Bloody bouts inside the confines of a ring have been billed as entertainment since prehistoric times. Known as pugilism – or boxing – perfecting and performing knockdowns, knockouts, jabs and blocks could lift one to celebrity status if they were any good at it. Boxing opponents were paired by size and the bout was declared to be lightweight, middleweight or heavyweight before two men faced each other – either gloved or bareknuckle – and showed off their best hand-to-hand combat for the crowd that had assembled to watch and bet their hard-earned money on.

Frederick Louis Yelle was born in Canada in 1889 and eventually came to America with his parents – Hormidas and Rosanna (Petelle) Yelle – and his numerous siblings. The family resided on Tremont Street in Taunton, Mass. but Fred traveled regularly as a well-known and highly successful lightweight boxer. Under the management of boxing career-maker Eddie Moore, the 133-pound made his debut in the ring on Sept. 5, 1910. Over the course of his profession, he engaged in 58 professional bouts, 566 rounds and 51 knockouts, his devoted fans following him from city to city, state to state to watch the fights he was engaged in. He enjoyed celebrity status even when he wasn’t throwing punches.

Known for his quick movements of darting in and out of his opponent’s range, Frederick delivered exceptionally sharp blows and cutting punches. Fans never knew what they were going to get with Fred, but they knew it would be a good show. During a ten-round bout with boxer Jimmy Jarvis in New York during the summer of 1913, Fred broke his right hand in the first round. He kept going despite the pain – winning the match with his left hand. Later that night, a doctor determined the break to be so bad that he ordered Fred to cancel his next scheduled bout in Philadelphia and refrain from boxing until autumn.

Among Fred’s nine siblings was an older brother, Albert, who eagerly followed the same line of dangerous work. Albert didn’t become as well-known as Fred but it wasn’t for lack of trying. He was devoted to the sport and drew large crowds to his many bouts. Unfortunately, many of them didn’t end well such as the bout of Dec. 20, 1911 at Rhode Island’s Hibernian Hall where he was knocked out by boxer Johnny McAuliffe of Salem.

Fighting under the professional name “Young McGuigan,” Albert was scheduled to box “Young Ritchie” of Federal Hill in Providence on the evening of Feb. 10, 1913 at a clubhouse in Thornton. Albert entered the boxing ring appearing to be in great physical shape but, by the seventh round, it was obvious that he had weakened severely. The referee stopped the contest at that point, realizing that Albert was in no condition to go on. He was pulled from the ring in a very dazed and almost unconscious condition. Upon being brought into his dressing room, he promptly collapsed. A doctor was immediately summoned and an examination determined that Albert was suffering from complete exhaustion.

After returning home and gaining a period of rest, Albert didn’t seem to rally as he was expected to. Medical assistance was again summoned and a doctor attended to him on a regular basis until he expired at his home on the morning of Feb. 21. The 25-year-old was later determined to have died from the effects of a blood clot in the brain, probably cause by a blow from Young Ritchie’s fist. Among the four of Hormidas and Rosanna’s children who died fairly young, Albert was buried in Saint Francis Old Cemetery in Taunton, Mass.

Kelly Sullivan is a Rhode Island columnist, lecturer and author.