John L. Sullivan: 75 Bare-Knuckle Rounds and America's First Sports Star

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John L. Sullivan was born in 1858 in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood to Irish immigrants from County Kerry and County Roscommon, who hoped he would become a priest. He enrolled at Boston College around 1875, left after a few months, and played baseball for $30 to $40 a week before turning to illegal prize fighting as the Boston Strong Boy. In 1883 and 1884 he toured the country by train with five other boxers, staging 195 fights in 136 towns over 238 days and offering $250 to any man who could last with him under Queensberry rules. Telegraph reports turned the tour into a daily national story and helped create modern sports journalism. In 1888 he fought Charlie Mitchell to a 39-round draw in the rain at Chantilly, France, before police broke it up.

On July 8, 1889, about 3,000 fans rode special trains to a secret site at Richburg, Mississippi, for his fight with Jake Kilrain, the last world heavyweight title bout under London Prize Ring rules. Sullivan vomited in the 44th round and won when Kilrain's corner threw in the towel after the 75th, and Mississippi's governor then offered $1,000 for both fighters' arrest. In 1892, under electric lights at New Orleans' Olympic Club and with gloves, he lost to Gentleman Jim Corbett in the 21st round. He later acted, umpired, reported on sports, gave up drinking to lecture for temperance, and died in 1918 at 59 in Abington, Massachusetts, with $10 in his pocket.

• Trainer William Muldoon's main job was dragging Sullivan out of saloons, and villagers shouted "John L. is loose again, send for Muldoon."
• Nellie Bly covered his training camp in Belfast, New York, for the New York World.
• In 1887 citizens presented him a belt inscribed to the champion of champions, bearing American, Irish and British flags.
• After losing to Corbett he told the crowd he was glad to be beaten by an American.
• He took in an orphan named Willie Kelly after a parish priest appealed to the congregation.