Patrick "Packey" McFarland, early 1900s Chicago lightweight who retired with a record of 70-0-5 with 50 knockouts. He was one tough Irish SOB with good knockout power, although he abandoned his desire to knock out his opponents later in his career, preferring to outbox them.
One of several excellent World War I-era fighters who never won titles, Packey McFarland held his own with the very best. Not a brawler by nature, McFarland gained experience fighting in the Chicago stockyards. When he knocked out a fellow employee in a lunch-hour match, McFarland decided to adopt boxing as his vocation. Turning pro at the age of sixteen, McFarland initially fought on handball courts in the Irish neighborhoods of Chicago.
Because the crowds demanded it, McFarland employed a fine knock-out punch in his early encounters. Later, as his career developed, McFarland became better known for his boxing skill. In fact, he expressed a distinct lack of interest in knocking out opponents, preferring to win by decision. Going east for the first time, McFarland decisioned highly touted Bert Keyes in Boston in 1908. He then won a decision over Freddie Welsh before fighting him to a 25-round draw in a rematch in Los Angeles. A third bout with Welsh in London also resulted in a draw.
Though McFarland was highly regarded, he was never given a shot at the lightweight title held by Battling Nelson. In 1908, the two nearly came to blows outside the Hotel Astoria in New York. In fairness to Nelson, McFarland usually fought above the lightweight limit, which was then 133 pounds.
McFarland fought Jack Britton three times. The first bout, held in Memphis, was called a draw, although Chicago newspapers declared Britton the winner. In two no-decision rematches, Britton and McFarland fought very evenly. McFarland closed his career by fighting in a much ballyhooed contest with the clever Hall of Famer Mike Gibbons, but the ten-round fight was a flop with neither fighter landing any significant punches.
In retirement, McFarland managed his sizable investments, was director of two banks, and also served on the Illinois State Athletic Commission.
Some of the greatest boxing photos ever taken, Henry Cooper during his fight with Muhammad Ali in 1966. The fight was stopped after Cooper began to bleed profusely from cuts. Cooper was a damn savage, he didn't want the fight to be stopped.
Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez training. You don't need to guess why he was called "Bazooka", Gomez was one of the hardest punchers in boxing history. He had 48 fights in his career, and only 6 men escaped being iced by Gomez. His final career record was 44-3-1 (42 KO). He was primarily known as a super bantamweight (junior featherweight) and also competed as a featherweight and super featherweight during his boxing career. But he is considered one of the greatest super bantamweights of all-time, holding the WBC title in that division from 1977 to 1981, a belt he defended 17 times via knockout, a record which still stands.
The whole story of Tiger Jack Fox is pure insanity. In 1939, Tiger Jack Fox, one of the hardest punchers in boxing history, got his first and only shot at the light heavyweight title, and lost it thanks to black magic, a woman with a knife, and a manager with a knack for hypnosis. John Linwood Fox, a.k.a. Tiger Jack Fox, was a superstitious man. He was a late-night playboy. But before all else, he was as powerful a boxer that has ever fought. A light heavyweight who boxed professionally from 1928-1950, Fox is distinguished as one of Ring magazine’s Top 100 hardest punchers in history. His 24 first round knockouts rank him second all-time, behind only Jack Dempsey. He was a showy and unorthodox boxer who often fought with his hands down at his knees, sometimes sticking his chin out or making opened-mouthed gestures in a ploy to lure opponents into attack, at which time he’d open up, punching wildly. Journalists thought it was funny. His opponents did not. On January 13, 1939, Fox got his only career shot at the light heavyweight title against Melio Bettina. Problem was, with the fight a month away, Tiger Jack Fox was in Harlem Hospital, lying “near death,” according to the New York Daily News, after being knifed just below the heart with a 10-inch blade wielded by 23-year-old Edna Boyd, in his room at the Woodside Hotel. Fox told police he’d been stabbed in his sleep. Boyd said she’d been detained against her will. Hotel personnel who broke down the door after hearing screams found a blood-spattered room and Fox on the attack. Boyd was charged with felonious assault; Fox got an ambulance. But the Fox camp – likely to keep the chance-of-a-lifetime fight from being canceled altogether – soon turned down the volume, telling the press the cuts were "superficial." A week later, Fox entertained reporters in his hospital room. The fight was hastily rebooked for Feb. 3. Even so, as the date approached reporters remarked on Fox favoring his right side. And that wasn’t the end of his worries, to hear him tell it. Melio Bettina’s manager was Jimmy Grippo, a relentless self-promoter but also an acclaimed magician and hypnotist, and he boasted that he could put a hex on opponents – and Tiger Jack was a sucker for the mystical. Fox lost the fight against Bettina, losing his only career shot at the light heavyweight title, and Fox would allege to his death that he was a victim of Bettina's manager Jimmy Grippo putting a hex on him. Fox, who believed in black magic, went as far as hiring Benjamin "Evil Eye" Finkle to perform a hex on Bettina, to counter the hypnotic powers of Grippo. Finkel refused to help Fox, claiming that he would never work against a fellow craftsman.
A photo of Melio Bettina and Tiger Jack Fox at the weigh-in before their fight, notice that Bettina's manager Jimmy Grippo is standing right behind Fox. God, what an insane story.
Another shot of Tiger Jack Fox with Melio Bettina sitting in the chair. Bettina's manager Jimmy Grippo is standing behind Fox, putting the "hex" on him.
Comments
Lloyd Marshall and Jake LaMotta.
Actual footage of the great Lloyd Marshall.
Mike Tyson playing his video game in the 80s.
Patrick "Packey" McFarland, early 1900s Chicago lightweight who retired with a record of 70-0-5 with 50 knockouts. He was one tough Irish SOB with good knockout power, although he abandoned his desire to knock out his opponents later in his career, preferring to outbox them.
One of several excellent World War I-era fighters who never won titles, Packey McFarland held his own with the very best. Not a brawler by nature, McFarland gained experience fighting in the Chicago stockyards. When he knocked out a fellow employee in a lunch-hour match, McFarland decided to adopt boxing as his vocation. Turning pro at the age of sixteen, McFarland initially fought on handball courts in the Irish neighborhoods of Chicago.
Because the crowds demanded it, McFarland employed a fine knock-out punch in his early encounters. Later, as his career developed, McFarland became better known for his boxing skill. In fact, he expressed a distinct lack of interest in knocking out opponents, preferring to win by decision. Going east for the first time, McFarland decisioned highly touted Bert Keyes in Boston in 1908. He then won a decision over Freddie Welsh before fighting him to a 25-round draw in a rematch in Los Angeles. A third bout with Welsh in London also resulted in a draw.
Though McFarland was highly regarded, he was never given a shot at the lightweight title held by Battling Nelson. In 1908, the two nearly came to blows outside the Hotel Astoria in New York. In fairness to Nelson, McFarland usually fought above the lightweight limit, which was then 133 pounds.
McFarland fought Jack Britton three times. The first bout, held in Memphis, was called a draw, although Chicago newspapers declared Britton the winner. In two no-decision rematches, Britton and McFarland fought very evenly. McFarland closed his career by fighting in a much ballyhooed contest with the clever Hall of Famer Mike Gibbons, but the ten-round fight was a flop with neither fighter landing any significant punches.
In retirement, McFarland managed his sizable investments, was director of two banks, and also served on the Illinois State Athletic Commission.
A few more photos of the great Packey McFarland.
The Packey McFarland knockout of Jimmy Britt.
Health & Strength
‘The Life & Fights of Packey McFarland’,
Boxing Magazine (1909).
Some of the greatest boxing photos ever taken, Henry Cooper during his fight with Muhammad Ali in 1966. The fight was stopped after Cooper began to bleed profusely from cuts. Cooper was a damn savage, he didn't want the fight to be stopped.
Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez training. You don't need to guess why he was called "Bazooka", Gomez was one of the hardest punchers in boxing history. He had 48 fights in his career, and only 6 men escaped being iced by Gomez. His final career record was 44-3-1 (42 KO). He was primarily known as a super bantamweight (junior featherweight) and also competed as a featherweight and super featherweight during his boxing career. But he is considered one of the greatest super bantamweights of all-time, holding the WBC title in that division from 1977 to 1981, a belt he defended 17 times via knockout, a record which still stands.
Let's get some Bazooka Gomez photos in here.
Wilfred "Bazooka" Gomez, destruction.
The whole story of Tiger Jack Fox is pure insanity. In 1939, Tiger Jack Fox, one of the hardest punchers in boxing history, got his first and only shot at the light heavyweight title, and lost it thanks to black magic, a woman with a knife, and a manager with a knack for hypnosis. John Linwood Fox, a.k.a. Tiger Jack Fox, was a superstitious man. He was a late-night playboy. But before all else, he was as powerful a boxer that has ever fought. A light heavyweight who boxed professionally from 1928-1950, Fox is distinguished as one of Ring magazine’s Top 100 hardest punchers in history. His 24 first round knockouts rank him second all-time, behind only Jack Dempsey. He was a showy and unorthodox boxer who often fought with his hands down at his knees, sometimes sticking his chin out or making opened-mouthed gestures in a ploy to lure opponents into attack, at which time he’d open up, punching wildly. Journalists thought it was funny. His opponents did not. On January 13, 1939, Fox got his only career shot at the light heavyweight title against Melio Bettina. Problem was, with the fight a month away, Tiger Jack Fox was in Harlem Hospital, lying “near death,” according to the New York Daily News, after being knifed just below the heart with a 10-inch blade wielded by 23-year-old Edna Boyd, in his room at the Woodside Hotel. Fox told police he’d been stabbed in his sleep. Boyd said she’d been detained against her will. Hotel personnel who broke down the door after hearing screams found a blood-spattered room and Fox on the attack. Boyd was charged with felonious assault; Fox got an ambulance. But the Fox camp – likely to keep the chance-of-a-lifetime fight from being canceled altogether – soon turned down the volume, telling the press the cuts were "superficial." A week later, Fox entertained reporters in his hospital room. The fight was hastily rebooked for Feb. 3. Even so, as the date approached reporters remarked on Fox favoring his right side. And that wasn’t the end of his worries, to hear him tell it. Melio Bettina’s manager was Jimmy Grippo, a relentless self-promoter but also an acclaimed magician and hypnotist, and he boasted that he could put a hex on opponents – and Tiger Jack was a sucker for the mystical. Fox lost the fight against Bettina, losing his only career shot at the light heavyweight title, and Fox would allege to his death that he was a victim of Bettina's manager Jimmy Grippo putting a hex on him. Fox, who believed in black magic, went as far as hiring Benjamin "Evil Eye" Finkle to perform a hex on Bettina, to counter the hypnotic powers of Grippo. Finkel refused to help Fox, claiming that he would never work against a fellow craftsman.
Great boxing photo of Melio Bettina's manager Jimmy Grippo messing with Tiger Jack Fox, putting a "hex" on him.
A photo of Melio Bettina and Tiger Jack Fox at the weigh-in before their fight, notice that Bettina's manager Jimmy Grippo is standing right behind Fox. God, what an insane story.
Another shot of Tiger Jack Fox with Melio Bettina sitting in the chair. Bettina's manager Jimmy Grippo is standing behind Fox, putting the "hex" on him.
Tiger Jack Fox was one hell of a fighter though, he could punch like a mule kicks.