Hergeleci İbrahim

Hergeleci İbrahim in 1908

İbrahim Mahmut (1849-1915), nicknamed Hergeleci, was a Turkish pehlivan (oil wrestler), who performed as a professional wrestler under the stage name Youssouf Mahmout. Born in Ezerche, Bulgaria, he partnered with Frank Gotch during a 1911 North American tour and later participated in the first Parisian catch wrestling tournament. He was the Turkish Kirkpinar tournament champion in 1914, but died one year later in village Sarımeşe of Kocaeli Province.

Championships/Accomplishments

• 1-time Turkish Kirkpinar Champion

The Official Facebook Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame(class of october 2010)

Further reading

• "Mahmout Tells Of His Early Life; Turkish Farms Breed Wrestlers. Bulgarian Grappler Who Is Picked as a Likely Opponent for Champion Frank Gotch Describes Training and Conditions in Land of Sultan, Where 100 Contestants Often Participate at Big Festivals." Chicago Tribune. 13 Dec. 1908.

External links

• Who-Is-Who In Oilwrestling

• A photograph of the athlete (in PDF format) and caption from a Nov. 27, 1908, edition of La Patrie, a now-defunct French-language daily newspaper in Montreal. (Translated into English, the headline reads: "A Wrestling Champion" and the caption reads: "Youssouf Mahmout, victor over Tom Jenkins in a match last night at Madison Square Garden.") He is described in a story on the same page as "The Terrible Turk."