July 8, 1989 – It was the end of a brutal era in the world of boxing. Champion John L. Sullivan successfully defended his title in the last officially sanctioned, bare-knuckle world heavyweight prizefighting championship. His opponent, Jake Kilrain’s trainer literally threw in the towel to stop the fight after 75 x 1-minute rounds near Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
According to the IBHOF.com website Sullivan had apparently inherited his physical appearance and stoutness (5’10” tall and weighed 190 pounds) from his mother, who was pretty close to her grown son’s height and weight (Don’t tell her we said that.) Sullivan’s father, although a pretty good fighter himself, was barely 5’3”.
John L. Sullivan was apparently a very talented athlete as he played semi-pro baseball in the Boston area. So good that the Cincinnati Red Stockings offered him a contract, which he declined.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
The Bizarre season of the 1970 St. Louis Cardinals
After winning the NFL Championship in 1947 and compiling a combined 21–5 record in
Wrestling History: Through The Eyes of a Boomer
This article is an excerpt from SPORTS & BOOMERS: The History of Sports Through
Olympic Weightlifting Career of an Average Joe
The first time I witnessed Weightlifting was on the television show “Wide World of
Peek Into Glass Backboards: A Coast to Coast Anthology of American Basketball
The following is an excerpt from Glass Backboards: A Coast to Coast Anthology of
Bracket Busters: Upsets to Watch in March Madness
As the calendar flips to March, college basketball fans brace themselves for the annual
The Story of the 1967 Los Angeles Rams
From 1956 to 1965, the LA Rams were not a good football team, posting
Great Wide Receivers From The 70s Before the 1978 Rule Change
Pro football has provided a showcase for the many different wide receivers who buckled
In The Beginning: An Interview With Joseph T. Sternaman
And, you may ask, who is Joseph T. Sternaman? Sternaman was more commonly known