Tom Hyer bate Yankee Sullivan

Tom Hyer won the American Bare Knuckle Prizefighting Championship in 1841. Like most prizefighting champions of the Nineteenth Century, he did not fight very often. Hyer normally paid his bills as an enforcer for political parties in New York. Originalmente, Hyer empregou seus talentos para os Whigs, mas iria mudar lealdades ao “Know Nothing Party” with his friend William “Bill the Butcher” Para.

38-year-old Yankee Sullivan was born James Ambrose in Ireland but grew up in London’s East End. After receiving a twenty year sentence in Australia, of which he served eight, Sullivan organized a gang. Farto de palhaçadas de Sullivan, autoridades australianas começaram a colocar o calor sobre ele. Sullivan decidiu New York ofereceu melhores possibilidades.

Quando Sullivan chegou a Nova York, ele alegou ter lutado muitas lutas de boxe na Austrália (which could not be verified). Sullivan quase imediatamente desafiou Hyer para seu título. A luta foi acordado. Os homens lutaram em Still Pond, Maryland on February 7, 1849. Prizefighting was illegal, so they had to move the bout once as they just avoided an army of policemen sent by Maryland authorities. Os combatentes e seus segundos literalmente lutou contra os policiais para escapar à prisão.

Sullivan’s and Hyer’s seconds met at 4 p.m. a de Still Pond. The men fought at 5 p.m. Por 5:30 da tarde, Hyer had successfully defended his title.

Sullivan started out strong. Observers had Sullivan winning the first three round handily. Sullivan scored the first knockdown at the end of the third with a blow to Hyer’s neck. Este tiro sólida acordou o campeão.

Hyer picked up the pace and drew first blood. While both Hyer’s eyes were swollen, Hyer seriously injured Sullivan’s right eye. Hyer also threw Sullivan a couple of times. Lances eram legais em prizefighting junta desencapada. Um lançamento bem sucedido normalmente terminou uma rodada.

The February air was very cold, so neither fighter was taking much rest. They seemed determined to keep the fight going and rested little between rounds.

Hyer twisted Sullivan’s right arm in the fifteenth round but his most damaging tactic was not letting Sullivan fall. Hyer realized that Sullivan was injured in the sixteenth round. As Sullivan started to fall to end the round, Hyer caught him and trapped Sullivan’s head under his arm.

Hyer held Sullivan up as he pummeled him with powerful blow after blow. When Sullivan became to heavy for Hyer to hold up, he released Yankee’s limp body. Sullivan was unable to come back to the scratch in time delivering the victory to Hyer.

According to the February 17, 1849 edição do Sunbury American (Sunbury, Pennsylvania) Sullivan had to be carried from the ring by his supporters, while Champion Hyer quickly bundled up and took a boat back to Frenchtown. Sullivan’s face showed the full effect of the battle, enquanto Hyer tinha inchaço ao redor dos olhos.

Hyer and Sullivan quickly returned to New York to avoid arrest. They also buried the hatchet. When Hyer retired in 1851 without fighting again, Sullivan claimed the title. Hyer and “Bill the Butcher” backed Sullivan in his battle with John Morrissey, a prizefighter and Tammany Hall enforcer.

After the end of his prizefighting career, Sullivan travelled to San Francisco, where he became an enforcer for the local political machine. He committed suicide or was killed while in the custody of the San Francisco Vigilance Committee in 1856.

According to newspaper reports, he slit his wrist with a knife brought with his dinner on July 1, 1856. Due to Sullivan’s death in Vigilance Committee custody, alguns observadores acreditavam Sullivan foi morto por vigilantes, mas nenhuma evidência real que nunca foi produzido.

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