Jack McAuliffe (March 24, 1866 – November 5, 1937) was an

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boxer who fought mostly out of

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. Nicknamed "The Napoleon of the Ring," McAuliffe is one of only fifteen world boxing champions to retire without a loss.McAuliffe at Cyber Boxing Zone
/ref> He was the first boxer to hold the World Lightweight championship from 1886 to 1893. He was the first European boxer to retire as an undefeated

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. He was inducted into ''The Ring'' Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954 and the

International Boxing Hall of Fame The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. The I ...

in 1995.

Early life

McAuliffe's parents were Cornelius McAuliffe and Jane Bailey, who were living at 5 Christ Church Lane, Cork,

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(then part of the

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), at the time of Jack's birth. McAuliffe emigrated to the

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in 1871, where he spent his early years in Bangor, Maine.

Amateur and professional career

He made his first appearance as an amateur boxer in 1883. He turned professional soon after, fighting Jem Carney 78 rounds to a draw at

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. He fought Billy Dacey for the lightweight championship and a $5,000 purse in 1888, and knocked him out in eleven rounds. He was known as a strong two-handed fighter with "cat-like" reflexes. In 1897 he successfully defended his title against Billy Myer in a highly publicized match at the Olympic Club, New Orleans .

Personal life

McAuliffe was married twice, both times to stage actresses. His first wife was Katie Hart, who played in farce comedies. After her death, McAuliffe married Catherine Rowe in 1894, whose stage name was Pearl Inman, of the song and dance team The Inman Sisters. Between marriages he dated a third actress, Sadie McDonald. McAuliffe and Rowe moved back to Bangor, Maine, in 1894, where he undertook preliminary training for a fight later that year at the Seaside Athletic Club on Coney Island.

Death and retirement from the ring

McAuliffe retired in 1897. According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he had 36 professional fights. McAuliffe was undefeated with 30 bouts, 22 by knockout. He had five draws, one no decision. He successfully defended his world lightweight title against six different boxers. He died on November 5, 1937, at his home on Austin Street in Forest Hills, Queens.

Professional boxing record

All

newspaper decision A newspaper decision was a type of decision in professional boxing. It was rendered by a consensus of sportswriters attending a bout after it had ended inconclusively with a "no decision", as many regions had not adopted the National Sporting Club ...

s are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.

References

External links

*
McAuliffe's Record at Cyber Boxing Zone
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:McAuliffe, Jack 1866 births 1937 deaths Bare-knuckle boxers Boxers from Maine International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Irish male boxers Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) People from Forest Hills, Queens Sportspeople from Bangor, Maine Sportspeople from Cork (city) World lightweight boxing champions Undefeated world boxing champions 19th-century Irish people American male boxers