Strange Trivia in Sports - Boxing

Some strange trivia, facts, records, and events in the history of the sport of Boxing.

BOXING

Jack Dempsey's 8-to 10-in punches traveled at an estimated 135 mph.

For a brief period, there was a sport in Kiev, U.S.S.R., called face slapping. The initial contest set an unequaled endurance record. In 1931, Wasyl Bezbordny and Michalko Goniusz slapped (open hand) each other's bloody faces for 30 hours. The contest was halted by spectators because neither man would be the 1st to quit.

In a boxing match at Hot Spring, S. Dak., on December 26, 1902, Oscar Nelson and Christy Williams knocked each other down a record 47 times. Nelson hit the canvas 5 times, and Williams 42.

The longest match with gloves and 3-minute rounds took place in New Orleans on April 6, 1893. Andy Bowen battled with Jack Burke for 110 rounds. Finally the 2 badly mauled fighters refused to go on and the bout was called "no contest."

Al Couture knocked out Ralph Walton in 10 1/2 seconds. Walton was still adjusting his mouthpiece when Couture flew across the ring and caught him with the knockout punch. This took place in Lewiston, Me., on September 24, 1946.

The longest bareknuckle fight on record occurred in Melbourne, Australia, on October 19, 1856. James Kelly and Jack Smith fought for 6 hours 15 minutes.

During John McNeill's tenure as deputy boxing commissioner of New York, 1924-1936, he saw 30,000 fights and 75,000 rounds of boxing.

Onetime light heavyweight champion, Battling Levinsky fought 58 hours in one year. In a single week he fought 6 different men.

Between August 10, 1938, and November 29, 1948, Hal Bagwell of Gloucester, England, fought 183 consecutive bouts without a defeat and only 5 draws.

Joe Grim, 150-lb. fighter from Philadelphia, sustained 20 years of being hit by men like Jack Johnston and Bob Fitzsimmons without being knocked out once. Grim, who actually had no offense and whose only defense was his incredible ability to absorb punches, was billed as the man who couldn't be knocked out, and he became one of the biggest draws in boxing. Finally, in 1920, he was KO'd by Sailor Burke.

Jim Mace, the English champion, and Joe Coburn, onetime U.S. titleholder, fought a bareknuckles bout in New Orleans in 1870. The fight was billed as the fight of the century, but when the actual contest was held it went 3 hours 48 minutes and neither man struck a blow.

Mace holds the record for the longest career of any professional fighter in history. He was in the ring for 35 years.

Only one fighter has ever been knighted. Sir Dan Donnelly, champion of Ireland around 1815, received the singular honor.

Between 1905 and 1918, Abe "The News-boy" Hollandersky fought 1,309 boxing matches and 387 wrestling matches.

Jack Dempsey fought only 138 minutes as world champion. During that time he made $2,137,000--or $15,000 per minute.

During his 18-year career as a boxer, James J. "Gentleman Jim" Corbett never had a black eye or a bloody nose.

Terry McGovern, holder of the bantam and featherweight crown, and a man who defeated the light-weight champion, was a "has been" before his 22nd birthday.

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