[http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mcintosh-hugh-donald-7373]
McIntosh, Hugh Donald (1876-1942)
by Chris Cunneen
Hugh Donald McIntosh (1876-1942), sporting and theatrical entrepreneur and newspaper proprietor, was born on 10 September 1876 in Sydney,...
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The prospective visit of the American fleet in 1908 stirred McIntosh's commercial instincts. In an audacious coup, he brought out world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns to fight Australian Bill Squires at an open-air stadium hastily erected in a leased Rushcutters Bay paddock. The fleet stayed away from the fight, but McIntosh had tapped into Sydney's new-found passion for mass spectator sport. He persuaded Burns to defend his title against American Negro Jack Johnson on Boxing Day 1908 at the Sydney Stadium. McIntosh refereed the bout and 20,000 people saw Johnson crush Burns. McIntosh made a huge profit. Even more lucrative was his film of the fight, which in January 1909 he took to Europe and the United States of America. He returned in November and had success with boxer Bob Fitzsimmons's tour and a sortie into John Wren's patch, Melbourne.
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