Jake Kilrain (born John Joseph Killion on February 9, 1859 in Greenpoint , New York; died December 22, 1937 in Quincy, Massachusetts) was a popular boxer of the 19th century.
Biography
Kilrain worked since he was a teenager and had to learn to defend himself from his peers (most of them older than him). At the age of 20, he was considered by his teammates as the toughest boxer of them all. In addition, he participated in amateur fights and managed to win the National Junior Amateur Championship of the United States in 1883. However, after it was discovered that he was a professional boxer when he participated in the tournament, he was stripped of the title.
Boxer
Kilrain became a professional boxer in 1883 and quickly earned a reputation for being a very tough fighter. Perhaps Kilrain is best known for challenging world heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan in 1889, in which would be the last fight for the world title played without gloves (under the rules of the London Prize Ring). After a close contest, Kilrain lost early in round 76 when Mike Donovan, his second, threw in the towel (which, in boxing, indicates retirement). Kilrain never wanted to quit, but Donovan justified his action by claiming that if the match had continued, Kilrain would have died in the ring. In any case, the Sullivan-Kilrain fight can be considered one of the greatest of all time.
In their later years, Kilrain and Sullivan became great friends. In fact, when John L. Sullivan died in 1918, Jake Kilrain acted as usher at his funeral.
