Douglas Bould

From The Great Outdoor Fight

Douglas Bould (b. 1856, d. 1917) was the 1888 Fight Champion. A farmer by trade, Bould began fighting part-time for money and because, in his own words, "there weren't nothin' much else to do in Kansas." Bould's tall, lanky frame and impressive reach allowed him to dominate shorter and stockier opponents.

Bould's first appearance in the Fight was not particularly glamorous; he fell 853rd in the rainy 1880 fight. Some time later, Bould suffered an accident that left him without the full use of his left arm. However, this did not dissuade bold. With little or no feeling in his left hand and forearm, he quickly learned to use the appendage as a brutal club. He returned for the 1886 fight, coming in at 10th Man Standing, but skipped the 1887 due to illness.

In 1888, Bould managed to give a good enough showing on the first day to attract a following of fellow Midwesterners impressed with his simple style and manner, as well as his fighting skills. His comrades fell around him, and by the afternoon of the third day, he found himself up against three tired stragglers. The other three ganged up on Bould, whom they had decided was the biggest threat, being the tallest and the best-rested of the remaining four fighters. With a mighty, looping swing of his left arm, Bould simultaneously knocked out all three fighters, knocking their heads together and sending them down like a row of dominoes. To this day, it remains the only time three men have shared a tie for standing position.

An interview with his hometown newspaper reveals that Bould was known as "The Scalper" in his home state. He acquired this nickname for his method of using his great reach to grab an opponent by the hair and subsequently batter them in the head with his crippled left hand, in the manner of a man taking another man's scalp with a hatchet. It was not until the rise of 1923 Champion Leandro Sidower that another fighter was known for having such incredible power in his left hand.