Bantamweight Palmer, to the left, had just come off three losses, so was now being written as a fighter past his best, but the article says that the brilliance of his brief career has seldom been surpassed. According to the writer, “Quick and agile as a cat, he was here, there and everywhere, putting into execution more dodges and expedients than any two ordinary men. He is termed the ‘box of tricks’... his head work was simply marvellous, and very frequently he has been known not to attempt to defend himself with his arms at all, but to stand up to his opponent and dodge the blows solely by the wonderful rapidity with which he would manipulate his little head-piece. His footwork too, was a perfect study.”
Straight wins in his early fights led to a contest with Walter Croot, a good boxer who had won a Frank Hinde tournament at Central Hall, Holborn, London. They met at the National Sporting Club, with Croot the strong favourite, but “Palmer danced around Croot, like a cooper round a tub, for seventeen rounds, and his brilliant victory placed him at one bound in the front rank of the bantams.”
Descriptions of Palmers wins over Stanton, Plimmer, a draw with Dixon, and wins over Willis, Murphy, Stanton again, are given, and then two big wins against Dave Sullivan and Billy Rotchford, left Palmer as the man to beat in the bantamweight division. But the finish to Palmer’s career came when he met one of the very best of the lighter men, Terry McGovern, and was stopped in one round. The article ends with Palmer’s loss to Harry Harris just a few weeks before the issue went to press.
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