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Today’s wrestling is as fake as Britney Spears’ wedding vows, but that wasn’t always the case. In fighting rings of previous centuries, manly men engaged in mortal combat, but none were as feared as Youssuf Ishmaelo. He was never taken down by an opponent.
But he was taken down by his prize money. Literally.
Little is known about Youssuf’s childhood except that he was born along the Turkey-Bulgaria border in 1857. His favorite meal of black coffee and wheat cakes helped him fill out his 6’2” frame at a whopping 250lbs. But Youssuf’s massive size didn’t mean he was slow; in the ring, he shocked opponents with the agility of a cheetah.
For three years, his speed and size helped him dominate foes across the European continent. He was an animal in the ring, sometimes tearing his opponents’ nostrils, occasionally breaking ribs, and always twisting arms. His signature move – the one that wowed the crowds – was a one-handed choke hold around the other man’s neck. Youssuf was just as likely to throw opponents from the ring as he was to throw them to the mat. More than once, Youssuf had to be pulled from a helpless fighter by teams of police officers.
Youssuf’s nickname, The Terrible Turk, was well earned. That name drew crowds…and struck fear in the hearts of other wrestlers.
With every victory, Youssuf’s pride grew, along with his winnings. Partly because he didn’t trust anyone, and partly because he was excessively flamboyant, Youssuf demanded his prize money be paid in gold coins that he kept in a specially-designed leather belt that he never took off.
After beating every wrestler in Europe, The Terrible Turk sailed to America in 1898 in search of wrestlers and wealth.
He found both.
Every challenger met the same fate: painful defeat. On his rampage tour through America, The Terrible Turk saw his victories swell to 115 wins without a single defeat (though he was sometimes disqualified for heinously breaking the rules). In Chicago, he squared off against Evan “The Strangler” Lewis, arguably America’s best wrestler. After 17 minutes of sheer brutality, the Terrible Turk bested The Strangler, and collected the prize of $10,000…in gold coins, of course.
With every opponent beaten, Youssuf decided to head back home, so he boarded a French cruiser named La Bourgogne and sailed for Europe. Unfortunately, on July 4, 1898, his ship collided with The Cromartyshire from England, and sank in less than one hour.
The 700 people aboard the passenger ship, Youssuf Ishamelo included, were filled with terror and panic. Waves of people scrambled to the ship’s deck and tried to make their way into the lifeboats. As Youssuf was jumping into one of the lifeboats, he accidentally fell into the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
He was a great swimmer, and survival would have been no problem for the mighty wrestler…had he not been wearing a belt that was filled with more than 50 pounds of gold!
He disappeared into the dark waters, and was never seen again.
Resource’s Origin:
The Kings of Wrestling by Edmond Desbonnet, 1910.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Accident
Athlete
Death
Defeat
Fighting
Greed
Money
Pride
Show Off
Sports
Tragedy
Violence
Wealth
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
