Jake Kilrain Knocked Out in 21 Rounds

Jake Kilrain is best known as the last and toughest challenger to John L. Sullivan in the last bare knuckle world championship fight.  Despite Kilrain’s inability to beat John L. Sullivan, he had a successful career both before and after the bout with the mighty Sullivan.  Fighting for 10 more years in gloved bouts, Kilrain was mostly successful but on May 7, 1894, he met his match in Australian boxer Steve O’Donnell.

When the public sized up the two men, O’Donnell was taller but weighed only 185 pounds.  Kilrain was shorter but weighed 30 pounds more at 215 pounds.  Kilrain’s size advantage did not help him in this bout.  The Kilrain-O’Donnell contest was fought under Marquis of Queensberry gloved rules.

For the first time in two years, New York was the location for this fight with Coney Island being chosen as the site for the battle.  A few months before this battle, Kilrain and O’Donnell met in a ten round bout.  The hard-fought contest ended in a draw leaving both men hungry to see who would come out the best man.

500 spectators observed the fight that started at 10 p.m. on May 6, 1894.  While O’Donnell primarily jabbed to the face and body over the first few rounds, Kilrain landed heavy blows on the head and neck.  A heavy Kilrain blow to the neck dropped O’Donnell for a quick knockdown in the first round.

By the tenth round, O’Donnell’s blows were beginning to take their toll.  Kilrain’s nose was bleeding and the body blows were beginning to noticeably slow him down.  Kilrain never threatened O’Donnell after this round.

By the nineteenth round, Kilrain’s right eye was shut by O’Donnell’s jab.  By the twentieth round, Kilrain could barely continue from the combination of body attack and jabs to the head.  Kilrain staggered back to his stool.

In the twenty-first round, O’Donnell resumed his body attack before hitting Kilrain with a left hook to the head.  Kilrain dropped to the mat.  Kilrain beat the ten count back to his feet but referee Tim Hurst called the fight at the request of the police captain in attendance.  Today, the referee would normally stop the fight by themselves or at the behest of the athletic commission.  Athletic commissions are a Twentieth Century creation.

John Joseph Killion was born February 9. 1859 in rural New York state.  Fighting as Jake Kilrain from 1883 to 1899, Kilrain usually did better than he did in the bout with Steve O’Donnell when he may have been past his prime.  Kilrain primarily lived in Baltimore with his wife and children but moved to Quincy, Massachusettes before his death on December 22, 1937 at 78 years of age.

If you found this article interesting, you may like the post about Kilrain’s unsuccessful challenge of John L. Sullivan.

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