Posts about bare-knuckle prizefighting from the 19th Century.
During the 19th century, both prizefighters and duelists took advantage of the sandbar islands in the Mississippi River, around St. Louis, Missouri, to hold prizefights or duels. Authorities have frowned on duels to the death in any location. However, both Illinois and Missouri also outlawed prizefighting. Bloody Island in the middle of the Mississippi River just north of Downtown St. […]
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In the 19th century, most states banned bare-knuckled prizefighting and professional gloved boxing. Police often arrested fighter, managers, and promoters to stop prizefighting. A unique aspect of geography turned St. Louis into an ideal fight venue to get around the authorities’s activity to stop professional prizefighting. In the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois, the river’s current created a handful […]
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On November 30, 1871, a large crowd of men boarded ten rail cars on the New Orleans, Mobile and Texas railroad as it stopped on Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. The train continued on to Montgomery Station near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where the crowd left the rain and made their way into the woods. Such an odd procession […]
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While bare knuckle prizefighter Tom Allen was born in England during 1840, he spent the majority of his adult life in St Louis after relocating to the United States in 1867. After a disappointing loss to Jem Mace in 1870, where he impressed spectators with a gallant performance in a losing effort, Allen started campaigning for a shot at American […]
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Tom Allen was born in Birmingham, England on April 23, 1840 but he became famous as a heavyweight bare knuckle prizefighter in America. Settling in St. Louis around 1867, Allen won the American Heavyweight Championship in 1873 and held the title until 1876. He returned to England for a year before returning to St. Louis for good in 1878. Back […]
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In December 1920, robbers killed Patrolman Charles Daly at the entrance to his home in the 4000 block of Forest Park Boulevard. St. Louis Police aggressively investigated the murder but it was never solved. Prior to his death, the Daly name was already well-known in St. Louis. Charles Daly was the son of professional prizefighter Dan Daly, who fought in […]
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John Camel Heenan was known to 19th Century bare knuckle prizefighting fans as “the Benicia Boy”. Despite an 0-1-1 record as a professional fighter, Heenan claimed the World Prizefighting Championship based on a draw with Tom Sayer in an 1860 English prize-fight. Heenan’s first professional fight had been with the reigning World Heavyweight Prizefighting Champion John Morrissey’s last professional fight […]
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This post is an excerpt from the revised book Morrissey vs. Poole: Politics, Prizefighting and the Murder of Bill the Butcher. The hot air laid stagnant in the room as the man in the corner tried to sleep. Giving up on the possibility of sleep, the “Troy Giant” pulled himself into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. […]
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John L. Sullivan was the transitional heavyweight prize fighting champion. He transitioned prize fighting from the bare knuckle era to modern boxing under the Marquis of Queensbury rules by refusing to fight in any more non-gloved bouts. Before he made this pledge, he took part in the Fight of the 19th Century with the formidable Jake Kilrain. Jake Kilrain was […]
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On May 10, 1870, 39-year-old prizefighter Jem Mace met 30-year-old prizefighter Tom Allen in Kennerville, Louisiana for the World Heavyweight Prizefighting Championship. Claims to the championship were very murky at the time. Thuggery and dirty tricks often obscured who was actually American Champion. Jem Mace, who was considered World Champion twice while fighting in England, was signed to meet Tom […]
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