John L. Sullivan

John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15th 1858 – February 2nd 1918) is regarded as the first world champion of boxing heavy trucks of the modern era.

Born in Roxbury in the Massachusetts (from now on a district of Boston), this wire of Irish immigrants is stopped several times in its youth because at that time, the boxing matches are judged too much violent one by the authorities and thus illegal. That does not prevent Sullivan from taking part in the beginning of the year 1880 with several lucrative exhibitions through the United States. Thus, in 1883 and 1884, it organizes with 5 other boxers a round in the train of the east coast at the west coast during which not less than 195 engagements are programmed in 135 different cities and in only 235 days! To ensure promotion, Sullivan announces that it will box with like stake 250 dollars no matter who and at any moment of the day by applying the new rules of the Marquis de Queensberry. According to the legend, it would have put about thirty adversaries KB…

Sullivan, 1st champion of the modern era

John Sullivan becomes truly champion the February 7th 1882 by beating Paddy Ryan, regarded a posteriori (for lack of national federation) as the champion of the United States. Same manner, it will be recognized as 1st world champion of boxing heavy trucks only well after its victory in France vis-a-vis Charley Mitchell in 1888 and that obtained the following year with the costs of Jake Kilrain after 75 rounds of a combat envisaged into 80!

Its combat vis-a-vis Charley Mitchell

Mitchell, originating in Birmingham, England is opposite first once at Sullivan in 1883. This last carries it with the 3rd round not without being gone with ground with 1st. Revenge takes place in France in 1888 in the garden of the castle of Chantilly. The two boxers fight battle during more than 2 hours under a beating rain without none of both managing to make the decision. They are soaked to the bones, covered with blood and a tie seems an obviousness. At this point in time the police force unloads and stops without Mitchell care (because in France also boxing is illegal). It will be free to spend several days to the police station. Sullivan for its part succeeds in escaping and joining Liverpool where there will remain a few weeks to recover of this combat if testing…

Once withdrawn of the boxing rings, Charley Mitchell will join the team of Sullivan as a man of corner and will advise it on the tactics to be applied.

Its combat vis-a-vis Jake Kilrain

The combat which opposes it to Kilrain marks a turning in the history of boxing because it is the last to be devoted to naked hands for the championship heavy trucks (according to in that rules of London Prize Ring). It is also the first time that the journalists report in their columns the course of the drives in their least details and speculate in the name of the winner… and on the place where the combat will be held. Envisaged initially with La Nouvelle-Orléans, the governor of Louisiana indeed prohibited the organization of this meeting of boxing in his state. Finally, the July 7th 1889, approximately 3000 spectators take seat on train whose destination is held secret. The terminus will be the station of Richburg, a city in the south of Hattiesburg in the the Mississippi.

The combat starts with 10:30 the next morning. Sullivan does not seem in a good day, put in difficulty by Kilrain and gastric troubles which oblige it to vomit during the 44e round. With most badly, the champion succeeds in finding a second breath and it is in fact the manager of Kilrain which is seen constrained to throw sponge after the 75e round.

Always unconquered, Sullivan will not defend its title the 4 following years and will give it concerned only the September 7th 1892 vis-a-vis the young person and brilliance technician James Jim Corbett (8 years its junior) losing by KB to the 21e round.

John Lawrence Sullivan is regarded nowadays as the last champion with naked hands, i.e. before the generalization of the combat organized according to the rules of the Marquis de Queensberry. This distinction to tell the truth is overrated a little insofar as it delivered only 3 engagements to naked hands in all its career (vis-a-vis Paddy Ryan in 1882, Charley Mitchell in 1888 and Jake Kilrain in 1889).

After career

Sullivan takes its retirement at 34 years but it will take part in exhibitions the 12 following years. He will be also in turn actor, announcer, judge of baseball, to defer sporting, owner of bar and will give his support for various anti-alcohol movements. He dies prematurely at the 59 years age of the continuations of a disease precisely dependant on his alcohol excessive consumption in his youth and is buried in Mattapan near Boston.

Prize list and distinction

Its prize list is of 35 victories (including 30 per KB), 1 defeat and 2 null (the sources all are not concordant). It is in addition honoured on a purely posthumous basis by the International Boxing Hall off Famed in 1990 for the unit with its career.

External bonds

List of its combat
World champions heavy trucks

Random links: