By John F. McKenna (McJack): John L. Sullivan AKA “The Boston Strongboy” is universally recognized as the first Heavyweight Champion of the World. Before Sullivan, no formal titles existed. The concept of World Champion originated in the era that Sullivan fought. The historical importance of his contribution to boxing cannot be overstated. Sullivan went to great lengths to prove dominance over his competition both at home and abroad.
He was born in Roxbury (present day Boston), Massachusetts on October 15, 1858 to poor Irish immigrant parents. The “Great John L” as he was also known was 5’10 ½” and his weight varied from 200 lbs earlier in his career to 225 lbs later on. He was the link between bare knuckle and gloved fighting and he could do both well. Sullivan was a boxing immortal and the first great American sports idol. He achieved celebrity status as his career progressed and would be followed by crowds and autograph seekers during much of his career. Sullivan was the first fighter to earn in excess of one million dollars, quite a feat for the 1880’s.
Sullivan was extremely quick for a big man and had immense power in both hands, frequently knocking out opponents with one punch. Many of his early contests were listed as exhibitions for legal purposes because of the difficulty in finding a place that boxing was permitted.
As a youth Sullivan was arrested several times for engaging in bouts where the sport was prohibited. In 1879 Sullivan fought a series of exhibitions where he would offer anyone $500 to fight him. It is estimated that he fought over 450 “exhibitions”. In 1883 “The Boston Strongboy” would launch a coast to coast tour of America by train with five other boxers. To help promote the tour he would offer anyone $250 to box anywhere at any time under the Queensbury Rules. He became Heavyweight Champion of America on February 7, 1882 by knocking out Paddy Ryan. Although Ryan was much more experienced and considerably larger than Sullivan, it took Sullivan approximately eleven minutes to dispatch of Ryan. Ryan would say later that when John L hit him “it was like getting hit by a telegraph pole endways.”
In 1889 Sullivan would fight Jake Kilrain at a location that would remain secret until just prior to the fight. On July 8th 3000 spectators and fans boarded special trains to take them to the location that had to be kept secret to stay ahead of the authorities. The spectators knew the fight would be held in Mississippi, but the exact location remained unknown. The Sullivan vs Kilrain fight was of special significance because it was the last bout that was fought under the “London Prize Ring rules, making it the last bare-knuckle Heavyweight Championship fight. It was also the first fight that received nationwide attention. The media hype surrounding the fight was very reminiscent of what would happen later on in the modern era. Dozens of stories appeared in northern newspapers, reporting stories as to where Sullivan spent the night, his training habits and what his favorite foods were. Sullivan was an icon and he had the same faults that many modern fighters do. He drank prodigious amounts of whiskey and frequently would go on a bender during training camp. For the Kilrain fight his handlers brought in the one person Sullivan respected and to a degree feared, William Muldoon, former Greco Roman wrestling champion. The contrast between Sullivan and Muldoon could not be more pronounced. Sullivan loved to drink, smoke, party, and carouse with women during training. Muldoon would not tolerate any of it. In one of the instances where Sullivan broke training, Mulldoon tracked him down to a bar in town and confronted not only Sullivan but the hapless bartender, who stood trembling while the two raged at each other.