Imam Baksh Pahalwan

Imam Baksh Pahalwan
Born 1883
Died after 1940
Occupation Wrestler
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 285 lb (129 kg)
Children Bholu Pahalwan, Aslam Pahalwan, Akram Pahalwan, Goga Pahalwan, Afzal Pahalwan
Relatives Gama Pehlwan

Imam Baksh was a renowned wrestler and a practitioner of the Indian wrestling style of Pehlwani. Imam was also the brother of Ghulam "the great Gama" Muhammad. Imam had arrived in England by April, 1910, along with fellow wrestlers from India, including his brother Ghulam Muhammad, Ahmed Bux, and Gamu, to participate in European catch wrestling tournaments.

Ahmed Bux, Indian Wrestler (1912)[1]

Health and Strength magazine announced "The Invasion of the Indian Wrestlers" in its May 14, 1910, issue. The members of the Indian group were listed as Gama, Champion of India; Imam Baksh, Champion of Lahore; Ahmed Baksh, Champion of Amritsar; and Gamu, Champion of Jalandhar.

Imam Baksh wrestled Swiss champion John Lemm during his career. The match between Baksh and Lemm ended with Baksh defeating the Swiss champion.

In 1918, Gama Ghulam Muhammad, in a major tournament at Kolhapur, passed his title of Indian Champion to Imam Bux, who had thrown Rahim Sultaniwala in 20 minutes.

Imam Baksh was reportedly a superior ground wrestler compared to Ghulam Muhammad. Henry Werner had written that letter saying that Imam Bux would have been a better opponent for Stanislaus Zbyszko than for Gama. The editor of Health and Strength wrote that, "in my opinion, he [Gama] is not quite so clever a wrestler as his brother, Imam Bux, who enjoys the advantage of a longer reach."

By the mid-1940s Gama continued to put out challenges but added a stipulation. The stipulation was that anyone who wanted to wrestle the great Gama had to wrestle and defeat Imam first. No one did.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Taylor, Julius F. "The Broad Ax". Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Gandhi's Body: Sex, Diet, and the Politics of Nationalism by Joseph S. Alter

Further reading

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