), then Colombo (Sri Lanka) and ultimately to Australia.

26 April 1892 in Madras, India, at Victoria Hall: Captain Duncan C. Ross demonstrated various holds such as rolling arm lock, half Nelson, full Nelson, hammer lock, cross neck lock, French strangling hook, English strangling hook, Greco-Roman ridge and body hold. Ross issued a challenge for anyone to wrestle him, but no one stepped up. In addition to this he did a boxing fight with a local, a weightlifting demonstration, a sword demonstration (sliced a potato tied in a handkerchief with a backhand stroke without cutting the handkerchief and also sliced a potato placed on the neck of a soldier) and some exercises with an Indian club.

30 April 1892
Madras, India
Gymkhana Grounds
"large number of spectators"
Mixed styles match for 1,000 rupees: Captain Duncan C. Ross def. Mahboob Khan (1:0 falls)
= The first fall (Punjabi style) was ruled a draw, then for the second fall Mahboob refused to put the Cumberland harness on so the fall was ruled in favor or Ross, the coin toss determined the third fall was going to be wrestled in Punjabi style and that fall resulted in a draw. Ross was declared the overall winner.

before 3 June 1892
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Frank Brown's Circus
Captain Duncan C. Ross vs. Mahboob Khan - result unknown

3 June 1892
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Frank Brown's Circus
Captain Duncan C. Ross vs. Mahboob Khan - result unknown

before 9 June 1892
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Frank Brown's Circus
"large attendance"
Captain Duncan C. Ross def. Mahboob Khan via forfeit
= Either before the second or third round Mahboob claimed he was injured and couldn't continue. The match was ruled in favor of Ross, as the crowd cheered him on. It's also reported that Ross himself had brought Mahboob to Sri Lanka for their series of matches. Supposedly, the agreement with the circus owner was that he was going to keep 50% of the gate money and then the wrestlers would split the other 50%, 2/3 going to the winner and 1/3 to the loser. There was also a bit of controversy surrounding the nationality of Mahboob - he was claiming to be a policeman from Bangalore, while Ross was saying he thought Mahboob was an Afghan.

before 15 June 1892
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Frank Brown's Circus
"the tent was packed"
For 200 rupees: Captain Duncan C. Ross vs. Kader Mohideen - result unclear
= Kader was brought in from Madras for the sole purpose of wrestling against Ross. Kader won the first fall and then as the second fall was to begin he left so ultimately the referee ruled the fall in favor of Ross and Ross was given the 200 rupees. The following day it was reported Kader had been injured and that's why he couldn't continue with the match.