A serious history of the origins in Malta of the so-called ‘noble’ art of boxing has not yet been attempted.

We assume that pugilism was introduced by the British armed services in the late 19th century, like cricket, polo and golf, but, at the present state of research, this belief remains just that – an assumption. A reasonable one, seeing that the rules, the dos and the don’ts, were first formalised by the British Marquis of Queensbury in 1867.

Boxing team of the Gordon Highlanders in Malta, 1924. Photo: Richard Ellis

What meagre evidence has so far emerged points to the preponderant presence of boxing activity by British soldiers and sailors stationed on the island, with some rare contributions by Maltese sportsmen (Charles Camenzuli, il-Mument, September 9, 2018).

Indoor boxing matches and tournaments took centre stage in various venues, like the Britannia Circus, in Floriana, for a short while before World War I the focal point of most entertainment for the armed forces; the Manoel Theatre; and the open-air Empire Stadium, in Gżira. 

Its popularity somewhat waned with the departure of the British from Malta, though not its subconscious influence on common figurative parlance, like ‘toeing the line’, ‘throwing in the towel’, ‘hitting below the belt’, ‘knockout’, ‘saved by the bell’, ‘the real McCoy’ and ‘pull your punches’.

Paolo Cauchi of the Royal Malta Artillery (RMA) c. 1915. Photo: Black & White Photo Studio, Sliema

E. Delia ‘it-Tich’, Bantamweight champion, Malta, 1910. Note his tattooed body, arms and legs. Photo: Salvatore Lorenzo Cassar

Army and Navy boxing championships, Malta, 1913, 2nd Gloucestershire regiment. Photo: Joseph Vella, Sliema

Boxer Private L. Summerfield of the 2nd Gloucestershire regiment in the Navy and Army Championships, 1912. Photo: John Simler, Sliema

Boxer Private A. Simmonds of the 2nd Gloucestershire regiment in the Navy and Army Championships. Malta, 1913. Photo: Joseph Vella, Sliema

Boxer Private H. Harrington of the 2nd Gloucestershire regiment in the Navy and Army Championships. Malta, 1913. Photo: Joseph Vella, Sliema

Photographic evidence of early boxing activity in Malta proves extremely difficult to come by. I have selected a few examples, all from my albums, which provide visual records of some protagonists, like Paolo Cauchi, a soldier of the Royal Malta Artillery, born in 1890, who emigrated to the US in 1924 and is then lost track of; E. Delia ‘it-Tich’, the five-foot-tall Bantamweight Malta champion in 1910; and Briffa and Camilleri, seen lustily fighting in 1918.

Many of these pioneer boxers are lavishly tattooed. Any further information on these pioneers and on the early annals of the sport in Malta would be most welcome.

Open air boxing match between Briffa and Camilleri, May 3, 1919

Mock boxing match in Malta, c 1920

Open air boxing match, British armed forces, Malta, 1920s