Mike Cleary (May 19, 1858 in
County Laois, Ireland
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a ...
– September 5, 1893 in
Belfast, New York
Belfast (/ˈbɛl.fæst/ or /bəlˈfɑːst/) is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The town is in what is called the Southern Tier of the state. Its population was 1,656 at the 2020 census. It was named in 1825 after the city of ...
) was an
Irish-American boxer.
Cleary was born in
County Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
, and emigrated to the
United States. He was known as a quick and "scrappy" fighter. On October 18, 1882 he defeated the Middleweight Champion of America, John Rooke, in 3 rounds. Rooke had promised to knock Cleary out before the fourth round.
[Cyber Boxing Zone. http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/cleary-mike.htm Retrieved Feb. 15, 2006]
Cleary suffered an accident which resulted in the amputation of a foot in 1893. He developed
tuberculosis and died the same year. He was buried in Belfast, New York, but his body was moved next to his mother's plot at New Cathedral Cemetery in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
See also
*
List of bare-knuckle boxers
External links
Cleary's Record at Cyber Boxing Zone
References
1858 births
1893 deaths
19th-century Irish people
Bare-knuckle boxers
Irish emigrants to the United States
Boxers from County Laois
Irish male boxers
American male boxers
Middleweight boxers
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