Holmes vs Shavers, he fought Shavers twice and many people consider Shavers to be the hardest puncher in boxing history period. Shavers put Holmes through pure hell in both of those fights with his power punches, but in the second fight, Shavers loaded up and caught Holmes flush with a perfect shot right in the jaw, I know Shavers must have thought Holmes was done, he hit Holmes with everything he had with that punch, hit him with his best shot, the impact of the punch sounded like a gun firing, a loud echoing POP. It was one of the greatest punches I've ever seen and if it would have been anybody else they would have been out cold from that punch. But Larry Holmes was one of the toughest men in history and had a chin made of Tungsten. Larry Holmes got up from that punch, recovered, and stopped Shavers. To this day it is one of the damnedest things I've ever seen in sports.
Holmes vs Witherspoon, great fight, Witherspoon had Holmes seriously hurt in this fight, at one point Holmes was out on his feet but still standing there fighting back, Holmes had ridiculous heart, there was no quit in him. Holmes was dangerous when he was hurt, it made him determined.
Holmes vs Cobb, this fight was a massacre, Holmes teed off in Cobb for 15 rounds, really laid a beating on Cobb. To Cobb's credit, he never quit, he went the distance, Cobb was also one of the toughest men I've ever seen, had an iron chin. After the fight, Cobb was quoted as saying, "Larry Holmes didn't beat me. He just won the first fifteen rounds." Cobb was a character.
Jermain Taylor, "Bad Intentions", He became undisputed Middleweight champion in 2005 when he ended Bernard Hopkins decade long title reign. Sick photo of Taylor holding all the belts, having all the belts and being undisputed king is no small feat.
Taylor's journey in boxing began at the age of 13 and culminated in a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Taylor's professional career started with a bang in 2001 when he signed with promoter Lou DiBella and quickly amassed an impressive 25-0 record. His rise through the ranks included victories over former champions Raúl Márquez and William Joppy, setting the stage for his defining moment in the sport.
On July 16, 2005, Taylor shocked the boxing world by defeating the legendary Bernard Hopkins via split decision, ending Hopkins' decade-long reign and becoming the undisputed middleweight champion. This victory made Taylor the first and only male boxer to claim all four major sanctioning body titles in a single fight. He solidified his status by defeating Hopkins in an immediate rematch.
Taylor's reign as champion included successful defences against Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks and a draw with Winky Wright. However, his undefeated run ended in 2007 when he lost to Kelly Pavlik, followed by a defeat in their rematch.
Moving up to super middleweight, Taylor experienced mixed results. He defeated Jeff Lacy but lost in world title challenges against Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham. The latter fight resulted in Taylor suffering a severe concussion that led to his temporary retirement from the sport.
After a two-year hiatus, Taylor returned to the ring in 2011, gradually returning to contention. His comeback culminated in reclaiming the IBF middleweight title in 2014 with a victory over Sam Soliman, making him a two-time world champion.
Throughout his career, Taylor was known for his strong jab, physical strength, and resilience. He finished with a professional record of 33-4-1 (20 KO).
Outside the ring, Taylor faced personal challenges, including legal issues and concerns about his long-term health due to the damage sustained in his boxing career. Despite these setbacks, Taylor's impact on the sport, particularly his achievement as an undisputed champion, secures his place as a significant figure in middleweight boxing history.
I love Jermain Taylor's fights with Bernard Hopkins, he showed no fear, he wasn't intimidated by Hopkins greatness, and really took the fight to B-Hop. Prime Jermain Taylor was no joke, good jab, good combination punching, good power, he really had all the tools.
Before he ever tasted defeat, Jimmy Wilde racked up more than 100 fights without a single loss, a streak so staggering it still echoes a century later. Officially, he was unbeaten in his first 103 contests. Unofficially? Some say he had closer to 800 fights including unrecorded bouts in fairground booths, often knocking out multiple opponents in a single day.
Wilde didn’t just beat men, he dismantled them. And most were bigger than him.
Standing just 5’2” and barely over 100 pounds, Wilde looked like a boy among men. But they called him "The Indian Famine", and “The Mighty Atom” and “The Ghost with a Hammer in His Hand” for a reason, he could put opponents to sleep with a single shot, often with one punch they never saw.
He became the first official world flyweight champion and held that title for over seven years, fighting with surgical precision and raw toughness forged in the Welsh coal mines.
His final official record:
132 wins (98 by KO), 4 losses, 1 draw. But the truth is, Jimmy Wilde's real record is almost unknowable, hidden in the dust of travelling booths and smoky arenas long gone.
In the conversation about greatest fighter, Wilde is often overlooked. Maybe it's the black-and-white photos, the faded newspaper clippings. But pound for pound, Jimmy Wilde is one of the greatest that ever lived.
Nonito Donaire lands a vicious right hook on Naoya Inoue in their first encounter, this punch broke Inoue's orbital bone but Inoue still finished and won the fight. Nonito Donaire was a vicious power puncher, he was always dangerous in every fight. Inoue later commented on the injury:
"Just thinking back to the injury, it’s bringing back shivers,” Inoue told BoxingScene.com through a translator. “I had to basically adjust my fight plan from knocking him out to winning a decision.”
"It was like shockwaves coming through where it was broken,” said Inoue. “After that injury, I was seeing double vision. I saw two Donaires in the ring until the 12th round [ended].”
Isaiah "Ike" Williams, one of the greatest lightweights in history, brutal, slashing puncher, explosive combination puncher. He hit damn hard, hard enough to spot the great Kid Gavilan 6 lbs and still floor him, Williams was one of only two men in history to floor Gavilan. He hit hard with both hands. If you really want to see how brutal Ike Williams was, watch his stoppage of Beau Jack, where he pins Jack in the corner and tears him apart.
Here it is, Ike Williams vs Beau Jack, one of the most brutal stoppages in boxing history. At one point Ike Williams actually steps back and looks at the referee like, "are you going to stop the damn fight, I'm killing the guy here?"
Great photo from Ike Williams vs Beau Jack, you can see Ike Williams smashing Beau Jack back with his powerful left jab and setting him up for an attack with his right.
Lightweight champion Ike Williams almost makes challenger Jesse Flores nearly do a split, one of the handful of times he was sent down in their 1948 fight at Yankee Stadium, won by Williams on a 10th round TKO.
It's a shame because Ike Williams was controlled by the mob, he was managed by famous boxing racketeer Frank "Blinky" Palermo, so we'll never know how great Ike Williams could have truly been because he had the cuffs on in a lot of his fights and the mob held him back. Palermo cheated Ike Williams out of a lot of his career earnings as well, the mob was a cancer on the sport.
Corrie Sanders, "The Sniper", heavyweight, big time puncher, I'll never forget the night he knocked out Wladimir Klitschko, one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. But the way he died truly brings a tear to your eye.
He died a hero, shielding his daughter from oncoming bullets.
Cornelius Johannes 'Corrie' Sanders - known by his fans as "The Sniper" had a fearsome reputation for carrying unbelievable power in his left hand and knocking out opponents within a few rounds. If the South African Southpaw hit you, you were in trouble.
His Amateur career was an admirable 180-11, before turning professional in 1989. He won his first 23 fights, 16 inside the distance.
In 1997 Sanders captured the WBU Heavyweight Title beating the durable Ross Purity and went on to make 3 successful defences before losing to Hasim Rahman. Rahman would go on to stun the boxing world the following year by knocking out Lennox Lewis.
The highlight of Sanders' career was a shock defeat of Heavyweight Legend, Wladimir Klitschko in 2003 capturing him the WBO Title. Sanders dropped Klitschko 4 times and won by Knockout inside 2 rounds.
The win is considered one of the biggest upsets ever seen in the Heavyweight Division and Ring Magazine awarded the fight 'Upset of the Year.'
Wladimir's loss would be avenged by his older brother, Vitali, who beat Sanders via 8th Round TKO. Although Sanders lost the fight, his performance was applauded by fans, who were impressed by his bravery and determination.
After his loss to Vitali, Sanders went on to defeat Alexey Varakin inside 2 rounds before a brief retirement from the ring. 2 years later in 2006 The Sniper made a return to the ring, blasting out Colin Wilson in the 2nd round. He had just 2 more fights, losing the 2nd to South African Heavyweight Champion, Osborn Machimana who KO'd Sanders in the 1st round. This marked the end of The Sniper's career.
Corrie Sanders retired with a record of 42-4 (31 wins by KO), his career included other notable wins against Johnny Nelson, Bobby Czyz and Carlos De Leon.
In 2014, during an interview with Ring Magazine, Wladimir Klitschko said of Sanders,
"I’ve been in boxing for 25 years and I never fought anybody in this game that punched like Corrie Sanders' and Vitali Klitschko also went on to say his fight with Sanders was the hardest fight of his career. Hasim Rahman also complimented Sanders' devastating power when he said "I've never been hit that hard in my life."
On 22nd September 2012, Sanders was at a restaurant in Brits, South Africa celebrating his Nephew's 21st Birthday with friends and family when armed robbers burst in and opened fire. Sanders, who was stood near the entrance at the time, jumped in front of his daughter to protect her and was hit in the arm and stomach. Already wounded, Sanders pulled his daughter to the ground and told her to pretend she was dead. Sadly Corrie Sanders passed away a few hours later in hospital. He was 46 years old.
Sanders is remembered by all for his heroics inside the ring and out and will forever be a legend to the people of South Africa.
March 8, 2003, never forget that night, Corrie Sanders defeated Wladimir Klitschko by second-round technical knockout, winning the WBO heavyweight title. The fight took place in Hanover, Germany, and was a significant upset, as Sanders was a considerable underdog. Sanders knocked Klitschko down four times before the referee stopped the fight.
I always liked to watch Corrie Sanders throw his punches, he had these long freakish arms and he would just club the hell out of you with them. The speed of that left, coming out of the southpaw stance, surprised and shocked his victims. He could hit with his right as well. He was very fast and he really seemed to get his weight behind his punches. He had a real good right hook as well. Did not throw it enough. Didn't use a jab much either. But man, was he ever dangerous early in a fight. There was no sparring or anything that could prepare opponents for that straight as an arrow left hand. With his size and those punches he threw, he was a dangerous guy to sign a contract for. Really an "avoid if possible" type opponent. He had a nasty, nasty right uppercut. Short, fast, vicious little punch that did the business many times. He caught Hasim Rahman with it and nearly tipped him out the ring. He caught Alexei Varakin with it and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Levi Billups (at a time where there was speculation that he might be worth something cause he'd given Lewis a torrid time) sampled it too. But that straight left was a ****ing missile. Tip of the hat to the guys on boxing forum 24, you guys teach me so much, fascinate me so much, so much brilliant knowledge over there.
John L. Sullivan, "The Boston Strong Boy", was an Irish-American boxer recognised as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing. He was also the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing, winning the last bare-knuckle bout with Jake Kilrain in 1889 after 75 rounds. Sullivan was only defeated one time in his career, in his last fight, his career record is 47-1. He was nicknamed "The Boston Strong Boy" due to his exceptional strength, powerful punches, and dominance in the ring during the late 19th century. He was known for his ability to knock out opponents and his intimidating presence, both in and out of the ring.
John L. Sullivan is a legend, one tough Irish SOB, a real gladiator. He was one of America's first sports celebrities. This is an actual photo from the last bare-knuckle bout in boxing between John L. Sullivan (left) and Jake Kilrain, before the gloved era began. Notice there is no canvas, it's just ground and ropes, it was 100 degrees outside that day. This bout took place in 1889. These bare-knuckle fights were brutal and could go on forever.
"The Boston Strong Boy" John L. Sullivan defended his claim to the heavyweight championship with a 75th round KO of Jake Kilrain in Richburg, Mississippi in 1889.
The bout was fought under the London Prize Ring Rules, which meant bare knuckles and allowed trips, throws, more work in the clinch and some degree of wrestling. It was during this work that Sullivan seemed to come ahead and wear Kilrain down. Kilrain was skilled and game, and he managed to cut Sullivan under his eye, but he was absolutely exhausted by round 12.
Kilrain stalled for many rounds, however, and survived long enough that Sullivan began vomiting in round 44. When Kilrain's corner called for him to attack while Sullivan threw up, Kilrain instead waited and wasted his last chance.
In a number of rounds after that, Kilrain simply fell from being pushed or knocked into because he was so weak. In round 75, Sullivan knocked Kilrain down for the final time and ended the round. After some haggling between the corners, during which Sullivan pledged to keep fighting if Kilrain could make it to scratch, Kilrain's corner stopped the fight.
Comments
Holmes vs Ocasio.
Holmes vs Weaver.
Holmes vs Shavers, he fought Shavers twice and many people consider Shavers to be the hardest puncher in boxing history period. Shavers put Holmes through pure hell in both of those fights with his power punches, but in the second fight, Shavers loaded up and caught Holmes flush with a perfect shot right in the jaw, I know Shavers must have thought Holmes was done, he hit Holmes with everything he had with that punch, hit him with his best shot, the impact of the punch sounded like a gun firing, a loud echoing POP. It was one of the greatest punches I've ever seen and if it would have been anybody else they would have been out cold from that punch. But Larry Holmes was one of the toughest men in history and had a chin made of Tungsten. Larry Holmes got up from that punch, recovered, and stopped Shavers. To this day it is one of the damnedest things I've ever seen in sports.
Holmes vs Witherspoon, great fight, Witherspoon had Holmes seriously hurt in this fight, at one point Holmes was out on his feet but still standing there fighting back, Holmes had ridiculous heart, there was no quit in him. Holmes was dangerous when he was hurt, it made him determined.
Holmes vs Cobb, this fight was a massacre, Holmes teed off in Cobb for 15 rounds, really laid a beating on Cobb. To Cobb's credit, he never quit, he went the distance, Cobb was also one of the toughest men I've ever seen, had an iron chin. After the fight, Cobb was quoted as saying, "Larry Holmes didn't beat me. He just won the first fifteen rounds." Cobb was a character.
Larry Holmes, "The Easton Assassin" in his prime. God, what a beautiful fighter to watch, he had it all.
Jermain Taylor, "Bad Intentions", He became undisputed Middleweight champion in 2005 when he ended Bernard Hopkins decade long title reign. Sick photo of Taylor holding all the belts, having all the belts and being undisputed king is no small feat.
Taylor's journey in boxing began at the age of 13 and culminated in a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Taylor's professional career started with a bang in 2001 when he signed with promoter Lou DiBella and quickly amassed an impressive 25-0 record. His rise through the ranks included victories over former champions Raúl Márquez and William Joppy, setting the stage for his defining moment in the sport.
On July 16, 2005, Taylor shocked the boxing world by defeating the legendary Bernard Hopkins via split decision, ending Hopkins' decade-long reign and becoming the undisputed middleweight champion. This victory made Taylor the first and only male boxer to claim all four major sanctioning body titles in a single fight. He solidified his status by defeating Hopkins in an immediate rematch.
Taylor's reign as champion included successful defences against Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks and a draw with Winky Wright. However, his undefeated run ended in 2007 when he lost to Kelly Pavlik, followed by a defeat in their rematch.
Moving up to super middleweight, Taylor experienced mixed results. He defeated Jeff Lacy but lost in world title challenges against Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham. The latter fight resulted in Taylor suffering a severe concussion that led to his temporary retirement from the sport.
After a two-year hiatus, Taylor returned to the ring in 2011, gradually returning to contention. His comeback culminated in reclaiming the IBF middleweight title in 2014 with a victory over Sam Soliman, making him a two-time world champion.
Throughout his career, Taylor was known for his strong jab, physical strength, and resilience. He finished with a professional record of 33-4-1 (20 KO).
Outside the ring, Taylor faced personal challenges, including legal issues and concerns about his long-term health due to the damage sustained in his boxing career. Despite these setbacks, Taylor's impact on the sport, particularly his achievement as an undisputed champion, secures his place as a significant figure in middleweight boxing history.
I love Jermain Taylor's fights with Bernard Hopkins, he showed no fear, he wasn't intimidated by Hopkins greatness, and really took the fight to B-Hop. Prime Jermain Taylor was no joke, good jab, good combination punching, good power, he really had all the tools.
Before he ever tasted defeat, Jimmy Wilde racked up more than 100 fights without a single loss, a streak so staggering it still echoes a century later. Officially, he was unbeaten in his first 103 contests. Unofficially? Some say he had closer to 800 fights including unrecorded bouts in fairground booths, often knocking out multiple opponents in a single day.
Wilde didn’t just beat men, he dismantled them. And most were bigger than him.
Standing just 5’2” and barely over 100 pounds, Wilde looked like a boy among men. But they called him "The Indian Famine", and “The Mighty Atom” and “The Ghost with a Hammer in His Hand” for a reason, he could put opponents to sleep with a single shot, often with one punch they never saw.
He became the first official world flyweight champion and held that title for over seven years, fighting with surgical precision and raw toughness forged in the Welsh coal mines.
His final official record:
132 wins (98 by KO), 4 losses, 1 draw. But the truth is, Jimmy Wilde's real record is almost unknowable, hidden in the dust of travelling booths and smoky arenas long gone.
In the conversation about greatest fighter, Wilde is often overlooked. Maybe it's the black-and-white photos, the faded newspaper clippings. But pound for pound, Jimmy Wilde is one of the greatest that ever lived.
Jimmy Wilde wrote a few books on boxing, the title of this book he wrote shows you how serious he took the sport. Greatest flyweight in history IMO.
This is a savage photo of Jimmy Wilde in action, look at his opponents distorted face, Wilde could bang.
Nonito Donaire lands a vicious right hook on Naoya Inoue in their first encounter, this punch broke Inoue's orbital bone but Inoue still finished and won the fight. Nonito Donaire was a vicious power puncher, he was always dangerous in every fight. Inoue later commented on the injury:
"Just thinking back to the injury, it’s bringing back shivers,” Inoue told BoxingScene.com through a translator. “I had to basically adjust my fight plan from knocking him out to winning a decision.”
"It was like shockwaves coming through where it was broken,” said Inoue. “After that injury, I was seeing double vision. I saw two Donaires in the ring until the 12th round [ended].”
Nonito Donaire was a bad a$$, brutal puncher. He was nicknamed "The Filipino Flash."
Brutal puncher was Donaire.
The explosive power of Nonito Donaire.
Isaiah "Ike" Williams, one of the greatest lightweights in history, brutal, slashing puncher, explosive combination puncher. He hit damn hard, hard enough to spot the great Kid Gavilan 6 lbs and still floor him, Williams was one of only two men in history to floor Gavilan. He hit hard with both hands. If you really want to see how brutal Ike Williams was, watch his stoppage of Beau Jack, where he pins Jack in the corner and tears him apart.
Here it is, Ike Williams vs Beau Jack, one of the most brutal stoppages in boxing history. At one point Ike Williams actually steps back and looks at the referee like, "are you going to stop the damn fight, I'm killing the guy here?"
Ike Williams was a bad mofo, lightweight champion for six years.
Great photo from Ike Williams vs Beau Jack, you can see Ike Williams smashing Beau Jack back with his powerful left jab and setting him up for an attack with his right.
Lightweight champion Ike Williams almost makes challenger Jesse Flores nearly do a split, one of the handful of times he was sent down in their 1948 fight at Yankee Stadium, won by Williams on a 10th round TKO.
It's a shame because Ike Williams was controlled by the mob, he was managed by famous boxing racketeer Frank "Blinky" Palermo, so we'll never know how great Ike Williams could have truly been because he had the cuffs on in a lot of his fights and the mob held him back. Palermo cheated Ike Williams out of a lot of his career earnings as well, the mob was a cancer on the sport.
Corrie Sanders, "The Sniper", heavyweight, big time puncher, I'll never forget the night he knocked out Wladimir Klitschko, one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. But the way he died truly brings a tear to your eye.
He died a hero, shielding his daughter from oncoming bullets.
Cornelius Johannes 'Corrie' Sanders - known by his fans as "The Sniper" had a fearsome reputation for carrying unbelievable power in his left hand and knocking out opponents within a few rounds. If the South African Southpaw hit you, you were in trouble.
His Amateur career was an admirable 180-11, before turning professional in 1989. He won his first 23 fights, 16 inside the distance.
In 1997 Sanders captured the WBU Heavyweight Title beating the durable Ross Purity and went on to make 3 successful defences before losing to Hasim Rahman. Rahman would go on to stun the boxing world the following year by knocking out Lennox Lewis.
The highlight of Sanders' career was a shock defeat of Heavyweight Legend, Wladimir Klitschko in 2003 capturing him the WBO Title. Sanders dropped Klitschko 4 times and won by Knockout inside 2 rounds.
The win is considered one of the biggest upsets ever seen in the Heavyweight Division and Ring Magazine awarded the fight 'Upset of the Year.'
Wladimir's loss would be avenged by his older brother, Vitali, who beat Sanders via 8th Round TKO. Although Sanders lost the fight, his performance was applauded by fans, who were impressed by his bravery and determination.
After his loss to Vitali, Sanders went on to defeat Alexey Varakin inside 2 rounds before a brief retirement from the ring. 2 years later in 2006 The Sniper made a return to the ring, blasting out Colin Wilson in the 2nd round. He had just 2 more fights, losing the 2nd to South African Heavyweight Champion, Osborn Machimana who KO'd Sanders in the 1st round. This marked the end of The Sniper's career.
Corrie Sanders retired with a record of 42-4 (31 wins by KO), his career included other notable wins against Johnny Nelson, Bobby Czyz and Carlos De Leon.
In 2014, during an interview with Ring Magazine, Wladimir Klitschko said of Sanders,
"I’ve been in boxing for 25 years and I never fought anybody in this game that punched like Corrie Sanders' and Vitali Klitschko also went on to say his fight with Sanders was the hardest fight of his career. Hasim Rahman also complimented Sanders' devastating power when he said "I've never been hit that hard in my life."
On 22nd September 2012, Sanders was at a restaurant in Brits, South Africa celebrating his Nephew's 21st Birthday with friends and family when armed robbers burst in and opened fire. Sanders, who was stood near the entrance at the time, jumped in front of his daughter to protect her and was hit in the arm and stomach. Already wounded, Sanders pulled his daughter to the ground and told her to pretend she was dead. Sadly Corrie Sanders passed away a few hours later in hospital. He was 46 years old.
Sanders is remembered by all for his heroics inside the ring and out and will forever be a legend to the people of South Africa.
March 8, 2003, never forget that night, Corrie Sanders defeated Wladimir Klitschko by second-round technical knockout, winning the WBO heavyweight title. The fight took place in Hanover, Germany, and was a significant upset, as Sanders was a considerable underdog. Sanders knocked Klitschko down four times before the referee stopped the fight.
I always liked to watch Corrie Sanders throw his punches, he had these long freakish arms and he would just club the hell out of you with them. The speed of that left, coming out of the southpaw stance, surprised and shocked his victims. He could hit with his right as well. He was very fast and he really seemed to get his weight behind his punches. He had a real good right hook as well. Did not throw it enough. Didn't use a jab much either. But man, was he ever dangerous early in a fight. There was no sparring or anything that could prepare opponents for that straight as an arrow left hand. With his size and those punches he threw, he was a dangerous guy to sign a contract for. Really an "avoid if possible" type opponent. He had a nasty, nasty right uppercut. Short, fast, vicious little punch that did the business many times. He caught Hasim Rahman with it and nearly tipped him out the ring. He caught Alexei Varakin with it and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Levi Billups (at a time where there was speculation that he might be worth something cause he'd given Lewis a torrid time) sampled it too. But that straight left was a ****ing missile. Tip of the hat to the guys on boxing forum 24, you guys teach me so much, fascinate me so much, so much brilliant knowledge over there.
It's just heartbreaking how he died, such a good man was Corrie Sanders.
Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, relentless pressure fighter with a motor that never stopped.
Joe Louis knocks out a snowman.
John L. Sullivan, "The Boston Strong Boy", was an Irish-American boxer recognised as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing. He was also the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing, winning the last bare-knuckle bout with Jake Kilrain in 1889 after 75 rounds. Sullivan was only defeated one time in his career, in his last fight, his career record is 47-1. He was nicknamed "The Boston Strong Boy" due to his exceptional strength, powerful punches, and dominance in the ring during the late 19th century. He was known for his ability to knock out opponents and his intimidating presence, both in and out of the ring.
My favorite card of John L. Sullivan, 2011 Ringside Boxing Turkey Red.
John L. Sullivan is a legend, one tough Irish SOB, a real gladiator. He was one of America's first sports celebrities. This is an actual photo from the last bare-knuckle bout in boxing between John L. Sullivan (left) and Jake Kilrain, before the gloved era began. Notice there is no canvas, it's just ground and ropes, it was 100 degrees outside that day. This bout took place in 1889. These bare-knuckle fights were brutal and could go on forever.
"The Boston Strong Boy" John L. Sullivan defended his claim to the heavyweight championship with a 75th round KO of Jake Kilrain in Richburg, Mississippi in 1889.
The bout was fought under the London Prize Ring Rules, which meant bare knuckles and allowed trips, throws, more work in the clinch and some degree of wrestling. It was during this work that Sullivan seemed to come ahead and wear Kilrain down. Kilrain was skilled and game, and he managed to cut Sullivan under his eye, but he was absolutely exhausted by round 12.
Kilrain stalled for many rounds, however, and survived long enough that Sullivan began vomiting in round 44. When Kilrain's corner called for him to attack while Sullivan threw up, Kilrain instead waited and wasted his last chance.
In a number of rounds after that, Kilrain simply fell from being pushed or knocked into because he was so weak. In round 75, Sullivan knocked Kilrain down for the final time and ended the round. After some haggling between the corners, during which Sullivan pledged to keep fighting if Kilrain could make it to scratch, Kilrain's corner stopped the fight.
Sullivan rushes into Kilrain (who's back is towards the camera.)
Sullivan knocks Kilrain down in the corner.
Sullivan knocks Kilrain down for the final time in round 75.
Sullivan stands over Kilrain after knocking him down in round 75.