Arthur Pelkey (010593)

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[Cap]

First off. Change Pelkey's Birth country to Canada. His usual fighting weight was 210 lbs. and he had a 75 inch reach.

Arthur Pelkey, born Peletier, was a powerfully built brawler whose chief attribute, much like fellow white hope Al Palzer, was his ability to take punishment. His defence was rather porous, but against his early opponents he was able to bull his way inside and pound their bellies until they either collapsed or dropped their guard for a looping overhand smash on the jaw. A good one, like Jim Coffey, was able to pierce his thick arms and hit him squarely, but Pelkey was strong enough to take it. Prior to 1914, his only loss was a KO to fellow Canadian George Christian, when Art's green chief second threw in the towel.

In 1913 he won the White Heavyweight Championship in Calgary when Luther McCarty collapsed in the ring. That was when his own luck turned bad. On New Year's Day 1914, in Daly City, California Pelkey fought the No.1 heavyweight contender in the world, Edward "Gunboat Smith". He held his own for the first six rounds, but Smith's vastly superior firepower began to wear him down, and in the 15th round he fell. His friends said that the death of McCarty had affected him, and he never won another fight but took many bad beatings without flinching.