William Elroy Parker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 20, 1877 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Other names |
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| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 49 |
| Wins | 30 |
| Wins by KO | 26 |
| Losses | 11 |
| Draws | 9 |
William Elroy Parker (born January 20, 1877), better known as Kid Parker, was an American professional boxer, physical culturist and promoter of vegetarianism. He was the first vegetarian boxer. [1] [2]
Parker was born on January 20, 1877, in Boston. [3] [4] Parker was considered the best boxer in Denver. [5] He had an 18-match undefeated streak. [6] In 1900, he fought a ten-round draw with Matty Matthews. [3] Parker became a vegetarian in 1901. [7] He stated that a strict vegetarian diet increased his physical endurance and increased his mental power. [8] He was the first vegetarian boxer. [3] [1]
In April 1902, The Vegetarian Magazine published a letter describing Parker's conversion to vegetarianism. [9] He became known as the "vegetarian champion" and "vegetarian pugilist". [1] [9] [10] [11] Parker's vegetarian diet consisted of cereals, fruit, milk, nuts, vegetables and a liberal amount of eggs. [12] [13] In April, 1903 Parker authored an article on physical culture in the San Francisco Call , advocating a vegetarian diet for health reasons. [13] He declared he would still be boxing at 35 and live to be 100 years old because he is vegetarian. [13] In 1905, Parker was described as "one of the most gentlemanly fighters in the prize ring today". [14] Parker's wife was also a boxer. [15] [16]
Parker's last ring appearance was in 1906. [3] After his boxing career ended Parker was institutionalized in an asylum at Norfolk, Nebraska as he suffered from hallucinations. [17] [18] Parker would repeatedly punch the wall in his padded cell so was given boxing gloves to protect his hands. [19]
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