Joe Shears
Joseph "Joe" Shears (born 1892 - November 25, 1957), also known as Joe Schulman, was a former boxer.
Early History[edit]
When Joe Shulman was a year old, his family relocated from Poland to London, England.[1]
Shears was the fighting moniker of Joe Schulman, and it was taken on by his son Jerry and the rest of the family.[2]
Boxing career[edit]
Shears fought in England, Canada, and the United States before the First World War.
In 1908, he defeated George Jones in the first professional boxing match conducted in Belleville, Illinois.[3] He competed in a match at New Bedford's Sharpshooters Hall in 1913.[4]
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Shears enlisted in the Canadian Army.[5] "Little Joe" Shears became the bantamweight champion of the Allied forces in France and England in 1916.[6] In November 1916, English artist Laura Knight was commissioned to paint the physical training of the 156th Canadian Infantry Battalion stationed at Witley Camp in Surrey.[7] She painted a piece titled "Physical Training Witley Camp" which featured Joe Shears.[8]
Shears escaped a German prison camp by crawling through a sewer.[9]
After the war, in 1919, he went back to boxing in Montreal.[10]
Personal life[edit]
Jerry, Phil, Max, Al, and Joe Jr. were his five sons, all of whom became amateur boxers by imitation.[11]
Death[edit]
Joseph Shears died on Monday, November 25, 1957.
Honors and awards[edit]
- Allied Forces Bantamweight Champion. (1916)
References[edit]
- ^ "The Unbelievably Tough Little Guy Passes - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Obituaries: Jerry Shears – Fighter Was A Champ Boxer And Broker - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Belleville IL Boxing Gyms | History Of Boxing In Belleville". legendaryboxingtraining.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Joe Shears, Former Montrealer Proves Himself A Clipper - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "The Sports Digest - The Montreal Star Elmer Ferguson - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ https://www.gallery.ca/collection/artwork/joe-shears-and-a-sparring-partner
- ^ "Artists at war: Dame Laura Knight". libraryblog.lbrut.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Morden, Barbara C. (2013). Laura Knight: A Life.
- ^ "Hard Rock Joe Shears Failing - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Joe Shears Won - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Scrappy Crew - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.