Ned O’Baldwin Shot
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. Emellertid, before O’Baldwin could face Mace, he served as a second for a friend and fellow prizefighter named Hicken.
Professionella strider på 1800 -talet åtnjöt ett dåligt rykte utanför arbetarklassen och spelsamhällen. Petroleum Center Daily Record täckte några av händelserna runt matchen men vägrade att täcka själva anfallet, som inträffade nära Colliers station, Pennsylvania.
Ned O’Baldwin in a typical fighting pose from the public domain
Petroleum Center Daily Record rapporterade matchen mellan Hicken och en annan prismakare som heter Campbell varade i 24 rounds. Campbell vann initialt men Hicken kom tillbaka i de senare omgångarna och gav så bra som han fick.
Runt den 24: e omgången, En kontrovers inträffade mellan Campbells och Hickens sekunder. Campbells sekunder, Butt Reilley och Ony Geaghan, gjorde ett okänt förslag om matchen, som O’Baldwin och Hickens andra sekund, Abe Smith, vägrade att överväga.
Geaghan knowing of O’Baldwin’s violent reputation decided to strike first. Geaghan hit O’Baldwin and dropped “The Irish Giant’. Before O’Baldwin could regain his feet, another Campbell backer named Murphy fired at him with a revolver. The bullet hit O’Baldwin but fortunately did not hit any vital organs. O’Baldwin fled the field.
The remaining backers of both men began brawling and caused the match to be cancelled. After a general brawl, the men returned to Petroleum City after the inconclusive end to the match.
Petroleum Center Daily Record noted that the participants were still suffering from the effects of all the alcohol they drank and the brawl many of them took part in. Prize fighting continued to enjoy a low reputation because of bouts and outcomes like the Campbell-Hicken match.
Ned O’Baldwin would continue to fight in and out of the ring until he was murdered by his business partner in a dispute during September 1875. O’Baldwin’s reputation and propensity for assaulting people helped his partner to successfully claim self-defense for the killing.
When prizefighting transitioned to gloved contests, professional boxing would be born. Emellertid, the sport still suffered from the same poor reputation years after the switch to gloved contests.
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Sources: Petroleum Center Daily Record, Mars 6, 1873, p. 2
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