Clarence Whistler Clarence Whistler ( February 24 , 1856 - November 6 , 1885 ) was a professional athlete and champion Greco - Roman wrestler of the 1880s . As the main rival to William Muldoon in wrestling of the early 80s , he was best remembered for his unusual strength , indifference to pain and tragic death . He wrestled three famous bouts with Muldoon , totaling over 14 hours . Early life . Whistler was born in 1856 ( possibly February 24 , 1856 ) in Delphi , Indiana , US to C . C . Whistler and Leah Catharine Snyder and was the oldest of eight children . By 1878 he had moved to Iowa where he worked as a foundryman and was known for his strength . Career . While working at the foundry his friends , who had been impressed with his strength , such as carrying a 1 , 300 lb iron bar for 30 ft , arranged a match in February 1879 ( or January 1878 ) with Louis Marc ( or Lucien Marc ) . The match , which lasted for an hour , was won by Whistler in two straight falls . Whistler went on to fight Andre Christol in a four - hour match that ended in a draw . This was followed by a tour of the Western United States with Christol , who taught Whistler the fundamentals of wrestling . In 1881 Whistler ' s financial backers brought him into New York City to challenge William Muldoon , who had won his championship in graeco - roman wrestling from Theobaud Bauer the year before . The bout , which lasted seven hours and 15 minutes , ended in a draw without either wrestler getting a fall . Muldoon claimed that Whistler had worn ammonia in his hair , which caused Muldoon ' s eyes to burn , and Whistler wore his fingernails long purposely to injure Muldoon . Because of the public interest in the match , the two men formed an athletic combination and toured the country for a time , Muldoon billed as graeco - roman champion and Whistler billed as catch - as - catch - can champion . Personal differences and a fight over a woman bought an acrimonious end to their business agreement . Muldoon got the girl . Enmity was so great that Whistler swore he would beat Muldoon on the mat or in the street . He spent the rest of the year slandering Muldoon in the press in order to corner him into a rematch . But he would have to wait two years to get his chance . After being injured against a ringer in Cincinnati who later turned out to be English wrestler Tom Cannon , Whistler stopped touring for a time and returned to Kansas City . There he met his future wife Minnie and toyed with the idea of entering the prizering to meet champion John L . Sullivan at the behest of friend Col . Robert Ricketts . He continued to slight Muldoon in the newspapers . Finally returning to the mat , Whistler linked up with Cannon , who saw great natural ability in Whistler . The two toured with limited success . Whistler ' s assault on Muldoon in the press continued . He issued a challenge to his old foe to wrestle him at MSG which went unheeded by Muldoon , who was already headed West on tour with Madame Modjeska . In the meantime , an old foe of Cannon who claimed the catch - as - catch - can championship of the world , Joe Acton , followed him to America and beat him . Whistler then put his own title claim up against Acton at MSG . The highly anticipated match went two hours to a draw but Whistler was roundly outclassed by the smaller man , losing his already - waning claim to that championship in the process , and a great deal of his public acclaim . Whistler won a wrestling tournament in 1883 in St . Louis , graeco - roman style , and placed second ( to Edwin Bibby ) in the catch - as - catch - can category . This quickly re - established his claim to the graeco - roman title , but it didn ' t translate into public interest . The tournament featured a number of noted wrestlers but was a financial disaster . Meanwhile , Muldoon was wrestling in San Francisco and creating a boom there . Cannon and Whistler acquiesced and lit to the Pacific Coast at the insistence of Muldoon . Whistler ' s rematch with Muldoon finally took place in San Francisco toward the end of 1883 . It was remembered as the most exciting of the three contests . In the term of the day , the two bitter rivals " wrestled for blood . " The match began at 8 : 30p and lasted nearly four hours . Whistler ' s left collarbone was broken when he was slammed harshly by Muldoon to the mat . He was visibly maimed . Whistler refused to quit the match , but the doctor disallowed him to continue , thus stopped it . Muldoon claimed the victory . The injury had a temporary healing effect on the friendship of the two . After Whistler physically healed up he challenged Muldoon again straightaway . In their third and final match in March 1884 , the two men wrestled to a defensive standstill and agreed to a draw after three hours and 10 minutes of wrestling . When the question of who initiated the draw of their third match arose , the two men bitterly split as business partners once again , this time for good . Muldoon left for the East as interest in the sport waned in California . Whistler stayed West and languished in bouts that generated limited public interest . In a bid to rejuvenate his career , he finally entered boxing and was soundly trounced . Headlining at the old Wigwam Theater in January 1885 in San Francisco , Whistler was knocked out by a local pro in the first round . Despite the disastrous results , Whistler indicated an interest in pursuing boxing further . Death . Shortly after the boxing fiasco , " all round athlete " and longtime claimant to the Greco - Roman wrestling championship " Professor " William Miller invited Whistler to tour Australia as an athlete and wrestler , and meet Miller at the end of the tour to settle the championship question between them . Whistler accepted . After a string of victories Down Under , Whistler defeated Miller in September 1885 at the Theatre Royal on Bourke Street in Melbourne , for the graeco - roman championship . At this time , Whistler ' s strength and courage made him a sensation and he became an idol to the local Australian population , starved for heroes . In celebration of his championship victory , he engaged in a reckless , month - long celebration and contracted pneumonia . By November 6 , he was dead . Sources referring to the nature of his early death are conflicting . Some suggest that the illness was caused by excess alcohol consumption during celebration . Other sources purport that Whistler ' s condition was complicated by him either biting the tops off champagne bottles for sidebets or eating a champagne glass whole . Another popular anecdote is that he is the only Australian to have died from symptoms of a Marijuana overdose leading to a popular nickname , ' King Chron ' . Whistler was buried in Melbourne General Cemetery with Miller as one of his pallbearers . He was memorialized by fellow athletes , including Muldoon , and the sports world at large as the most courageous athlete of his time .