Johnny Moneghan (Born: 1830;

Liverpool, England Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

; Died: Unknown) was a

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 ...

bare-knuckle boxer Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...

. He gained the recognition of becoming the first official Lightweight Champion of America. He stood 5' 4 ½" and weighted approximately 124 pounds.

Boxing career

Although we do not know a great deal about Johnny Moneghan, we do know that he was born in

in 1830.

First claiming the American Lightweight Championship, December 1855

After traveling to the United States, Moneghan settled in New York, and took on prize fighting. It is unknown how many contests he fought, but on December 18, 1855 he was proclaimed Lightweight Champion of America when he defeated James Hart after 45 rounds, and 51 minutes of fighting. The contest was held in Canada to avoid any police interference. Moneghan fought James Hart again on July 19, 1856 in

Beverly, MA Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...

. This time he lost the contest and his title in the seventh round. This bout is often incorrectly listed by historians, including the late Nat Fleischer, as ending in the tenth round.

Reclaiming the American Lightweight Championship, September 1857

Hart retired, and Moneghan immediately reclaimed the title, which he held until his battle with

Young Barney Aaron Young Barney Aaron (born June 27, 1836 in Aldgate, London, England; died June 4, 1907, in Long Island, New York) was a bare-knuckle boxer. The son of Hall of Fame boxer Barney Aaron, he emigrated to the United States around 1853, and began boxi ...

on September 28, 1857. The two men fought near

Providence, RI Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

for 80 rounds and over three hours before Moneghan was forced to accept defeat."The Prize Fight", ''The Evening Star'', Washington, D.C., pg. 1, 14 June 1867 After losing his title, Moneghan continued to box for some time. On July 19, 1860 he defeated Harry McLain in 80 rounds in Fort Ward, NY.American Fistiana, 1860 After contesting in an exhibition in 1863, his name no longer appears. Little is known of his death or later life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moneghan, Johnny Bare-knuckle boxers 1830 births Year of death missing Lightweight boxers Boxers from Liverpool English emigrants to the United States American male boxers

Boxing career

First claiming the American Lightweight Championship, December 1855

Reclaiming the American Lightweight Championship, September 1857

See also

References