William Muldoon Prepares to Be Champion

william-muldoon

In 1880, William Muldoon would become World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion in the Greco-Roman style after defeating Thiebaud Bauer, the reigning champion.  Before he would accomplish this feat, Muldoon had to pay his dues and prepare for the title tilt with Bauer. In 1876, Muldoon caught the attention of former bare knuckle prizefighting world champion John Morrissey.  Morrissey was a former

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Evan “The Strangler” Lewis Available

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I recently finished Evan “The Strangler” Lewis: The Most Feared Wrestler of the 19th Century.  Evan Lewis was a skilled submission expert during the legitimate professional wrestling era although he did take part in a couple prearranged matches. In January 1886, Evan Lewis used his dreaded stranglehold on Sorakichi Matsada. According to several newspapers, Lewis attempted to “strangle Sorakichi to

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Wrestler Saves Drowning Priest

george-baptiste

George Baptiste spent about twenty years serving as St. Louis’ resident all-around athlete before taking over the company, Baptiste Tent and Awning, founded by his father Alexander Baptiste.  Besides plying his trade as an occasional but accomplished professional wrestler, Baptise was a powerful swimmer.  On August 11, 1900, Baptiste used his swimming skills to save another St. Louisan from drowning.

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William Muldoon and His Health Farm

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William Muldoon, a former New York City detective, won the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship by defeating Thiebaud Bauer.  Muldoon reigned for ten years before retiring as champion.  After retiring, he began to make a living as a personal trainer. Muldoon trained many wrestlers but really came to prominence after getting a woefully out of shape John L. Sullivan fit for

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William Muldoon, Physical Culture Legend

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I first read about William Muldoon in a biography of John L. Sullivan, the last bare knuckle heavyweight champion.  Sullivan ushered in gloved boxing by refusing to take part in any more bare knuckle bouts. The last major bare knuckle bout was fought by Sullivan against Jake Kilrain in 1889.  Odds were against Sullivan, a binge drinker indulging heavily between bouts.  He was

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