James j. corbett vs. john l. sullivan

"Gentleman Jim" Corbett Knocks Out

John L. Sullivan, 1892

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John L. Sullivan became a legend in his own time.

He had won the Heavyweight Championship title in 1882 and had successfully defended it for 10 years. He was the last of the bare-knuckle champions who pounded each other without gloves for hours in marathon matches that lasted for as many as 75 rounds.

James j corbett cause of death

Sullivan rose to the pinnacle of his profession at a time when many states and local jurisdictions outlawed boxing matches giving the sport a status that lay somewhere between marginal respectability and outright criminal behavior.

Nonetheless, Sullivan's championship matches attracted thousands.

The introduction of the Marquis of Queensberry rules improved the status of professional boxing by regulating the participants'

Sullivan defends his title, 1889. The last bare-knuckled Heavyweight Championship

behavior and dampening the potential barbarism of the ring. At the s