Results: Pro Wrestling in Istanbul (1881-1928)

A collection of pro wrestling results from Istanbul, Turkey.

There wasn't a lot of Greco-Roman wrestling going on in Istanbul (Constantinople) during the period in question, but still there was some interesting stuff such as matches in front of the Sultan at his palace, a masked wrestler, a famous Turkish wrestler who almost became the "original Terrible Turk" more than a decade prior to Yousouf, the Paul Pons troupe coming over for a tournament, a series of tournaments in 1909-1911, a wrestler going crazy during a match and trying to stab his opponent with a sabre, and more.

One of the main reasons why for the period in question there was very little wrestling in Istanbul up to 1909 (be it Greco-Roman pro or traditional Turkish oil wrestling), despite there being a lot of Turks active in European and American pro wrestling after 1895, was because of the Ottoman Sultan at the time Abdul Hamid II (who reigned from 1876 to 1909). He was paranoid about large public gatherings and for a while put a restriction on them. Hence why you won't find many big public wrestling matches in Istanbul during his reign.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, all matches below were in the Greco-Roman style and took place in Istanbul. I've also added a few sidenotes here and there about other stuff involving pro wrestlers.

All the numbers and quotes describing the attendance come from the press, and more specifically a couple of Istanbul-based French-language newspapers. If you see more than one number or quote per event that means they're from different newspapers.

-----------

24 May 1881
Concordia Theatre
Simon def. Jean Doublier
= Doublier likely had other matches at the theatre around this time, but I don't have record of them. The Frenchman Jean Doublier (real name: Joseph-Claude Doublier) was a popular French professional wrestler and strongman. He was one of, if not the most, well-traveled wrestlers of the era and as early as the second half of the 1870s he toured all over Europe. His nickname was “The Hercules of the XIX Century”. Simon was an Armenian wrestler. This was a French wrestling (Greco-Roman) match and it was Doublier who had issued the challenge for it. However, according to Doublier in a later statement at one point during the match Simon began using holds typical of Turkish oil wrestling and the match turned into more of a Turkish oil wrestling match and Doublier said that’s why he lost.

Sidenote: Right after this Doublier went to Bucharest, Romania, where he did strongman feats and wrestled a series of matches with a Romanian gymnast by the name of Moceanu Velescu at Circus Sidoli and Rașca Garden.

Jean Doublier (right) posing with a Turkish wrestler

-----------

On 18 March 1883 at the Municipal Garden Theatre an immense crowd of mostly Greeks and Armenians had gathered to witness a wrestling match between the Greek athlete Antoine Panayi (nicknamed “The Greek Hercules”) and the Armenian Simon (nicknamed “The Invincible”). The large crowd was quite excited for the bout and bets were being placed on its outcome. However, the city authorities, fearing a conflict would break out between the Greeks and the Armenians, sent in police officers and infantry patrols to stop the match before it began.

Sidenote: Antoine Panayi was actually Panagis Koutalianos, who was a popular Greek strongman and wrestler at the time.

-----------

Jean Doublier arrived in Istanbul on 1 April 1883. He said he had heard the Greek Panayi (also spelled Panay in some articles) had been performing feats of strength at Petits-Champs Municipal Theatre and had challenged all wrestlers to face him under French wrestling rules (Greco-Roman) and he had straight away left Bucharest and arrived here to face Panayi. Doublier said he wanted to rehabilitate his reputation in Istanbul after his 1881 loss to Simon. Doublier issued the following challenge to Panayi (in a local newspaper and there were also posters put up around town) - he wanted them to face off in a feats of strength competition first and then in a wrestling match. If Doublier couldn’t outperform Panayi with his feats of strength or win the wrestling match in 20 minutes then he would give Panayi 500 French francs. He wanted the bout to take place either at Concordia Theatre or Petits-Champs Municipal Theatre and he was ready to deposit the money with the theatre director. Doublier issued this challenge on April 5. On the following day Panayi declined, saying Doublier had already been beaten by Simon in 1881. On April 7 Doublier re-issued his challenge.

Sidenote: Before he came to Istanbul it seems Doublier spent a few months in Bucharest, and perhaps elsewhere in Romania. I’ve seen mentions of him managing an athletic troupe at Dacia Theatre in Bucharest in December 1882, January 1883 and March 1883. During this Bucharest run Doublier performed feats of strength and also had a series of matches with a masked wrestler (black mask). Doublier’s wife, who was a professional strongwoman and occasional wrestler, was also part of the troupe. She was known by the stage name Miss Olaika and mostly wrestled men.

-----------

18 April 1883
Yıldız Palace
1. Panayi drew Simon
2. Halil Adha def. Panayi
3. Halil Adha def. Simon
= Panayi and Simon were summoned by Sultan Abdul Hamid II to wrestle at his palace. First, Panayi performed his feats of strength. Panayi then wanted to wrestle in the European style (Greco-Roman), because he said he didn’t know the Turkish style while Simon wanted to wrestle in the Turkish style, because he knew nothing of the European style. In order to give Panayi an idea of the Turkish style two of the guards of the palace stables were ordered to wrestle a Turkish oil wrestling exhibition bout. Panayi then agreed to wrestle in the Turkish style, but on the condition that they kept their clothes on as opposed to taking off their shirts and wearing leather pants as was the tradition in Turkish oil wrestling. Simon initially declined this because he was wearing looser clothes and he thought this would give Panayi the advantage, but ultimately he agreed and the two began wrestling with their clothes on. The report doesn’t make it clear, but it seems the match ended up being under Greco-Roman rules. The match finished with Simon grabbing Panayi by the legs and knocking him down. Simon was declared the winner, but Panayi protested saying the conditions of the match prohibited grabbing your opponent's legs or head. The match was restarted and ended without a winner. Then Panayi was offered a match with Halil Agha (a wrestler from the time of the late Sultan Abdulaziz). Halil defeated the already tired Panayi. Halil then wrestled Simon and defeated himself. It’s not mentioned in what style those two last matches were. On a final note, a few years earlier this Halil Agha was said to have single-handedly captured and tamed a furious bull, which had escaped from the imperial stables.

-----------

28 April 1883
Yıldız Palace
Jean Doublier drew Panayi
= They were summoned by Sultan Abdul Hamid II to wrestle at his palace. Before the wrestling match Doublier and Panayi had a feat of strength competition and they proved to be almost equals - whatever feat one of them performed the other one managed to perform as well, with one exception. In general Doublier was lifting the big weights and twisting iron bars with a smile on his face as if he was just playing while Panayi looked to be struggling really hard to pull off those same feats. One of Doublier’s feats was lifting a barrel, with three people in it, with his teeth and he performed it with ease while Panayi couldn’t lift the barrel even with only one person in it. The report did not mention what the style of the match was, but I’m assuming Greco-Roman. At one point in the match in a fit of rage Panayi grabbed Doublier by the throat, which was against the rules. Doublier himself did not protest, but Panayi was told to let go. Neither wrestler was able to throw the other so the match ended in a draw. Afterward the Sultan gave Doublier 100 Turkish liras and Panayi was given 50.
= Sidenote: The report above came from a French newspaper based in Istanbul. According to Greek sources, however, Panayi (Panagis) won the match.

30 April and 1 May 1883: “The Hercules of the XIX Century” Jean Doublier, “The Queen of Cannons” Miss Olaika and “The Armenian Hercules” Simon performed strength and athletic feats at the Municipal Garden. Doublier was offering 500 French francs to anyone who could perform the same feats as him.

-----------

From 24 May 1883 onward: A women’s wrestling troupe was wrestling at Concordia Theatre. They were said to be wrestling in the flat hand wrestling style (another term for Greco-Roman wrestling) and were jovially referred to in the report as “imitators of Doublier and Panayi”. The report also noted they were going to be dressed in the costumes of the athletes from the Olympic Games.

-----------

22 September 1883: The press announced that the famous palace wrestlers Kel Aliço and Halim had received permission from Sultan Abdul Hamid II to leave for Europe where they were going to give performances of the Turkish wrestling style, with the assistance of Jean Doublier. They were to leave for Paris the following week [however, later on Aliço changed his mind, decided he did not want to go and things fell through].
= Sidenote: To me this was a very interesting discovery. In 1895 Doublier introduced the first trio of Turks (Yousouf, Nourlah and Mehmed) to France and here he is in 1883, 12 years earlier, trying to bring Turkish wrestlers to Paris for the first time. From 1895 onward the Turks became a popular attraction in European pro wrestling, and then in North American wrestling, and it’s interesting to think about how things could have turned out if Turks were first introduced to European wrestling in 1883 as opposed to 1895. The Kel Aliço (pronounced Alicho) in question is one of the most legendary Turkish oil wrestlers of all time. He is said to have been the Turkish oil wrestling champion for 26 years straight. He was also one of the so-called “palace wrestlers”, i.e. high-ranking wrestlers that the Sultan took in and had them stay at his palace.

19 October 1883
Verdi Theatre
“a large crowd”
1. Miss Olaika feats of strength performance
2. Turkish oil wrestling: Kel Aliço def. Sari Mehmed - cnc
3. Jean Doublier def. The Masked Man P. X. (a few seconds)
4. Turkish oil wrestling match between two young Turkish pro wrestlers (probably Memisch and Ahmed)
= Aliço and Mehmed were the chief palace wrestlers of the Sultan. They had an open challenge - 100 Turkish liras to any amateur who could defeat them. A report from a few days prior had mentioned that two would be heading to Paris soon, but then the report from the event said that Aliço had refused to go to Paris. Two days prior to the event Doublier was challenged to a Greco-Roman match by someone with the initials P. X. and this P. X.’s only condition for the match was that he wanted to wrestle under a mask. Doublier accepted the challenge on the following day. The Aliço/Mehmed match ended after Mehmed said he couldn’t continue wrestling and therefore Aliço was declared the winner.

21 October 1883
Verdi Theatre
1. Miss Olaika feats of strength performance
2. Turkish oil wrestling: Kel Aliço vs. Sari Mehmed
3. Turkish oil wrestling: Memisch vs. the winner of the Aliço/Mehmed match
4. Jean Doublier feats of strength performance
5. Turkish oil wrestling: Jean Doublier vs. Ahmed
= The event was canceled due to a last-minute dispute between Doublier and the director of the theatre.
= Sidenote: I believe this is the same Memisch who was one of the first three Turks to wrestle in the UK. In March 1895 Doublier brought the first three Turks to Paris and then a couple of months later he brought a different Turk trio to London (Memisch being one of them). Doublier was also one of the people one who brought Yousouf to the U.S. in 1898.

26 October 1883
Verdi Theatre
“a smaller crowd than the previous performance”
1. Miss Olaika feats of strength performance
2. Turkish oil wrestling: Kel Aliço def. Sari Mehmed
3. Turkish oil wrestling: Memisch vs. Ahmed
4. Turkish oil wrestling: Jean Doublier vs. Mehmed
= A charity event - part of the proceeds were going to be given to the victims of a recent fire in Istanbul. The card above was the advertised card. The report from the event only mentioned the result of the Aliço/Mehmed and also said there was a feats of strength competition between Doublier and Aliço, which Doublier won because Aliço wasn’t able to perform the same feats as Doublier.

Kel Aliço (left) and Memisch (right)

-----------

18 June 1890: Concordia Theatre announced they had hired “the famous Arab wrestler” Selim-Russo-Aid to appear at their venue in the near future. He was willing to take on any and all challengers. It’s not mentioned what style of wrestling this was going to be and I couldn’t find confirmation that he wrestled at Concordia Theatre.

-----------

Sidenote: On 15 July 1896 at the Municipal Garden in Thessaloniki (which is Greece today but was part of the Ottoman Empire then) Kara Ahmed defeated Dramali Moulla-Ali in a Turkish oil wrestling match. 8,000 fans were in attendance. The match ended when Ahmed locked Dramali’s head under his arm and forced Dramali to beg him to end the match. A couple of days later, however, Ahmed’s victory was declared null because his winning hold was against the rules of Turkish oil wrestling.

Three years later Kara Ahmed won the 1899 World Greco-Roman Championship tournament in Paris.

-----------


21 February 1897
Circus Giuletti
“the circus was sold out and fans were turned away”
Kara Ahmed drew Miloni (25 minutes)
= Miloni was said to be an Italian gymnast. The reporter, who attended the match, seemed to think the match was a fixed exhibition and not a genuine match.


24 February 1897
Circus Giuletti
Kara Ahmed def. Miloni (10 minutes)

-----------

25 January 1900
Cirque de Pera
“the circus was sold out and fans were turned away” / “the circus has never been so full”
Christol drew Baston (26 minutes)
= Christol was said to be from France and Baston from Hungary. Christol had been performing at this circus as an athlete since mid December 1899.

26 January 1900
Cirque de Pera
“much fewer people than the day before but still a special audience”
Christol def. Baston (17 minutes)
= Both wrestlers were busted open during the course of the match.

29 January 1900
Cirque de Pera
Christol vs. Baston
= There was to be a third match between the two, but I don’t have the result.

1 February 1900
Cirque de Pera
Kiyici Osman def. Baston (3 minutes)
= Osman was a replacement for Neshet, who was ill and couldn't do the match. Reportedly, this Neshet had previously wrestled in France.

-----------

The first ever Greco-Roman pro wrestling tournament in Istanbul, with the Paul Pons troupe.

Tournament
from 5 October to 18 October 1906
Théâtre des Variétés
promoted by “L’Auto” newspaper
= In the tournament: Paul Pons, Georg Oettinger, Jean Schackmann, Van den Berg, Emile Limousin, Karl Cillis, Jean Amalhou, Clement le Belge (Clement d'Angers), Milo (Milo Poggi), Walter Eigemann, Bernhard Sturm, Noel le Bordelais, Alexander Sandorffy, Fini Svertz

After Istanbul, the troupe went to Athens, Greece, for a tournament there.

Final placement:
1. Paul Pons
2. Georg Oettinger
3. Jean Schackmann
4. Van den Berg
5. Emile Limousin
6. Karl Cillis

Results and advertised matches:
= 6 Oct: Clement def. Cillis (16) / Schackmann def. Limousin (24) / Berg def. Eigemann / Oettinger def. Sturm / Pons def. Svertz
= 7 Oct: Cillis def. Amalhou / Limousin def. Clement / Schackmann def. Sandorffy / Noel def. Svertz / Oettinger def. Eigemann
= 8 Oct: Amalhou def. Milo / Clement def. Svertz / Eigemann def. Noel / Limousin def. Sandorffy / Pons def. Berg
= 9 Oct: Noel def. Cillis (6) / Sandorffy def. Clement (20) / Schackmann def. Berg (25) / Eigemann def. Sturm (5) / Oettinger def. Svertz (2)
= 10 Oct: Limousin def. Amalhou (17) / Clement def. Noel (11) / Cillis def. Sandorffy (14) / Schackmann def. Svertz / Pons def. Eigemann
= 11 Oct: Limousin def. Cillis / Noel def. Milo / Schackmann def. Clement / Oettinger def. Sandorffy / Berg def. Sturm
= 12 Oct: Eigemann def. Sandorffy / Cillis def. Sturm / Schackmann def. Amalhou / Oettinger def. Clement / Pons def. Limousin
= 13 Oct: Milo vs. Clement / Sandorffy vs. Amalhou / Eigemann vs. Limousin / Sturm vs. Svertz / Oettinger vs. Berg
= 14 Oct: Berg def. Amalhou / Cillis def. Svertz / Oettinger def. Limousin / Pons def. Clement / Professor Rene Gaillard def. Milo - out of the tournament, jiu jitsu match
= 15 Oct: Sandorffy vs. Amalhou / Clement vs. Cillis / Oettinger vs. Limousin / Eigemann vs. Svertz / Pons vs. Noel
= 17 Oct: Berg def. Eigemann (14) / Limousin def. Clement (12) / Oettinger def. Cillis (4) / Pons def. Schackmann (2) / the Turks Cotch Mehmet and Nechad were in attendance
= 18 Oct: Schackmann def. Berg (14) / Pons def. Oettinger

The Paul Pons troupe (this photo is most likely from Istanbul)

-----------


4 October 1907: There was a wrestling competition with the main Ottoman champions, including the famous wrestlers Kurtdereli Mehmet (known in the West as Court Derelli) and Cotch Mehmet, who had wrestled in Paris and elsewhere. This was part of a big sports event, wrestling being the headline attraction. It’s not specifically mentioned, but this was probably Turkish oil wrestling. The report mentioned that the most famous wrestlers from Bulgaria had telegraphed that they were coming to compete with Derelli and Mehmet.

-----------

Between 16 September and 15 October 1909: With Abdul Hamid II no longer being the Sultan, there were Turkish oil wrestling competitions in several different venues. Among the participants were: Yussiff Mahmout (Frank Gotch's policeman), Ahmed Madrali (George Hackenschmidt's biggest rival in the UK), Kara Osman, Cotch Mehmet, Maksud, Kara Emin, Kara Mustafa, Ali Ahmet, Molla Ibrahim, Silistreli Salih, and many others.

-----------

This was the first of five tournaments at Nouveau Cirque Theatre. That circus was also known as Circus Arditty because the circus director was Hugo Arditty. The two key foreign names in these tournaments were Alexander Dobricz from Bulgaria (who was actually billed as a Serbian in Istanbul) in the first two tournaments and Janos Czaja from Hungary in the other three. Popular Turkish pros with international experience such as Adali Halil, Kurtdereli Mehmet, Redjeb Pengal and Nurullah (known as Nourlah in the West) were brought in as the big Turkish stars for the tournaments. There was also Silivrili Molla Izzet, who was billed as a Turkish World champion during one of the tournaments and was generally positioned as a main contender too. Kara Emin, who later on would become the 1926 Turkish oil wrestling champion, was part of one of these tournaments as well.

- First row (left to right): Janos Czaja, Alexander Dobricz, Adali Halil, Kurtdereli Mehmet
- Second row: Redjeb Pengal, Nurullah, Silivrili Molla Izzet, Kara Emin

Tournament
from 15 December 1909 to 16 January 1910
Nouveau Cirque Theatre
= In the tournament: Alexander Dobricz, Richard Waniek, Alphonse Steurs, Silivrili Molla Izzet, Kara Emin, Halil Chichman, Wladyslaw Maksymiak, John Sanders, Karol Nagy, Josef Rödel, Konstantin Angelescu, Ricardo, Iwan Rossow, Klemenceff, Rene, Antoine, Lombardi, Levison, Ali Ahmed, Husni

Final placement: “The tournament ended with a victory for Dobricz and Waniek” is what the report said. Perhaps they were tied for first place? Or maybe Dobricz won and then in the next tournament (February-March 1910) the final placement was the same - Dobricz first and Waniek second? I don’t know.

Initially the following wrestlers were advertised too, but they weren’t in the tournament: John Pohl (Abs II), Iwan Romanoff, Chambers Zipps, Jean Schackmann, Ivari Tuomisto, Axel Krook, Oskar Luppa, Ali Oglui (Pista Horvat), Kara Ali, Raoul, Petersen. Two weeks after the tournament had started Pohl (billed as a World champion) was still being advertised as “coming soon”, but he never came.

Referee: Humberto

Results and advertised matches:
= 16 Dec: Emin def. Nagy (10) / Steurs def. Maksymiak
= 17 Dec: Ahmed vs. Sanders / Waniek def. Klemenceff via disqualification
= 18 Dec: Rossow vs. Chichman / Steurs drew Ricardo
= 20 Dec: Halil def. Ricardo / Waniek def. Husni / Steurs def. Rodel (39)
= 21 Dec: Emin vs. Rene
= 22 Dec: Waniek def. Antoine (0:47) / Klemenceff def. Ricardo (8) / Steurs def. Rossow (17)
= 23 Dec: Halil def. Klemenceff (6) / Rene drew Antoine / Maksymiak def. Sanders (26)
= 24 Dec: Halil vs. Sanders / Maksymiak vs. Rodel / Izzet vs. Nagy
= 26 Dec: Sanders def. Rene (4) / Izzet def. Rossow (7) / Rodel def. Maksymiak (27)
= 27 Dec: Izzet def. Klemenceff (7) / Halil def. Rodel (32) / Waniek def. Sanders (12)
= 28 Dec: Steurs def. Antoine (7) / Maksymiak def. Klemenceff (15) / Izzet drew Rodel
= 29 Dec: Waniek def. Lombardi (12) / Halil drew Maksymiak / Rossow drew Sanders
= 30 Dec: Levison def. Rossow (17) / Dobricz def. Sanders (6) / Izzet drew Antoine
= 31 Dec: Maksymiak def. Rene (2) / Sanders def. Rossow (15) / Dobricz def. Lombardi (1)
= 1 Jan: Izzet vs. Sanders / Waniek vs. Rossow / Dobricz vs. Maksymiak
= 2 Jan: Halil vs. Maksymiak was stopped (28) - the crowd got too riled up and police had to intervene to calm things down / Dobricz def. Levison (4) / Sanders def. Lombardi (15)
= 3 Jan: Levison def. Lombardi (12) / Izzet drew Maksymiak / Dobricz def. Rossow (8)
= 4 Jan: Halil vs. Waniek / Izzet vs. Levison was stopped - things got heated between the two wrestlers and police intervened to stop the match, Izzet was wrestling too brutally and threw Levinson on his head with full force, the report also mentioned Izzet had previously injured Antoine and sent him to the hospital, Izzet was disqualified from the tournament and it was ruled that going forward he could only wrestle men of equal weight as him such as Dobricz and Waniek
= 5 Jan: Rossow def. Lombardi (14) / Sanders def. Levison (6) / Dobricz drew Halil
= 6 Jan: Halil def. Maksymiak (39) / Lombardi drew Rene / Dobricz drew Waniek
= 7 Jan: Dobricz def. Maksymiak (29) / Izzet drew Waniek
= 8 Jan: Rossow def. Sanders / Dobricz def. Halil (68)
= 9 Jan: Izzet drew Halil / Waniek def. Maksymiak (15)
= 10 Jan: Angelescu def. Rossow (17) / Waniek was declared winner over Halil because Halil did not turn up for their match / Dobricz drew Izzet
= 11 Jan: Angelescu def. Sanders (17) / Waniek def. Izzet (49)
= 12 Jan: Izzet vs. Halil / Dobricz vs. Waniek
= 13 Jan: Izzet vs. Waniek ended without a winner / Dobricz vs. Angelescu
= 14 Jan: Waniek def. Angelescu (9) / Dobricz drew Izzet (2 hours 15 minutes)
= 15 Jan: Izzet vs. Waniek - 20 minute time limit put in place by the jury, if there was no winner within that time then Izzet would be declared the winner / Dobricz vs. Angelescu

-----------

“Gold Belt of Turkey” tournament
from 5 February to 15 March 1910
Nouveau Cirque Theatre
= In the tournament: Alexander Dobricz, Richard Waniek, Adali Halil, Adam le Colosse (Siegfried Adam), Reinhold Bähr, Wladyslaw Maksymiak, Franz Zinner, Iwan Rossow, Konstantin Angelescu, John Sanders, Rudi Kesselbach, Mitica Dona, Steinberg, Adanali, Mehmed Ali, Hussein, Saifeddin, Moustafa, Hassan

Final placement:
1. Alexander Dobricz
2. Richard Waniek

The gold belt was provided by the Hungarian Athletic Club of Budapest.

Results and advertised matches:
= 7 Feb: Ali def. Rossow (8) / Bahr def. Angelescu (12) / Adam def. Maksymiak (7)
= 8 Feb: Ali def. Sanders (8) / Steinberg def. Angelescu (15) / Dobricz def. Zinner (8) / Hussein drew Maksymiak
= 9 Feb: Bahr def. Saifeddin (7) / Waniek drew Kesselbach / Adam def. Zinner (4)
= 10 Feb: Waniek def. Saifeddin (4) / Adam def. Steinberg (4) / Bahr drew Kesselbach
= 11 Feb: Hussein vs. Steinberg / Adam vs. Bahr / Waniek vs. Kesselbach
= 14 Feb: Adam vs. Ali / Dona vs. Bahr / Moustafa vs. Steinberg
= 15 Feb: Waniek vs. Steinberg / Adam vs. Dona / Ali vs. Kesselbach
= 16 Feb: Moustafa vs. Bahr / Dona vs. Kesselbach / Waniek vs. Ali
= 17 Feb: Waniek def. Bahr (0:30) / Adam def. Ali (14) / Dona drew Emin - Turkish oil wrestling match
= 18 Feb: Kesselbach def. Steinberg (15) / Bahr def. Ali (15) / Emin def. Dona - Turkish oil wrestling
= 19 Feb: Waniek vs. Moustafa / Bahr vs. Steinberg / Emin vs. Kesselbach - Turkish oil wrestling
= 20 Feb: Waniek def. Bahr / Adam def. Dona (25) / Emin def. Steinberg (1) - Turkish oil wrestling
= 21 Feb: Waniek drew Dona / Emin drew Hassan - Turkish oil wrestling / Adam def. Bahr
= 22 Feb: Adanali def. Steinberg (2) / Adam def. Dona (27) / Emin def. Hassan (6) - Turkish oil wrestling / Bahr drew Moustafa
= 23 Feb: Waniek def. Bahr (25) / Emin def. Moustafa (24)- Turkish oil wrestling / Adanali drew Dona
= 24 Feb: Adam drew Waniek / Adanali def. Lombardi (2:30) / Dona def. Bahr
= 25 Feb: Waniek de. Dona (25) / Adanali drew Bahr / Halil def. Steinberg (16)
= 26 Feb: Adanali vs. Angelescu / Dona vs. Zinner / Halil vs. Bahr
= 27 Feb: Waniek drew Adanali / Bahr def. Dona (31) / Halil def. Angelescu (10)
= 28 Feb: Hassan def. Angelescu (16) / Adanali drew Dona / Halil def. Bahr (46)
= 1 Mar: Halil drew Adam / Waniek def. Hassan (2) / Adanali drew Bahr
= 2 Mar: Halil drew Zinner / Adanali drew Maksymiak / Dobricz def. Bahr (16)
= 3 Mar: Waniek def. Zinner (5) / Dobricz drew Adanali / Hassan drew Steinberg / Halil drew Maksymiak
= 4 Mar: Waniek vs. Adam / Halil vs. Zinner / Dobricz vs. Dona / Maksymiak vs. Hassan
= 6 Mar: Waniek def. Maksymiak (12) / Dobricz def. Ali (3) / Bahr def. Dona (46) / Halil def. Adam (37)
= 7 Mar: Halil drew Waniek / Bahr drew Maksymiak / Dona def. Angelescu (12)
= 8 Mar: Dobricz drew Adam / Zinner def. Steinberg (15) / Halil def. Maksymiak (1 hour 30 minutes)
= 9 Mar: Waniek def. Adam (34) / Dobricz def. Maksymiak (14) - Maksymiak was a sub for Halil who couldn’t wrestle due to illness / Dona def. Zinner (12)
= 10 Mar: Dobricz drew Waniek / Bahr def. Maksymiak (18) / Adam def. Zinner (11)
= 11 Mar: Halil def. Dona / Dobricz def. Adam (20)
= 12 Mar: Dobricz def. Steinberg (6) / Halil def. Waniek (1 hour 10 minutes) / Dona def. Maksymiak (20)
= 13 Mar: Maksymiak def. Zinner (12) / Dobricz def. Halil (1 hour 40 minutes) / Adam def. Dona (18)
= 14 Mar: Waniek was declared winner over Halil because Halil didn’t turn up - the match was to be for 500 French francs / Dona def. Zinner (19) / Bahr def. Steinberg (6) / Maksymiak def. Ali (17)
= 15 Mar (final day): Dobricz def. Waniek (1 hour 40 minutes)

Matches out of the tournament:
= 16 Mar: Adanali vs. Halil Mehalitz - Turkish oil wrestling / two Greco-Roman matches
= 17 Mar: Waniek vs. Bahr / Dobricz vs. Adam / Angelescu vs. Zinner / Dona vs. Steinberg

-----------

“Gold Cup of Turkey” tournament
from 5 September to 25 October 1910
Nouveau Cirque Theatre
= In the tournament: Janos Czaja, Kurtdereli Mehmet, Michael Paradanoff, Silivrili Molla Izzet, Richard Waniek, Adam le Colosse (Siegfried Adam), Pista Horvat, Bruno Hackenschmidt, Artur Barkowski, Fritz Müller, Bernhard Paxon, Reinhold Bähr, Jensen, Heinrich von Berg, Winter, Laurent le Boucher, Karsbetian, Brunner, Mehmed Ali, Quajat, Sebeblili Hussein

Winner: Janos Czaja (who was also the manager of the tournament)

Initially Tom Jackson and Louis Gebauer were advertised, but they weren’t part of the tournament.

In the initial adverts it was said that all wrestlers who lost 5 times would be eliminated from the tournament, but it’s hard to say whether they stuck to this format. Originally the tournament was to start on 3 September, but it got pushed back by a couple of days.

During the tournament there were a few matches billed as English wrestling. I’m assuming those were catch-as-catch-can matches.

Results and advertised matches:
= 5 Sep: Paradanoff def. Berg (19) / Hackenschmidt def. Barkowski (27) / Kurtdereli def. Jensen (8)
= 6 Sep: Paradanoff def. Jensen (3) / Czaja def. Berg (9) / Horvat drew Paxon (35:00) / Kurtdereli def. Bar
= 7 Sep: Winter drew Hussein (35:00) / Czaja def. Barkowsky (17) / Kurtdereli def. Horvat (19)
= 8 Sep: Hussein drew Barkowski (35:00) / Hackenschmidt def. Berg (14) / Czaja def. Horvat (12) / Kurtdereli def. Winter
9 Sep: Paxon def. Jensen (8) / Boucher def. Barkowski (11) / Kurtdereli def. Berg / Hussein def. Winter (40) - Winter refused to continue wrestling
= 10 Sep: Winter def. Brunner (7) / Boucher def. Berg (17) / Kurtdereli def. Barkowsk (4) / Czaja def. Horvat (23)
= 11 Sep: Kurtdereli def. Brunner (2) / Hussein def. Berg (18) / Paxon def. Horvat (36)
= 12 Sep: Kurtdereli def. Horvat (5) / Czaja drew Paradanoff (35:00) / Hussein def. Winter (38)
= 13 Sep: Brunner drew Jensen (35:00) / Kurtdereli drew Paxon (35:00) / Czaja def. Barkowski (13) / Boucher def. Horvat (18)
= 14 Sep: Jensen def. Karsbetian (6) / Kurtdereli def. Berg (4) / Hackenschmidt def. Horvat (14)
= 15 Sep: Paradanoff def. Hussein (15) / Czaja def. Horvat (16) / Kurtdereli def. Winter (7)
= 16 Sep: Czaja def. Jensen (2) / Kurtdereli def. Paradanoff (16) / Waniek def. Barkowski (12)
= 17 Sep: Waniek def. Horvat (12) / Czaja drew Boucher (35:00) / Kurtdereli def. Barkowski (2) / Kurtdereli def. Jensen (2)
= 18 Sep: Hackenschmidt drew Waniek (35:00) / Hussein def. Barkowski (27) / Kurtdereli def. Brunner (2) / Kurtdereli def. Berg (4)
= 19 Sep: Paradanoff def. Horvat (12) / Czaja def. Berg (6) / Kurtdereli def. Paxon (26)
= 20 Sep: Czaja drew Paxon (35:00) / Waniek def. Hussein (21) / Kurtdereli def. Horvat (4)
21 Sep: Paxon def. Barkowski (12) / Hussein def. Brunner (4) / Paradanoff failed to def. Kurtdereli in 30 minutes - Paradanoff had said he would beat Kurtdereli in 30 minutes or he would give him 25 Turkish liras
= 22 Sep: Czaja def. Horvat / Kurtdereli drew Waniek (35:00)
= 23 Sep: Czaja def. Hussein (15) / Paradanoff def. Winter (3) / Kurtdereli def. Paxon (5)
= 24 Sep: Paradanoff vs. Berg / Czaja vs. Barkowski - English wrestling / Kurtdereli vs. Hackenschmidt
25 Sep: Czaja def. Paxon (30) / Boucher def. Horvat (18) / Kurtdereli vs. Waniek was stopped - Waniek hurt his shoulder and the match was stopped
= 26 Sep: Paradanoff def. Barkowski (18) / Kurtdereli drew Boucher (35:00) / Hackenschmidt def. Winter (15)
= 27 Sep: Kurtdereli def. Paxon (18) / Hackenschmidt def. Barkowski (8) / Winter def. Horvat (23)
= 28 Sep: Paxon def. Horvat (15) / Paradanoff drew Boucher (35:00) / Kurtdereli def. Waniek (25)
= 29 Sep: Ali vs. Barkowski / Hussein vs. Horvat / Czaja vs. Boucher
= 30 Sep: Paradanoff drew Boucher (60:00) / Czaja drew Waniek (60:00) / Kurtdereli def. Ali (4)
= 1 Oct: Muller def. Hussein (17) / Czaja def. Ali (8) / Adam def. Barkowski (5) / Kurtdereli def. Boucher (40)
= 2 Oct: Czaja drew Hackenschmidt (35:00) / Kurtdereli def. Adam (30) / Paradanoff drew Paxon
= 3 Oct: Muller def. Horvat (8) / Czaja drew Paradanoff (60:00) / Kurtdereli def. Hackenschmidt (27)
= 4 Oct: Kurtdereli def. Waniek (12) / Czaja drew Boucher / Paradanoff def. Ali (8)
= 5 Oct: Horvat def. Ali (8) / Muller def. Paxon (16) / Kurtdereli def. Adam (25)
= 6 Oct: Boucher def. Paxon (14) / Czaja def. Adam (26) / Kurtdereli drew Muller (35:00)
= 7 Oct: Czaja def. Waniek (26) / Quajat def. Horvat (12) / Hussein def. Ali (5) / Paradanoff drew Muller (35:00)
= 8 Oct: Paxon vs. Adam / Czaja vs. Muller / Quajat vs. Ali
= 9 Oct: Hackenschmidt def. Hussein (25) / Czaja def. Boucher (40:00) / Muller def. Waniek (25) / Adam def. Horvat (12)
= 10 Oct: Muller drew Boucher (35:00) / Hussein def. Quajat (3) / Adam def. Mehmed (2) / Hackenschmidt def. Horvat (22)
= 11 Oct: Kurtdereli def. Paradanoff (3) / Czaja def. Hackenschmidt (25)
12 Oct: Hackenschmidt drew Muller (35:00) / Czaja def. Adam (21) / Kurtdereli def. Boucher (12) - Boucher had asked for this rematch and had put up a stake of 25 liras
= 13 Oct: Czaja drew Kurtdereli (35:00) / Paradanoff def. Adam (23)
= 14 Oct: Czaja def. Waniek (18) - English wrestling / Kurtdereli def. Adam (2) / Paradanoff drew Muller (60:00)
15 Oct: Kurtdereli def. Hackenschmidt (6) - Hackenschmidt had put up a 20 liras stake that he could beat Kurtdereli in 20 minutes / Czaja def. Muller (3)
= 16 Oct: Kurtdereli def. Boucher (8) - English wrestling / Paradanoff vs. Muller was stopped - Paradanoff got a concussion and the match was stopped / Hackenschmidt drew Waniek (35:00)
= 17 Oct: Paradanoff def. Boucher (27) / Izzet def. Waniek (6) / Hussein def. Horvat (13)
= 18 Oct: Czaja drew Kurtdereli (60:00) / Izzet def. Boucher (9)
= 19 Oct: Kurtdereli def. Paradanoff (41) - English wrestling / Hackenschmidt def. Adam (25) / Izzet drew Muller (35:00)
= 20 Oct: Czaja def. Boucher (24) / Muller def. Adam (2) / Izzet drew Paradanoff (35:00)
= 21 Oct: Izzet def. Adam (13) / Czaja drew Muller (60:00) / Kurtdereli vs. Hussein in a Turkish oil wrestling match was advertised, but it doesn’t seem like it happened
= 22 Oct: Izzet vs. Hussein / Czaja was declared winner over Kurtdereli
= 23 Oct: Waniek def. Horvat (15) / Izzet drew Muller (60:00)
= 24 Oct: Czaja drew Izzet (35:00) / Muller def. Paradanoff (1 hour 40 minutes)
= 25 Oct (final day): Izzet vs. Hackenschmidt / Czaja vs. Paradanoff

There was controversy around the 22 October Czaja/Kurtdereli match. Early in the match Czaja appeared to hurt his arm, but he insisted on continuing to wrestle. However, Kurtdereli refused to wrestle an injured man and forfeited the match. Czaja was declared the winner and Kurtdereli left the tournament without actually having been pinned. Reportedly, a portion of the crowd did not buy this and thought the injury was fake. One of the reports that I read thought that it was fake too and the newspaper further speculated that a lot of the tournament matches had been fixed. Two days later Czaja wrestled Izzet and seemed to be fine, which added further fuel to the idea that his arm injury against Kurtdereli was a work meant to give him a win over Kurtdereli without Kurtdereli actually losing since Kurtdereli was a pretty big name in Turkey.

-----------

“Gold Belt of Turkey” tournament
From 4 February 1911 onward
Nouveau Cirque Theatre
In the tournament: Janos Czaja, Joseph Czaja, Redjeb Pengal, Anton Gerigkoff, Alfredo Paganini, Karl Witzelsberger, Wenzel Kouba, Georgiewicz, Mihailovicz, The Mask (masked wrestler), Bugataroff (Alexander Bogatirev?), Mayer, Andre Schmidt, Bugler, La Vervette, Schneider

Winner: Janos Czaja (I haven’t seen reports from 1911 saying who won the tournament, but when Czaja returned to Turkey in 1924 it was said he had won the 1911 Gold Belt of Turkey, he was also probably the tournament manager)

I don’t know when the tournament finished. Perhaps early March. It was definitely over by 10 March.

Results and advertised matches:
= 6 Feb: Kouba def. Paganini (17) / Pengal def. Mayer (11) / Georgievic drew Mihailovicz (35:00)
= 7 Feb: Joseph Czaja def. Schmidt (16) / Georgiewicz def. Paganini (11) / Pengal def. Bugler (4)
= 8 Feb: Joseph Czaja def. Paganini (5) / Vervetie def. Witzelberg (15) / Pengal drew Gerigkoff (35:00)
= 9 Feb: Bugataroff vs. Mayer / Pengal vs. Witzelsberger / Janos Czaja vs. Schneider
= 18 Feb: Mask vs. Schmidt / Bugataroff vs. Kouba / Pengal vs. Schneider / Vervette vs. Georgiewicz / Janos Czaja vs. Paganini
= 22 Feb: Pengal vs. Vervette / Mask vs. Schneider / Janos Czaja vs. Bugataroff / Georgiewicz vs. Gerigkoff
= 25 Feb: Georgiewicz vs. Mihailovicz / Janos Czaja vs. Vervette / Pengal vs. Gerigkoff

-----------

“Grand Championship of the United Sports Societies of Paris” tournament
from 19 August to 30 September 1911
Nouveau Cirque Theatre
In the tournament: Janos Czaja, Nurullah, Karl Saft, Chambers Zipps, Alexander Dobricz, Silivrili Molla Izzet, Emmy Esson (Jimmy Esson?), Gabriel Lassartesse, Kara Osman, Heinrich Lobmayer, The Mask (masked wrestler), Max Schwarz, Karl Herrmann, Tadeus Pitlofsky, Ali Idris Oglou (Pista Horvat), Josef Rutz, Hermann Gerke, Ludwig Grammer, Kristensen, Egeberg, Fernigoff (Anton Gerigkoff?), Parschau

Winner: Janos Czaja

Officially, the tournament was under the direction of the Ottoman Athletic Circle, but behind the scenes Janos Czaja was probably the tournament manager.

The Turkish press billed Emmy Esson as the English champion so Jimmy Esson is the obvious assumption, but this Emmy Esson lost all of his matches in this tournament and it seems odd to me that Jimmy Esson would be losing that much and that’s why I have doubts whether it was him.

= 21 Aug: Pitlofsky def. Rutz (15) / Schwarz def. Egeberg (14) / Saft def. Kristensen (11)
= 22 Aug: Fernigoff def. Rutz (7) / Lobmayer drew Herrmann (35:00)
= 23 Aug: Nurullah def. Rutz (2) / Nurullah def. Egeberg (2) / Schwarz drew Herrmann (35:00)
= 24 Aug: Grammer def. Egeberg (18) / Nurullah def. Kristensen (1:30)
= 25 Aug: Fernigoff def. Egeberg (12) / Osman def. Rutz (8) / Nurullah def. Zipps
= 26 Aug: Gerke vs. Rutz / Fernigoff vs. Kristensen / Nurullah vs. Lobmayer
= 27 Aug: Gerke def. Egeberg (6) / Pitlofsky def. Kristensen / Nurullah def. Grammer (7)
= 28 Aug: Schwarz def. Zipps (22) / Czaja def. Kristensen (4) / Nurullah def. Pitlofsky (4)
= 29 Aug: Nurullah def. Lobmayer (26) - Lobmayer asked for a rematch and put up a 400 French franc stake for it / Czaja def. Grammer (8)
= 30 Aug: Czaja def. Gerke (16) / Nurullah def. Lobmayer (32) - for 400 French francs
= 31 Aug: Osman def. Grammer (15) / Nurullah def. Esson (13)
= 1 Sep: Nurullah def. Gerke (14) / Czaja def. Osman (15) / Schwarz def. Grammer (12)
= 2 Sep: Nurullah vs. Schwarz / Czaja vs. Fernigoff / Grammer vs. Parschau
= 3 Sep: Schwarz def. Osman (25) / Czaja def. Gerke (16) / Nurullah def. Parschau (13)
= 4 Sep: Czaja def. Oglou (11) / Saft def. Gerke (5) / Nurullah def. Esson (2)
= 5 Sep: Czaja def. Parschau (12) / Fernigoff def. Grammer (2) / Herrmann def. Oglou (6) / Nurullah def. Schwarz (14)
= 6 Sep: Saft def. Parschau (3) / Nurullah def. Herrmann (17) / Fernigoff def. Gerke (2)
= 7 Sep: Czaja def. Esson (14) / Schwarz def. Gerke (4) / Nurullah drew Fernigoff (35:00)
= 8 Sep: Osman def. Esson (18) / Herrmann def. Gerke (2) / Czaja drew Saft (45:00)
= 9 Sep: Czaja vs. Fernigoff / Saft vs. Osman / Nurullah vs. Schwarz
= 10 Sep: Feringoff def. Esson (19) / Saft def. Gerke (1) / Nurullah def. Parschau (3) / Czaja vs. Schwarz ended in a double disqualification
= 11 Sep: Czaja drew Mask (35:00) / Lassartesse def. Parschau (14) / Nurullah def. Herrmann (7)
= 12 Sep: Nurullah drew Feringoff / Saft def. Herrmann (13) / Czaja def. Schwarz (20)
= 13 Sep: Nurullah drew Mask (35:00) / Dobricz def. Osman (4) / Lassartesse def. Rutz (26) / Czaja def. Herrmann (16)
= 14 Sep: Schwarz def. Lassartesse (22) / Czaja def. Kristensen (6) / Nurullah def. Feringoff (34) / Dobricz drew Mask (35:00)
= 15 Sep: Nurullah vs. Saft / Mask vs. Feringoff / Dobricz vs. Schwarz / Czaja vs. Pitlofsky
= 17 Sep: Mask def. Herrmann (7) / Mask def. Schwarz (14) / Nurullah drew Dobricz (35:00) / Czaja def. Feringoff (38)
= 18 Sep: Saft def. Schwarz (14) / Dobricz def. Esson (7) / Nurullah def. Feringoff (15) - English wrestling / Czaja drew Mask (60:00)
= 19 Sep: Izzet def. Schwarz (11) / Czaja def. Feringoff (22) / Dobricz drew Mask (60:00)
= 20 Sep: Mask def. Feringoff (3) / Czaja drew Nurullah (35:00) / Dobricz drew Izzet (35:00)
= 21 Sep: Czaja def. Dobricz (0:30) / Nurullah def. Izzet (13) / Saft drew Mask (60:00)
= 22 Sep: Dobricz def. Mask (65) / Czaja drew Saft (60:00)
= 23 Sep: Mask vs. Osman / Dobricz vs. Izzet / Czaja vs. Saft
= 25 Sep: Saft def. Dobricz (15) / Nurullah def. Mask (1) / Feringoff def. Osman (17)
= 26 Sep: Czaja drew Nurullah (60:00) / Saft def. Feringoff (8)
= 27 Sep: Czaja def. Mask (20) / Nurullah drew Saft (60:00)
= 28 Sep: Nurullah vs. Saft
= 29 Sep: Czaja vs. Nurullah
= 30 Sep: Czaja vs. Saft

The following is in reference to the Dobricz/Izzet match on 23 September, I think. The report said it was about a 25 September match between them, but they didn’t have a match on 25 September. According to the report Dobricz used an illegal move, which angered Izzet and Izzet violently punched Dobricz in the face three times. A fan stepped in and tried to calm Izzet down, but that angered him even more and Izzet ended up grabbing a sabre from one of the naval officers at the matches and then tried to hit Dobricz with it. Dobricz ran away and took refuge in the nearby guardhouse. Police and gendarmerie got involved and arrested Izzet. Naturally, Izzet was disqualified from the tournament and an investigation was opened into the incident. I’m not sure what happened with Izzet afterward.

-----------

26 June 1914: There was a big open-air sports event for the benefit of the Ottoman national fleet. There were several Turkish oil wrestling bouts at that event, including Kara Emin vs. Karpouz Ahmed and Adali Halil vs. Silivrili Molla Izzet.

-----------

Tournament
from late July to mid August 1919
Winter Palace
= In the tournament: Jean Sabatier, Buzovac Mourzouck, Kara Emin, Masked Man, Georges Daze, Charles Gordini, Vislowsky, Londjik, Orlow, Peterson, Mistan, Koslowsky, Zagaronitko, Merlin, Stampow, Adjik Ali, Moustam

I don’t know the exact start/finish dates or the final placement.

Advertised matches:
= 28 Jul: Sabatier vs. Ali / Mistan vs. Zagaronitko / Daze vs. Orlow
= 29 Jul: Ali vs. Vislowsky / Daze vs. Zagaronitko / Mourzouck vs. Emin
= 30 Jul: Mourzouck vs. Emin / Sabatier vs. Peterson / Masked vs. Merlin
= 31 Jul: Ali vs. Masked / Mourzouck vs. Koslowsky / Londjik vs. Orlow
= 1 Aug: Sabatier vs. Ali / Emin vs. Peterson / Mourzouck vs. Masked
= 2 Aug: Daze vs. Merlin / Sabatier vs. Vislowsky / Mourzouck vs. Emin
= 5 Aug: Daze vs. Londjik / Sabatier vs. Ali / Emin vs. Vislowsky
= 6 Aug: Masked vs. Gordini / Mourzouck vs. Londjik / Emin vs. Vislowsky
= 8 Aug: Vislowsky vs. Ali / Emin vs. Moustam / Gordini vs. Orlow
= 9 Aug: Daze vs. Mourzouck / Londjik vs. Moustam / Stampow vs. Vislowsky
= 11 Aug: Daze vs. Gordini / Masked vs. Londjik / Vislowsky vs. Mistan
= 13 Aug: Ali vs. Londjik / Mourzouck vs. Vislowsky / Masked vs. Daze
= 14 Aug: Daze vs. Moustam / Vislowsky vs. Londjik / Emin vs. Orlow

-----------

18 October 1919: The pro wrestler/strongman Jan Kentel (also known as Lurich II) appeared as a strongman at Garden Music Hall (also known as Municipal Garden Petits-Champs). One of his feats was twisting a tram rail around his neck.

-----------

From 28 November to 1 December 1919, there were newspaper adverts about wrestling matches at Music Hall Parisiana. I don’t know whether this was a tournament or just matches. And I don’t know how long the wrestlers wrestled there. I found adverts only for those few days, but they may have wrestled on other days too.

Mentioned in the adverts: Jean Sabatier (billed as World champion), Buzovac Mourzouck, Jan Kentel, Halil Hodja, Marouzoff, Vislowsky, Londjik, Salvator, G. d’Halse, Abram

-----------

Women's tournament
from 26 January 1921 onward
Olympia Theatre

In the tournament: Valentinowa (billed as World champion) and nine other wrestlers.

I don't know how long this tournament lasted, but it definitely wasn't a long one.

-----------

Tournament
from 16 April 1924 onward
Sporting Palace
In the tournament: Janos Czaja, Nechad, Franz Solar, Alois Prochaska, Randolfi (Markus Randolf), K. Lindmalyer, A. Popescu, Sandorfy, Gustavson, Eberle (not Heinrich Eberle), Svatonow (Wenzel Svaton?), Halil Hodja

I don’t know when the tournament finished or who won it (there’s a good chance it was Czaja who won).

About a week prior to the tournament Janos Czaja, billed as a World champion and the winner of the 1911 Istanbul tournament, issued an open challenge to all Turkish wrestlers to sign up for the tournament and wrestle him. Czaja offered to put up 500 Turkish liras and the gold belt, which he had held since 1911. The day before the tournament was to begin it was announced in the press that Kurtdereli Mehmet had accepted the challenge and would be signing up for the tournament, but I don’t know if he did.

G. Kopp (Petar Kop?), Josef Pichler and Samson (Paul Bahn?) were mentioned in the initial advert too, but I don’t know whether they were part of the tournament (and if they were it would have been after 22 April).

Referee: Péter (said to be a famous athlete, who was brought in by the Turkish government to train Turkish athletes for the upcoming Olympics, and then he also agreed to referee this tournament)

= 16 Apr: Eberle def. Randolfi (22) / Lindmalyer def. Popescu / Sandorfy drew Gustavson
= 17 Apr: Czaja def. Eberle (9) / Gustavson drew Lindmalyer / Solar def. Popescu (11)
= 18 Apr: Czaja vs. Eberle / Gustavson vs. Randolfi / Svaton vs. Sandorfy
= 19 Apr: Nechad vs. Sandorfy / Svaton vs. Eberle / Solar vs. Randolfi
= 20 Apr: Nechad def. Popescu (16) / Czaja vs. Prochaska was stopped - Prochaska threw Czaja out of the mat, Czaja scratched his knee on a chair and the match had to be stopped / Lindmalyer def. Sandorfi (17) / Solar drew Eberle
= 21 Apr: Nechad vs. Sandorfy / Svaton vs. Lindmalyer / Hodja vs. Popescu / Prochaska vs. Gustavson
= 22 Apr: Lindmalyer drew Eberle (25:00) / Czaja def. Svaton (12) / Sandorfy def. Popescu / Gustavson def. Randolfi (12)

-----------

11 January 1925: It’s reported that the 42-year-old Yussiff Mahmout would soon be returning to Istanbul after a successful European tour [he did indeed return, accompanied by his Romanian protege Petre Sonda, and they wrestled a few matches with lesser-known opponents in Istanbul].

-----------

10 July 1928: It’s reported that the popular Yugoslavian strongman and occasional pro wrestler Marijan Matijevich had arrived in Istanbul and was hoping to do some demonstrations of his strength. He was billed as the “strongest man in the world”. Among his feats of strength were: lifting four barrels full of water with a total weight of about 800 kilos (1,700 pounds), twisting iron bars around his neck and tearing steel chains apart. The claim in the Turkish press was that Matijevich had defeated Constant le Marin in New York [I don’t think that’s true but it’s interesting to see le Marin’s name being used to build up Matijevich’s rep in Turkey].