The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-08
Greatest Sensation in Ring History Was SalIivan's
 Challenge to Kflrain

<
 Tn these days the fight fans are only mildly excited by reports that Jack Johnson will risk his title in comhat with less Willard, Sam McVey. Sam Langford or some other gladiator Of the padded nlitts. Things were diff ferent in the old red-blooded days, when match for the big title set mil lions Iof tongues to wagging dlsputa- tiously all over the sporting world ring history was created just tW Wenty- six years ago today, Dec. 2, 1885, when John l.. Sullivan came out with a challenge to Jake Ki1rain to do bat tie for the worlds title On that his- toric date the mighty John L. drop ped into the office of the New. Y orK Clipper, with $5,ooO in his pants pocket, and the editor nearly died of heart disease when Sul1y declared that he was there to post the coin for a battle with Jake. Sullivan.s challenge specified bout under London prfze ring rules for s10.0e0 a side. lawn added that if Jake didn't come across within two weeks. he. JaWn. would proceed to claim the worlds title and the ornate Fox belt.
 At first the sporting fraternity fear ed that this was only a game of bluff but it quickly became evident that Kilrain was ready and willing, and just a month later the match was finally clinched at meeting of sport ing men held in Toronto,
 The fight, which was the last bare knuck1e championship. battle in America, was set for July 6. 1889, at some point near New Orleans. In the
 meantime the excitement had reach ed feverish intensity. and every sport who could beg, borrow or steal the money hiked out for the Crescent City early in July. They were well repaid for the journey, for Ki1rain put Hp a game and gallant battle, and was only defeated after seventy five rounds of the hardest kind of milling.
 Sullivan's victory brings up the old question, never settled, of Johns claim to the heavyweight champion ship of the world. KiIrain, who was a. resident of Baltimore but a native of. Long Island and whose real name was John J. Kilhon, claimed the worlds title, and held the Fox belt e1nblematic of that high honor. sulli- van became the recognized American cham pion by whipping Paddy Ryan In 1882. Ryan won the title from Joe Goss, who had defeated Tom Alien, who had whipped Mike McCoole ana | Bill Davis. Kilrain repeatedly chaI- Ienged Sullivan. but John refused to meet the Baltimore man, and in 1887 Jake was declared the champion and the Fox belt was formally presented to him. This belt was a scrumptfoas
 
 gold, and weighing 200 ounces. In December, 1887, Kilrain defended his news honors and his belt against lem Smith, the champion of England. in 8. battle for the championship of the world. They fought on an island in the Seine, near Rouen. France. They fought 106 rounds. until darkness ended the combat Kilrain was the better man throughout, and. although he got only a draw, he got the first fall, the first knock down, the first blood and finished much stronger | than Smith. The British critics pfac- ticalIy agreed that the Amer5can was ! the better man, and that he was fair ly entitled to call himself the worlds 1 champion. As John l.. whipped Kill rain, it would seem that he thus dem 1 onstrated his right to the worlds premiere pugilistic honors- There was certainly no man better entitled l to the championship, with the possi- ! ble exception of Charlie Mitchell, who l in 1888 fought Sullivan thirty-nine 1 rounds to a draw.