1930s British wrestler Chick ‘Cocky’ Knight is the subject of a new biography, London’s Loveable Villain, by Andy Scott published this month:

Born in Hammersmith, West London in 1903 (Chick later lived in Castelnau, Barnes SW London where he passed away at home in 1967) Chick was a champion Wrestler, Boxer and Fencer in the Army (1st Suffolk Battalion Regiment), and then both an amateur and pro-Boxer, and a professional Wrestler from 1932-58 fighting all the great heavyweights including many battles with Bert Assirati. He fought as a professional Boxer from 1935-36, which included a contest with former British Champion, Reggie Meen.

Chick was one of the first British Wrestlers on TV in 1938 (he fought Canadian champion Earl McCready at Earls Court in London) as well as being a professional Wrestler he was also a professional Boxer, a Soldier, a Doorman at several London nightclubs, including The Lyceum, a Film Stuntman and Extra, security to Royalty (Princess Margaret at Kensington Palace) and a Triple Lifesaver, with 2 rescues, one in Gibraltar in 1924 when he saved a fellow solider from drowning at Catalan Bay, and a second in the Thames at Hammersmith in June 1930, when he saved 2 people from drowning, going into the River Thames not once but twice to rescue the 2 people! Both incidents are documented fully in the book.

Chick famously fought Former British Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion Boxer, Billy Wells in 1938, in one of the first and certainly televised on film, Boxer v Wrestler matches at Earls Court in London.

Chick also starred in films with the likes of George Formby, Flanagan and Allen, and appeared as a stuntman in several too.

A complete chapter devoted to Chick’s comprehensive Boxing fight history, as well as a separate chapter devoted to the contest with Billy Wells are both contained in the book.

Also, he was a friend to many celebrities, including Boxer Len Harvey, singer Josef Locke (Chick fought many times as wrestler in Belfast, Cork, Derry and Ulster in the 1940s & 1950s), comedian Ben Warriss, film and music star George Formby (Chick starred in several of George’s films and George would come along and watch Chick fight when he had wrestling matches in Blackpool) and Britain’s last hangman and executioner, Albert Pierrepoint. The two formed an unlikely friendship but shared a common love of Boxing and fine cigars, and would regularly meet either in London, when Albert would be in town ‘on business’ as he used to refer to it, or when Chick was fighting in Manchester, when he would often stay with Albert at his pub in Oldham, ‘Help The Poor Struggler’.

The book will be available in both paperback and Kindle editions. For more details or to order directly from the author, contact info@andy-scott.net.