Over the ages, boxing has been engaged by forces representing vastly different views of its place on the world stage. In America during the early twentieth century it was both revered and reviled. Perhaps this was the case in other countries, but seemingly to a lesser degree. Laws governing the conduct of boxing in America varied from state-to-state with some states barring it altogether. Corruption was ever-imbedded in the sport and, along with its violent nature, inspired continuous opposition from anti-boxing forces. In 1911 New York state enacted the Frawley Law, which delivered boxing to a state of near stagnation, particularly in the welterweight and middleweight divisions. Its no-decision rule denied many top-contenders a clear path to the title. Throughout the early decades of the twentieth century, discrimination ran rampant along ethnic and racial lines. America's love-hate relationship with the sport, onerous state laws and discrimination, particularly toward black fighters, motivated many of America's top pugilists to migrate to countries known to be universally more tolerant. Australia, England and France were principal beneficiaries to receive many of America's top fighters. Jimmy Clabby was front-and-center during this era and joined other Americans to fight in Australia, England and New Zealand. His role on the stage of professional boxing durring the early twentieth century is closely reflective of the forces at work then and his story reveals much of what life was like for those who excelled in the "square-circle."
James Clabby 
