Posts about heavyweight fights in bare-knuckle prizefighting and professional boxing.
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 […]
» Read more
While famous for fighting John L. Sullivan in the last world championship prizefight contested under bare knuckle rules, Jake Kilrain also took part in many gloved bouts. Prizefighting was transitioning from bare knuckle rules to gloved bouts under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules (early amateur and professional boxing) in the late 19th Century. Like Sullivan, Kilrain would fight in major […]
» Read more
On February 23, 1906, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Marvin Hart defended his title in Los Angeles. When James J. Jeffries retired as heavyweight champion, Hart and Jack Sharkey fought for the vacant title. Hart was the surprise winner of the fight. Hart refused to fight Jack Johnson, the recognized best heavyweight. Instead he fought Tommy Burns, a 5’07” skilled boxer. […]
» Read more
On Monday, May 30, 1892, the great Peter Jackson boxed a gloved bout with former protégé Frank Slavin. Both men lived and fought in Australia, although fan interest led Jackson to tour the world to take advantage of the financial opportunities in the United States and England. As in Australia, Jackson often found white boxers unwilling to fight him. Few […]
» Read more
William Muldoon was the reigning World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion and a noted physical culturist, when Muldoon was engaged by John L. Sullivan’s backers to get their fighter in shape. Sullivan was the reigning World Heavyweight Bare Knuckle Prizefighting Champion. Sullivan signed an agreement to meet his toughest challenger, Jake Kilrain, in July 1889. Sullivan admitted he was in bad shape, […]
» Read more
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 […]
» Read more
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 […]
» Read more
Sam McVey would win the World Colored Heavyweight Boxing Championship in an era where the three best fighters were black and frozen out of the title picture. He started 1903 out so well, he would put pressure on World Heavyweight Boxing Champion James J. Jeffries to give him a match. Jeffries refused to break the “color line” by giving a […]
» Read more
In 1902, future World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Marvin Hart was a rising contender. Fighting primarily out of his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Hart was matched against Kid Carter at the Southern Athletic Club on May 2, 1902. At 17-1, Hart knew another victory would go a long way in securing a heavyweight title fight. The Brooklyn-born Kid Carter intended to […]
» Read more
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 […]
» Read more