Frankie Callahan, born Samuel Holtzman February 10, 1895 in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, was an American

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. He was undefeated in his first 5 fights. This

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

boxer fought a total of 172 bouts, winning 104 and with 24

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

s. He lost 42 bouts and had 25 draws. He died of pneumonia on September 5, 1927 at age 32.

Fights

Callahan was not alone in choosing to fight under an Irish name. He began boxing in 1911. In Brooklyn, New York, his bout with

Harlem Tommy Murphy Harlem Tommy Murphy (April 13, 1885 – November 26, 1958) was an American boxer whose career lasted from 1903 to 1917. He was a contender in three different divisions; being ranked in the bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight weight classe ...

was a draw, while he lost two consecutive fights with

Johnny Dundee Johnny Dundee (November 19, 1893 – April 22, 1965) was an American featherweight and the first world junior lightweight champion boxer who fought from 1910 until 1932. He was inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1957 and the Inte ...

lost by decision. Frankie again fought Dundee in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and won by decision but in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, he lost by decision to

Rocky Kansas Rocky Kansas was an Italian-born American tough, short (5'2" tall) former world lightweight champion boxer. He was born Rocco Tozzo on April 21, 1893, in Italy and came to America in 1898. Rocky Kansas was the brother of champion Joe "Kid" Kansas ...

. Frankie's fights with Dundee and

Charley White Charley White who was born Charles Anchowitz on 25 March 1891 in Liverpool, England was considered one of the best boxers of his era. White fought from 1906 until 1923. He made one ill-fated comeback attempt in 1930, but was ignominiously TK ...

in Brooklyn, New York were a draw. Frankie met Dundee again in Boston, Massachusetts, but this time he lost by decision. In Buffalo Frankie faced

again and won by decision. He fought

Lew Tendler "Lefty" Lew Tendler (September 28, 1898 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 5, 1970 in Atlantic City, New Jersey) was an American boxer. He is generally considered one of the best boxers to never have won a world title, though he was a top ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, but lost both by decision. Tendler and Frankie met 3 more times with Tendler winning all 3 fights, one by decision and the other two by knockout. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Frankie again fought George KO Chaney, to a draw. He lost his last bout with Dundee in Boston by decision.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Callahan, Frankie Boxers from New York City Sportspeople from Brooklyn 1895 births 1927 deaths American male boxers Lightweight boxers