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Jake Kilrain

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Jake Kilrain
Born
John Joseph Killion

(1859-02-09)February 9, 1859
DiedDecember 22, 1937(1937-12-22) (aged 78)
NationalityAmerican
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Boxing record
Total fights47
Wins31
Wins by KO18
Losses5
Draws8
No contests3

John Joseph Killion (February 9, 1859 – December 22, 1937), more commonly known as Jake Kilrain, was a famous American bare-knuckle fighter and glove boxer of the 1880s.

Early life

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Kilrain found employment as a teenager in Somerville, Massachusetts. As a country boy from Long Island, he had to learn how to stand up to the workers in the rolling mills. By the age of 20, he had been recognized as the toughest fighter in the mill. Kilrain was also a champion rower having won the National Amateur Junior Sculling Championship in 1883. He was later stripped of that honor when it was discovered that he was a prizefighter and thus could not be considered an amateur.

In 1883, Kilrain took up prizefighting as a profession and quickly established a reputation as a very tough fighter.

Professional career

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World Championship fight with Jem Smith

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By 1887 Kilrain already has been recognized as the U.S. National Champion, that gave him an opportunity to fight for the Championship of the World and silver belt versus the British Champion Jem Smith, scheduled to take place in December 1887, in France, at a little island on the River Seine, called St. Pierre d'Autils. The bout was attended by about a hundred of the upper class spectators and journalists, mainly from England, being covered by the major international media of the day, such as Reuters, Gaulois, etc. They fought 1-minute rounds with 30 seconds break between the rounds. At the outset the men fought evenly. After the 3rd round Kilrain scored several knockdowns, and wrestling formed the principal mode of operations for the rest of the fight. Before the 106th round had started, after two hours and a half of fighting (roughly three times the full duration of modern-day 12-round championship fights,) when darkness set in, the bout was stopped due to technical reasons, as no artificial lighting of the scene has been arranged the outcome was called a draw due to darkness.[1]

Clearly dominant throughout the fight (even the English newspapers wrote that "the Englishman was no match for the American crack") upon his return to the United States, Kilrain was pronounced by Richard K. Fox of the National Police Gazette as Heavyweight Champion of the World for his bout with Jem Smith. The awarding of the belt to Kilrain was part of a strategy by Fox to draw Sullivan into a fight.[2] Any remote claim he had to the title of world champion was lost in 1889 after his loss to John L. Sullivan.

Bout with John L. Sullivan

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The Kilrain-Sullivan pre-fight poster

Kilrain is perhaps best known for challenging champion John L. Sullivan in 1889 in the last world heavyweight championship prizefight decided with bare knuckles under London Prize Ring rules in history. They fought 1-minute rounds with 50 seconds break between the rounds. In a hard-fought contest, Kilrain lost at the start of the 76th round (after 2 hours 16 minutes[2]) when Mike Donovan, his second, threw in the sponge. Kilrain had not wanted to give up thinking that he could outlast Sullivan, but Donovan defended his actions insisting that Kilrain would have died had the fight gone on. In any case, the Kilrain-Sullivan fight can rightly be listed among the greatest fights of the pre-modern era.

Later career

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Kilrain continued on for 10 more years after the Sullivan fight with gloves under Marquess of Queensberry rules with some success. His most significant win was a 44-round knockout of Boston's George Godfrey in 1891. He retired with a record of 18 wins (3 by KO), 6 losses and 12 draws along with 1 non-decision.[2] He lived in his later years as a devoted family man with his wife and children as proprietor of a saloon in Baltimore, Maryland. After his saloon burned down, he moved back to Somerville and was given a job with the parks department. After government cutbacks during the Great Depression he became a night watchman at a Quincy, Massachusetts shipyard.

In his later life, Kilrain became good friends with John L. Sullivan. When Sullivan died in 1918, Kilrain served as a pallbearer at the funeral. He was also godfather to the English boxer Charley Mitchell's son Charles Mitchell.

Death and honors

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Kilrain died on December 22, 1937, in a local hospital from complications of old age and diabetes, aged 78.[3]

Kilrain was elected to the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009 and to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.[4][2]

Scottish boxer and welterweight champion Henry Owens would later fight under the name "Jake Kilrain".

Professional boxing record

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All information in this section is derived from BoxRec,[5] unless otherwise stated.

Official record

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50 fights 31 wins 6 losses
By knockout 18 5
By decision 13 1
Draws 9
No contests 3
Newspaper decisions/draws 1

All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as "no decision" bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.

No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
50 Loss 31–6–9 (4) Steve O'Donnell TKO 5 (15), 2:15 Oct 20, 1899 Germania Maennerchor Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, US
49 Loss 31–5–9 (4) Frank Slavin KO 1 (10), 2:15 Sep 14, 1896 Eureka A.C., Baltimore, Maryland, US
48 ND 31–4–9 (4) Abe Ullman ND 10 Sep 30, 1895 Baltimore, Maryland, US Exact date unknown
47 Loss 31–4–9 (3) Steve O'Donnell TKO 21 (25), 1:18 May 6, 1895 Sea Side A.C., Coney Island, New York, US
46 Draw 31–3–9 (3) Steve O'Donnell PTS 8 Mar 18, 1895 Suffolk A.C., Boston, Massachusetts, US
45 Loss 31–3–8 (3) Frank Slavin TKO 9 (10) Jun 16, 1891 Granite A.C., Hoboken, New Jersey, US For world interim heavyweight title (National Police Gazette)[6]
44 Win 31–2–8 (3) George Godfrey KO 44 Mar 13, 1891 California A.C., San Francisco, California, US A finish fight
43 Win 30–2–8 (3) George Maguire KO 2 (?) Dec 4, 1890 Utica, New York, US
42 Win 29–2–8 (3) Mike Brennan PTS 3 Dec 3, 1890 Montana, New York, US
41 Win 28–2–8 (3) George Harris KO 2 (?) Dec 1, 1890 New York City, New York, US
40 Win 27–2–8 (3) Arthur Chambers PTS 3 Aug 22, 1890 Union Opera House, Ogden, Utah, US
39 Win 26–2–8 (3) Jerry Slattery TKO 2 (?) Aug 1, 1890 New York City, New York, US
38 Win 25–2–8 (3) Dick Mayel PTS 3 Jun 18, 1890 Cleveland, Ohio, US
37 Win 24–2–8 (3) Tommy McManus PTS 3 Jun 13, 1890 New York City, New York, US
36 Win 23–2–8 (3) Frank Straub KO 4 (?) Jun 12, 1890 New York City, New York, US
35 Win 22–2–8 (3) Frank Bosworth TKO 3 (4) Jun 10, 1890 New York City, New York, US
34 Loss 21–2–8 (3) James J. Corbett PTS 6 Feb 18, 1890 Southern A.C., New Orleans, Louisiana, US
33 Win 21–1–8 (3) Felix Vacquelin KO 3 (?) Feb 2, 1890 New Orleans, Louisiana, US
32 Loss 20–1–8 (3) John Scholes NWS 4 Nov 4, 1889 Mutual Street Rink, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
31 Loss 20–1–8 (2) John L. Sullivan KO 75 (?) Jul 8, 1889 Richburg, Mississippi, US For world bare-knuckle heavyweight title;
For inaugural world heavyweight title (National Police Gazette);[7]
London Prize Ring Rules
30 Win 20–0–8 (2) Joe Lannon TKO 11 (?) Mar 8, 1887 Watertown, Massachusetts, US
29 ND 19–0–8 (2) Jack Ashton ND 4 Dec 22, 1886 New Assembly Rooms, Baltimore, Maryland, US
28 ND 19–0–8 (1) Johny Seidel ND 4 Dec 22, 1886 New Assembly Rooms, Baltimore, Maryland, US
27 Win 19–0–8 John P. Clow PTS 4 Dec 22, 1886 New Assembly Rooms, Baltimore, Maryland, US
26 Win 18–0–8 Denny Killen PTS 4 Nov 19, 1886 Comique Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
25 Win 17–0–8 Tommy Kelly KO 4 (4) Nov 17, 1886 Theatre Comique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
24 Win 16–0–8 Joe Godfrey KO 2 (?) Nov 15, 1886 Theatre Comique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
23 Win 15–0–8 Frank Herald TKO 1 (?), 2:00 Nov 8, 1886 Herring Run, Maryland, US Police intervened
22 Win 14–0–8 Jack Ashton PTS 8 Jul 31, 1886 Ridgewood Baseball Park, New York City, New York, US
21 Draw 13–0–8 Frank Faber PTS ? 1886 Boston, Massachusetts, US [8]
20 Draw 13–0–7 George Fryer PTS 5 May 15, 1885 Boston, Massachusetts, US
19 Win 13–0–6 Alf Greenfield PTS ? 1884-1886 Location unknown Precise date (including year) & the number of rounds of bout unknown at this time.
18 Win 12–0–6 Jerry Murphy PTS 4 Jan 5, 1885 Norumbega Hall, Bangor, Massachusetts, US
17 Draw 11–0–6 Jack Burke PTS 5 Dec 1, 1884 New England Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, US
16 Draw 11–0–5 Jem Goode PTS 5 Jul 3, 1884 Battery D Armory, Chicago, Illinois, US
15 Draw 11–0–4 Mike Cleary PTS 4 Jun 26, 1884 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
14 Win 11–0–3 William Sherriff PTS 3 (4) May 6, 1884 Union Hall, Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, US Police intervened
13 Draw 10–0–3 Charley Mitchell PTS 4 Mar 26, 1884 Institute Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, US
12 Win 10–0–2 Jerry Murphy KO 2 (?) Oct 29, 1883 Bangor, Massachusetts, US Police intervened
11 Draw 9–0–2 Jem Goode PTS 5 Oct 26, 1883 Conant Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, US
10 Win 9–0–1 George Godfrey TKO 3 (3) May 16, 1883 Boston, Massachusetts, US Police intervened
9 Win 8–0–1 John McGylnn TKO 4 (?) Apr 16, 1883 New Bedford, Massachusetts, US
8 Win 7–0–1 Pete McCoy KO 3 (3) Mar 19, 1883 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, US
7 Win 6–0–1 John Allen PTS 3 Feb 10, 1883 Boston, Massachusetts, US Precise date of bout unknown at this time
6 Draw 5–0–1 George Godfrey PTS 3 Jan 15, 1882 Boston, Massachusetts, US
5 Win 5–0 John Hughes PTS 3 Jan 10, 1880 Boston, Massachusetts, US Precise date of bout unknown at this time
4 Win 4–0 Dennis Roach TKO ? (?) Apr 1, 1879 Somerville, Massachusetts, US Precise date & number of rounds of bout unknown at this time
3 Win 3–0 Dan Dwyer PTS ? (?) Mar 10, 1879 Somerville, Massachusetts, US Precise date & number of rounds of bout unknown at this time
2 Win 2–0 Jem Driscoll TKO ? (?) Feb 1, 1879 Somerville, Massachusetts, US Precise date & number of rounds of bout unknown at this time
1 Win 1–0 Jack Daley KO 2 (?) Jan 1, 1879 Somerville, Massachusetts, US Precise date of bout unknown at this time;
Professional debut

Unofficial record

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50 fights 31 wins 7 losses
By knockout 18 5
By decision 13 2
Draws 9
No contests 3

Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.

No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
50 Loss 31–7–9 (4) Steve O'Donnell TKO 5 (15), 2:15 Oct 20, 1899 Germania Maennerchor Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, US
49 Loss 31–6–9 (4) Frank Slavin KO 1 (10), 2:15 Sep 14, 1896 Eureka A.C., Baltimore, Maryland, US
48 ND 31–5–9 (4) Abe Ullman ND 10 Sep 30, 1895 Baltimore, Maryland, US Exact date unknown
47 Loss 31–5–9 (3) Steve O'Donnell TKO 21 (25), 1:18 May 6, 1895 Sea Side A.C., Coney Island, New York, US
46 Draw 31–4–9 (3) Steve O'Donnell PTS 8 Mar 18, 1895 Suffolk A.C., Boston, Massachusetts, US
45 Loss 31–4–8 (3) Frank Slavin TKO 9 (10) Jun 16, 1891 Granite A.C., Hoboken, New Jersey, US For world interim heavyweight title (National Police Gazette)[6]
44 Win 31–3–8 (3) George Godfrey KO 44 Mar 13, 1891 California A.C., San Francisco, California, US A finish fight
43 Win 30–3–8 (3) George Maguire KO 2 (?) Dec 4, 1890 Utica, New York, US
42 Win 29–3–8 (3) Mike Brennan PTS 3 Dec 3, 1890 Montana, New York, US
41 Win 28–3–8 (3) George Harris KO 2 (?) Dec 1, 1890 New York City, New York, US
40 Win 27–3–8 (3) Arthur Chambers PTS 3 Aug 22, 1890 Union Opera House, Ogden, Utah, US
39 Win 26–3–8 (3) Jerry Slattery TKO 2 (?) Aug 1, 1890 New York City, New York, US
38 Win 25–3–8 (3) Dick Mayel PTS 3 Jun 18, 1890 Cleveland, Ohio, US
37 Win 24–3–8 (3) Tommy McManus PTS 3 Jun 13, 1890 New York City, New York, US
36 Win 23–3–8 (3) Frank Straub KO 4 (?) Jun 12, 1890 New York City, New York, US
35 Win 22–3–8 (3) Frank Bosworth TKO 3 (4) Jun 10, 1890 New York City, New York, US
34 Loss 21–3–8 (3) James J. Corbett PTS 6 Feb 18, 1890 Southern A.C., New Orleans, Louisiana, US
33 Win 21–2–8 (3) Felix Vacquelin KO 3 (?) Feb 2, 1890 New Orleans, Louisiana, US
32 Loss 20–2–8 (3) John Scholes NWS 4 Nov 4, 1889 Mutual Street Rink, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
31 Loss 20–1–8 (2) John L. Sullivan KO 75 (?) Jul 8, 1889 Richburg, Mississippi, US For world bare-knuckle heavyweight title;
For inaugural world heavyweight title (National Police Gazette);[7]
London Prize Ring Rules
30 Win 20–0–8 (2) Joe Lannon TKO 11 (?) Mar 8, 1887 Watertown, Massachusetts, US
29 ND 19–0–8 (2) Jack Ashton ND 4 Dec 22, 1886 New Assembly Rooms, Baltimore, Maryland, US
28 ND 19–0–8 (1) Johny Seidel ND 4 Dec 22, 1886 New Assembly Rooms, Baltimore, Maryland, US
27 Win 19–0–8 John P. Clow PTS 4 Dec 22, 1886 New Assembly Rooms, Baltimore, Maryland, US
26 Win 18–0–8 Denny Killen PTS 4 Nov 19, 1886 Comique Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
25 Win 17–0–8 Tommy Kelly KO 4 (4) Nov 17, 1886 Theatre Comique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
24 Win 16–0–8 Joe Godfrey KO 2 (?) Nov 15, 1886 Theatre Comique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
23 Win 15–0–8 Frank Herald TKO 1 (?), 2:00 Nov 8, 1886 Herring Run, Maryland, US Police intervened
22 Win 14–0–8 Jack Ashton PTS 8 Jul 31, 1886 Ridgewood Baseball Park, New York City, New York, US
21 Draw 13–0–8 Frank Faber PTS ? 1886 Boston, Massachusetts, US [8]
20 Draw 13–0–7 George Fryer PTS 5 May 15, 1885 Boston, Massachusetts, US
19 Win 13–0–6 Alf Greenfield PTS ? 1884-1886 Location unknown Precise date (including year) & the number of rounds of bout unknown at this time.
18 Win 12–0–6 Jerry Murphy PTS 4 Jan 5, 1885 Norumbega Hall, Bangor, Massachusetts, US
17 Draw 11–0–6 Jack Burke PTS 5 Dec 1, 1884 New England Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, US
16 Draw 11–0–5 Jem Goode PTS 5 Jul 3, 1884 Battery D Armory, Chicago, Illinois, US
15 Draw 11–0–4 Mike Cleary PTS 4 Jun 26, 1884 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
14 Win 11–0–3 William Sherriff PTS 3 (4) May 6, 1884 Union Hall, Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, US Police intervened
13 Draw 10–0–3 Charley Mitchell PTS 4 Mar 26, 1884 Institute Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, US
12 Win 10–0–2 Jerry Murphy KO 2 (?) Oct 29, 1883 Bangor, Massachusetts, US Police intervened
11 Draw 9–0–2 Jem Goode PTS 5 Oct 26, 1883 Conant Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, US
10 Win 9–0–1 George Godfrey TKO 3 (3) May 16, 1883 Boston, Massachusetts, US Police intervened
9 Win 8–0–1 John McGylnn TKO 4 (?) Apr 16, 1883 New Bedford, Massachusetts, US
8 Win 7–0–1 Pete McCoy KO 3 (3) Mar 19, 1883 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, US
7 Win 6–0–1 John Allen PTS 3 Feb 10, 1883 Boston, Massachusetts, US Precise date of bout unknown at this time
6 Draw 5–0–1 George Godfrey PTS 3 Jan 15, 1882 Boston, Massachusetts, US
5 Win 5–0 John Hughes PTS 3 Jan 10, 1880 Boston, Massachusetts, US Precise date of bout unknown at this time
4 Win 4–0 Dennis Roach TKO ? (?) Apr 1, 1879 Somerville, Massachusetts, US Precise date & number of rounds of bout unknown at this time
3 Win 3–0 Dan Dwyer PTS ? (?) Mar 10, 1879 Somerville, Massachusetts, US Precise date & number of rounds of bout unknown at this time
2 Win 2–0 Jem Driscoll TKO ? (?) Feb 1, 1879 Somerville, Massachusetts, US Precise date & number of rounds of bout unknown at this time
1 Win 1–0 Jack Daley KO 2 (?) Jan 1, 1879 Somerville, Massachusetts, US Precise date of bout unknown at this time;
Professional debut

Media

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Mike Mazurki portrayed Kilrain in the 1942 film Gentleman Jim.

References

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  1. ^ "The Championship prize fight". The Aberdare Times. 1887-12-24. hdl:10107/3027302 – via Welsh Newspapers.
  2. ^ a b c d "Jake Kilrain". IBHOF.com. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Jake Kilrain death... bare knuckle boxer.. - RareNewspapers.com". www.rarenewspapers.com.
  4. ^ "BKBHOF Inductees". Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  5. ^ "BoxRec: Jake Kilrain".
  6. ^ a b "Police Gazette World Champions – National Police Gazette". 24 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b Police Gazette Sporting Annual 1918
  8. ^ a b "Cyber Boxing Zone -- Jake Kilrain".
[edit]
Titles in pretence
Inaugural Champion World Heavyweight Champion
December 19, 1887– July 8, 1889
Lost bid for Undisputed Title
Vacant
Title next held by
Peter Maher