Just recently, I had the immense joy of reuniting the family of a 1930’s boxer with two scrapbooks chronicling his remarkable boxing journey. These precious books have been in my possession for approximately two decades, gathering dust in my study. When the Marren family reached out to me seeking information about Tommy Marren’s boxing career, it felt only right to return these books to their rightful owners.
Tommy Marren, hailing from Burnley, gained fame as a successful boxer during the bustling era of the late 1920s to the mid-1930s. Born in 1907, he embarked on his boxing journey while still in his teenage years, all while working as a coalminer. This unique combination of professions led to the development of formidable fighters, a fact widely acknowledged. Despite a relatively short career of only seven years, from 1928 to 1935, Tommy participated in an impressive 169 matches, with only 41 losses. His notable achievements include being crowned the Northern Area welterweight champion in 1934 and acquiring the esteemed Jem Mace belt, which he earned in the same match where he clinched the area title.
In 1934, the Northern region extended to what is now known as its equivalent today, as well as the entire Central Area and a significant portion of the present-day Midlands area. The Southern region included Birmingham, but anything north of this city was considered part of the ‘Northern’ area. Tommy, therefore, achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the champion of a vast territory during that period. The Jem Mace belt, which Jem Mace himself had won in 1861 by defeating Sam Hurst in a bareknuckle contest, has fortunately remained in the possession of his family to this day.
Throughout his career, Tommy participated in an average of one fight every two weeks, with the majority of them being 12-round matchups. To illustrate, during the initial three months of 1931, he engaged in a total of 11 fights. Among these, three were 15-round bouts and six were 12-round bouts, of which he emerged victorious in nine. Unfortunately, during one of these fights, Tommy sustained a severe injury to his right hand and his doctor recommended that he retire from the sport. Tommy chose to disregard this advice and continued to box for another four years, competing in over 100 additional fights.
In May 1934, the Winter Gardens in Morecambe hosted the esteemed Northern Area title contest. During that time, the Winter Gardens was a highly regarded venue, hosting weekly shows for the majority of the decade. The welterweight tournament, open to all British fighters, had initially attracted 28 participants. Tommy and his opponent, John Melia from Bradford, emerged as the finalists. The tournament spanned six months, starting in December 1933. To secure his spot in the final, Tommy had to defeat Harry White, Bob Parkin, and his fierce rival Tommy Kenny, who hailed from the same town of Burnley. Despite having already defeated Kenny twice in previous encounters, Tommy comfortably outpointed him in the semi-final after knocking him down in the 11th round.
The Northern Area council made the decision to officially acknowledge the tournament final between Marren and Melia for the vacant area welterweight title. Adding to the excitement, the promoter had acquired the prestigious Jem Mace belt, which would be presented to the winner of the tournament, making it even more special.
In the initial phases of the final match, Tommy faced difficulties as Melia established a significant advantage. However, in the fifth round, Tommy managed to stun Marren with a quick right punch. Unfortunately, he was unable to capitalize on this opportunity, allowing Tommy to regain his momentum. As the match progressed to the ninth round, Melia suffered a severe cut that ultimately led to his defeat, making Tommy the new champion.
In the later part of the year, his title slipped away when Hanley’s Pat Haley swiftly defeated him in just one round. Following his retirement, Tommy made a purchase of a gym located in Burnley, where he dedicated his time coaching young boys for numerous years. Known as The Star Gym, the establishment was eventually demolished, leaving Tommy with nothing but cherished memories of his time in the sport. In the year 1989, at the age of 82, Tommy passed away, a man filled with pride.
