Jack McAuliffe (boxer)

Jack McAuliffe (March 24, 1866 – November 5, 1937) was an Irish boxer who fought mostly out of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Nicknamed "The Napoleon of the Ring," McAuliffe is one of only fifteen world boxing champions to retire without a loss.^[1] He was the first boxer to hold the World Lightweight championship from 1886 to 1893. He was the first European boxer to retire as an undefeated World Champion.

Jack McAuliffe
Born	Jack McAuliffe (1866-03-24)March 24, 1866 Cork, Ireland, U.K.
Died	November 5, 1937(1937-11-05) (aged 71) Queens, New York, U.S.
Nationality	Irish
Other names	Napoleon of the Ring
Statistics
Weight(s)	Lightweight
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Stance	orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	38
Wins	28
Wins by KO	20
Draws	10

He was inducted into The Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.^[1]

Early life

1887 color lithograph of Jack McAuliffe, made for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes

McAuliffe's parents were Cornelius McAuliffe and Jane Bailey, who were living at 5 Christ Church Lane, Cork, Ireland (then part of the United Kingdom), at the time of Jack's birth. McAuliffe emigrated to the United States in 1871, where he spent his early years in Bangor, Maine.

Amateur and professional career

He made his first appearance as an amateur boxer in 1883. He turned professional soon after, fighting Jem Carney 78 rounds to a draw at Revere Beach, Massachusetts. He fought Billy Dacey for the lightweight championship and a $5,000 purse in 1888, and knocked him out in eleven rounds.^[2] He was known as a strong two-handed fighter with "cat-like" reflexes. In 1897 he successfully defended his title against Billy Myer in a highly publicized match at the Olympic Club, New Orleans .

Personal life

McAuliffe was married twice, both times to stage actresses. His first wife was Katie Hart, who played in farce comedies. After her death, McAuliffe married Catherine Rowe in 1894, whose stage name was Pearl Inman, of the song and dance team The Inman Sisters. Between marriages he dated a third actress, Sadie McDonald. McAuliffe and Rowe moved back to Bangor, Maine, in 1894, where he undertook preliminary training for a fight later that year at the Seaside Athletic Club on Coney Island.^[3]

Death and retirement from the ring

McAuliffe retired in 1897. According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he had 36 professional fights. McAuliffe was undefeated with 30 bouts, 22 by knockout. He had five draws, one no decision. He successfully defended his world lightweight title against six different boxers.^[4]

He died on November 5, 1937, at his home on Austin Street in Forest Hills, Queens.^[5]

Professional boxing record

38 fights	27 wins	0 losses
By knockout	19	0
By decision	7	0
By disqualification	1	0
Draws	10
Newspaper decisions/draws	1

All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
38	Draw	27–0–10 (1)	Tommy Ryan	PTS	10	Sep 30, 1897	American S.C., Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.	Not to be confused with Tommy Ryan
37	Win	27–0–9 (1)	Jim Carroll	PTS	10	Nov 20, 1896	Woodward's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, U.S.
36	Win	26–0–9 (1)	Sam Rogers	KO	3 (4)	May 8, 1896	Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
35	Win	25–0–9 (1)	Harry Pigeon	KO	7 (6)	Apr 8, 1896	Opera House, Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S.	Fight scheduled for six rounds, but they fought another
34	Draw	24–0–9 (1)	Owen Ziegler	PTS	3 (?)	Nov 19, 1894	Atlantic A.C., New York City, New York, U.S.
33	Win	24–0–8 (1)	Young Griffo	PTS	10	Aug 27, 1894	Seaside A.C., New York City, New York, U.S.
32	Win	23–0–8 (1)	Jim Ryan	PTS	6	Jan 16, 1894	Grand Opera House, San Francisco, California, U.S.
31	Win	22–0–8 (1)	Horace Leeds	NWS	4	Apr 1, 1893	Academy of Music, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
30	Draw	22–0–8	Billy Myer	PTS	6	Dec 10, 1892	2nd Regiment Armory, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
29	Win	22–0–7	Billy Myer	KO	15 (?)	Sep 5, 1892	Olympic Club, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.	Retained world lightweight title
28	Win	21–0–7	Bill Frazier	KO	3 (6)	Jun 2, 1892	Manhattan A.C., New York City, New York, U.S.
27	Win	20–0–7	Austin Gibbons	TKO	6 (?)	Sep 11, 1891	Granite Association Clubroom, Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S.	Retained world lightweight title
26	Win	19–0–7	Jim Carroll	KO	47 (?)	Mar 21, 1890	California A.C., San Francisco, California, U.S.	Retained world lightweight title
25	Draw	18–0–7	Mike Daly	PTS	15	Dec 5, 1889	Cribb Club, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
24	Win	18–0–6	Paddy Smith	TKO	1 (4)	Feb 28, 1889	Casino Rink, New York City, New York, U.S.
23	Win	17–0–6	Billy Boltz	KO	1 (?)	Feb 28, 1889	Elgin, Illinois, U.S.
22	Draw	16–0–6	Billy Myer	PTS	64 (?)	Feb 13, 1889	Burche's Opera House, North Judson, Indiana, U.S.	Retained world lightweight title
21	Win	16–0–5	Young Jacob Hyams	KO	9 (10)	Dec 26, 1888	Palace Hall, New York City, New York, U.S.
20	Win	15–0–5	Sam Collyer	KO	2 (6)	Dec 17, 1888	Palace Rink, New York City, New York, U.S.
19	Win	14–0–5	Bill Dacey	KO	11 (?)	Oct 10, 1888	a barn, Dover, New Jersey, U.S.	Retained world lightweight title
18	Draw	13–0–5	Patsy Kerrigan	PTS	10	Sep 26, 1888	Way Street Gymnasium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
17	Draw	13–0–4	Jem Carney	PTS	74 (?)	Nov 16, 1887	Revere, Massachusetts, U.S.	Retained world lightweight title
16	Draw	13–0–3	Jimmy Mitchell	PTS	4	Mar 4, 1887	Theatre Comique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
15	Draw	13–0–2	Bill Frazier	PTS	4	Mar 2, 1887	Theatre Comique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
14	Draw	13–0–1	Walter Campbell	PTS	4	Feb 28, 1887	Theatre Comique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
13	Win	13–0	Harry Gilmore	KO	28 (?)	Jan 14, 1887	Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S.	Retained world lightweight title Fought in a barn
12	Win	12–0	Bill Frazier	KO	21 (?)	Oct 29, 1886	Fair Play Club, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	Retained American lightweight title Won inaugural world lightweight title
11	Win	11–0	Charles Bull McCarthy	PTS	4 (?)	Jul 24, 1886	Clark's Theatre, Philadelphia, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Bully Carroll	KO	1 (?)	Jul 21, 1886	Clarks Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Charles Bull McCarthy	PTS	4	Jul 19, 1886	Clarks Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Joe Heiser	PTS	4	Apr 20, 1886	Turn Hall, New York City, New York, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Andy Drumm	TKO	3 (?)	Apr 1, 1886	New York City, New York, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Jack Hopper	TKO	17 (?)	Feb 27, 1886	Cedarhurst Country Club, Cedarhurst, U.S.	Won vacant American lightweight title
5	Win	5–0	Charles Bull McCarthy	PTS	4	Jan 24, 1886	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Jack Hopper	TKO	6 (6)	Jan 13, 1886	New York A.C., New York City, New York, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Buck McKenna	KO	2 (?)	Dec 7, 1885	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Billy Young	DQ	4 (6)	Nov 19, 1885	Theatre Comique, Washington, D.C., U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Joe Milletechia	TKO	2 (?)	Jul 25, 1885	Jersey City, U.S.

See also

• List of lightweight boxing champions

References

1. McAuliffe at Cyber Boxing Zone
2. Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 26, 1894, p. 3
3. "Jack McAuliffe Married", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 30, 1894, p. 1
4. "Jack McAuliffe, p. 200" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
5. "Jack M'Auliffe, 71, Ex-Ring Champion – Retired Undefeated in 1896 After Holding Lightweight Crown for 12 Years". The New York Times. 5 November 1937. Retrieved 18 June 2009. Jack McAuliffe, who retired in 1896 as the undefeated professional lightweight-boxing champion of the world after holding the title for twelve years, died yesterday at his home, 73-20 Austin Street, Forest Hills.

External links

• Boxing record for Jack McAuliffe from BoxRec (registration required)
• McAuliffe's Record at Cyber Boxing Zone
• McAuliffe at IBHOF

Achievements
Inaugural Champion	World Lightweight Champion October 29, 1886 – November 1893 Retired undefeated	Vacant Title last held by George "Kid" Lavigne