Chambers Zipps
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This was originally posted in our Facebook Group as part of a series called Grappling With Color for Black History Month.
Chambers Zipps' origin is often unknown, often billed variously from North America, Jamaica and Egypt.
Chambers traveled to Paris in the early 1900s as a stable worker for a wealthy racehorse owner and thus he became a mainstay in the European Graeco-Roman and Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling circuit. Also Zipps trained with the legendary Stanislaus Zbyszko (Cyganiewicz).
Sometimes nicknamed "The Big Black" it has been said that Zipps would do such feats as carrying a horse on his shoulders and carry it from one stable to another.
Competing in Graeco Roman circuits in Austria, Russia, Romania, France and all the in-bewteen. Zipps most famous match was against the legendary Mitsuyo Maeda, a legendary Judoka from Japan on January 28, 1908 during the Alhambra Tournament in England - A tourney that boasted an astonishing ninety-six entrants and three different weight classes. Funnily enough a few dropped out of the tourney because it allowed flying falls as well as rolling falls.
Zipps was well around 6'0'' and weighed over 250 pounds. Maeda on the other hand was around 5'6'' and weighed around 153 pounds. Zipps was the heavy favorite here in this bout, needless to say the match went the total distance.
Zipps' last recorded match that I have was on April 1, 1922. Zipps was touted as a wrestler who was quick with impeccable strength and amazing defense. A big thank you to Jimmy Wheeler and Mark Hewitt for the information.
The video below is from Moscow during 1912. Chambers Zipps can be seen wrestling Luka Kopyev. Alexander Aberg, Ivan Poddubny and Yamagata Muhanura can also be seen. The others do not have 100% positive ID's as of yet. Thank you to Phil Lions for his assistance.
Chambers traveled to Paris in the early 1900s as a stable worker for a wealthy racehorse owner and thus he became a mainstay in the European Graeco-Roman and Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling circuit. Also Zipps trained with the legendary Stanislaus Zbyszko (Cyganiewicz).
Sometimes nicknamed "The Big Black" it has been said that Zipps would do such feats as carrying a horse on his shoulders and carry it from one stable to another.
Competing in Graeco Roman circuits in Austria, Russia, Romania, France and all the in-bewteen. Zipps most famous match was against the legendary Mitsuyo Maeda, a legendary Judoka from Japan on January 28, 1908 during the Alhambra Tournament in England - A tourney that boasted an astonishing ninety-six entrants and three different weight classes. Funnily enough a few dropped out of the tourney because it allowed flying falls as well as rolling falls.
Zipps was well around 6'0'' and weighed over 250 pounds. Maeda on the other hand was around 5'6'' and weighed around 153 pounds. Zipps was the heavy favorite here in this bout, needless to say the match went the total distance.
Zipps' last recorded match that I have was on April 1, 1922. Zipps was touted as a wrestler who was quick with impeccable strength and amazing defense. A big thank you to Jimmy Wheeler and Mark Hewitt for the information.
The video below is from Moscow during 1912. Chambers Zipps can be seen wrestling Luka Kopyev. Alexander Aberg, Ivan Poddubny and Yamagata Muhanura can also be seen. The others do not have 100% positive ID's as of yet. Thank you to Phil Lions for his assistance.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Biography of Chambers Zipps.
Author: John Hubert Williams (Dantethescrub_ on InstaGram).
Published: October 4, 2019.
Biography: #181.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.