))
The Tragedy of Singapore’s First Boxing Superstar
Manage episode 413206312 series 3476396
Content provided by National Library, Singapore and National Library. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by National Library, Singapore and National Library or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
Tan Teng Kee was the Mike Tyson of Singapore boxing in the 1920s. Known as Battling Key, the larger-than-life boxer attracted crowds wherever he went. Which makes his drastic downfall all the more tragic.
Abhishek Mehrotra is a researcher and writer whose interests include media and society in colonial Singapore, urban toponymy and post-independence India. He is working on his first book (HarperCollins, 2025) – a biography of T.N. Seshan, one of India’s most prominent bureaucrats. Abhishek is a former Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow (2021–22).
What Abhishek Talked About
02:04 – How boxing came to Singapore
04:44 – Why boxing has wide appeal among the masses
06:43 – Who attended boxing matches in 1920s Singapore
08:13 – Background and rise of Tan Teng Kee or Battling Key
10:43 – Battling Key's matches with Yeo Choon Song
16:07 – Song's complaint about Battling Key's gloves
17:14 – What happened to Song after beating Key
20:56 – Key's downfall
22:31 – Boxing ecosystem and corruption
28:34 – Why professional boxing was more successful than professional tennis
31:27 – Abhishek's choice between being a boxer and tennis player
31:50 – Abhishek's nickname if he were in combat sport
32:09 – Fatherhood is...
32:06 – Sports is...
Read the transcript: biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/podcast/singapores-first-boxing-superstar-tan-tang-kee/transcript/
Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.
This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by One Dash. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Osman Ahmad and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Abhishek for coming on the show.
BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library of Singapore.
21 episodes
Share
