Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Posts about bare knuckle prizefighting and professional gloved contests from the 1850s to 1930s.
In the 1910s, American professional wrestling permanently moved from legitimate wrestling contests to prearranged exhibitions. Fan interest, promoter control and less wear and tear on the wrestlers all played a role in this transition. Another less talked about pressure was outside of the sport itself. Prior to the 20th Century, professional boxing was illegal in the United States. Bare knuckle
On Thursday, February 26, 1903, Jack Johnson defended his World Colored Heavyweight Boxing Championship against the undefeated Sam McVey. McVey brought a 6-0 record with six knockouts into the championship match. Since boxing promoters refused to let Black fighters compete for the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship, the best boxers around the turn of the Century fought for the World Colored
On August 11, 1915, current World Colored Heavyweight Boxing Champion Sam McVey fought Sandy Ferguson in Boston, Massachusetts at the Atlas Athletic Association gym. McVey fought in an era where promoters froze out all the African American boxers, except the great Jack Johnson, from fighting for the world championship. McVey defeated most of the other great Black fighters of this
After averaging 9 fights a year over the past 7 years, World Middleweight Boxing Champion Stanley “The Michigan Assassin” Ketchel was exhausted. Ketchel took a vacation on the Missouri ranch of his friend Colonel R. P. Dickerson in an attempt to regain his strength and enthusiasm for fighting. Ketchel never returned from vacation as he was shot and killed at
On July 3, 1905, Marvin Hart entered the fight for the vacant world title as a 3 to 1 underdog. Jack Root who would be the first light heavyweight championship was the favorite to succeed the recently retired James J. Jeffries. Jeffries would referee this title match to replace him. Marvin Hart had recently beaten Jack Johnson. Widely considered the
In early March 1873, bare knuckle prizefighter Ned “The Irish Giant” O’Baldwin was preparing for a potential match with Jem Mace, who claimed the World Bare Knuckle Prizefighting Championship. However, before O’Baldwin could face Mace, he served as a second for a friend and fellow prizefighter named Hicken. Professional fighting in the 19th Century enjoyed a poor reputation outside of
On October 29, 1868, “Irish Giant” Ned O’Baldwin and English prizefighter Joe Wormald met in a bare knuckle prize-fight outside of Boston in Lynnville, Massachusetts. O’Baldwin stood 6’06” tall and weighed around 220 pounds. Possessed of a violent disposition, O’Baldwin had the perfect attitude for the ring but poor social skills outside of it. Fans of both men arrived in
“Terrible” Terry McGovern earned a reputation as one of the most powerful punchers in the history of the lighter divisions of professional boxing. McGovern weighed between 112 and 126 pounds. Unlike his fellow smaller fighters, who overwhelmed their opponents with punching volume, McGovern possessed exceptional knockout power. McGovern proved his power on Tuesday, September 12, 1899, when he fought British
On February 7, 1882, John L. Sullivan fought Paddy Ryan for a title, which was certainly the American Heavyweight Prizefighting Championship but probably not the World Title it was billed as. In 1880, Paddy Ryan won the title in his first and only prize fight before facing the ferocious power puncher Sullivan. The men met in Mississippi City, Mississippi around
An age old question in combat sports is “Who will win between a boxer and a wrestler?” The speculation around this question led to several boxer versus wrestler matches through out history, most notably the disaster between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki in 1976. The matches are mostly no-win affairs except at the box office, which is why both promoters