The Tragedy of Singapore’s First Boxing Superstar

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 About02:04 – How boxing came to Singapore04:44 – Why boxing has wide appeal among the masses06:43 – Who attended boxing matches in 1920s Singapore08:13 – Background and rise of Tan Teng Kee or Battling Key10:43 – Battling Key's matches with Yeo Choon Song16:07 – Song's complaint about Battling Key's gloves17:14 – What happened to Song after beating Key20:56 – Key's downfall22:31 – Boxing ecosystem and corruption28:34 – Why professional boxing was more successful than professional tennis31:27 – Abhishek's choice between being a boxer and tennis player31:50 – Abhishek's nickname if he were in combat sport32:09 – Fatherhood is...32:06 – Sports is...Transcript and ResourcesRead the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-singapores-first-boxing-superstar-tan-tang-kee/Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast 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 Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Abhishek for coming on the show.Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.