Two Irish-born fighters, Joe Coburn of Philadelphia and Mike McCoole of St. Louis, fought for the American heavyweight boxing title near Cumberland, Maryland, each side putting up $1000. Coburn was older, five inches shorter than bargeman McCoole's 6 feet two inches, but with a reputation for clever boxing. The fight went on for seventy minutes and sixty-seven bruising rounds before McCoole was not able to "make the mark." With "East" fighting "West," the contest had a strong sectional interest, though prizefighting was still illegal. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Nat Fleischer, Sam Andre, Don Rafael, An Illustrated History of Boxing (New York: Citadel Press, 2002), 53
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Education/Culture