Pat O'Keeffe (17 March 1883 – 16 August 1960, spelled by many sources as Pat O'Keefe), was a professional English

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 ...

who became the British champion in both the

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

and

middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

weight classes. His professional career spanned the years between 1902 and 1918. In 1914 he made an unsuccessful bid for the European heavyweight belt, losing to

Georges Carpentier Georges Carpentier (; 12 January 1894 – 28 October 1975) was a French boxer, actor and World War I pilot. A precocious pugilist, Carpentier fought in numerous categories. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasti ...

. Between 1907 and 1910 he left Britain and continued his boxing career in the United States, and then Australia. On the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

to work as a

Physical Training Instructor Physical training instructor (PTI) is a term used primarily in the British Armed Forces and British police, as well as some other Commonwealth countries, for an instructor in physical fitness. United Kingdom In the British Army, specialist Physi ...

(PTI) and

Recruiting Sergeant A recruiting sergeant is a British or American soldier of the rank of sergeant who is tasked to enlist recruits. The term originated in the British army of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The playwright George Farquhar served as an in ...

for the 1st Surrey Rifles. He won the

Lonsdale Belt The Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt, commonly known as the Lonsdale Belt, is the oldest championship belt in British professional boxing. Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, The 5th Earl of Lonsdale introduced the prize on behalf of the National S ...

outright when he defeated Bandsman Blake at the

National Sporting Club The National Sporting Club was a club founded in London in 1891, which did more to establish the sport of boxing in Great Britain than any other organisation. Origins The club was founded on 5 March 1891 as a private club. Its premises were at ...

(N.S.C) on 28 January 1918, becoming British Middleweight Champion. O'Keeffe died on 16 August 1960 at the

Mount Vernon Hospital Mount Vernon Hospital is a hospital located in Northwood, London, Northwood in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It is one of two hospitals run by The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the other being Hillingdon Hospital. History ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, aged 77.

Professional boxing

Early career: 1902-1907

One of O'Keeffe's earliest recorded fights was against Jack Palmer. O'Keeffe defeated him on two occasions over six rounds during 1902. In 1903, at the age of twenty, he beat Jack Kingsland in a match fought at the Olympia centre in London to win the title of Welterweight Champion of England. In 1906, having fought many of the top contenders for the British Middleweight Title, O'Keeffe was elected to contest the championship. He won the title beating Mike Crawley in a fight that lasted fifteen rounds. One month later, O'Keeffe defended the title against Charlie Allum and knocked him out in the sixth round. O'Keeffe lost the belt in his next bout to Tom Thomas at the

(N.S.C.) by a narrow points margin. A year later in Paris, O'Keeffe defeated Allum again by knock out and won £200. This bout was billed the French Middleweight Championship. O'Keeffe never defended the claim.

International career: 1907-1910

After losing the British Middleweight Championship title, O'Keeffe travelled the world and fought all over the United States and Australia. In 1907, he fought

World Middleweight Champion Championship recognition 1884–1910 Champions were recognized by public acclamation. A champion in that era was a fighter who had a notable win over another fighter and kept winning afterward. Retirements or disputed results could lead to a cha ...

Billy Papke Billy Papke (born William Papke, and known as "The Illinois Thunderbolt") (September 17, 1886 – November 26, 1936) was an American boxing, boxer who held the World Middleweight Championship from September 7 to November 26, 1908. In 1910-12, he ...

and World Welterweight Champion Henry Lewis with just over a month's rest between bouts. The match in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

with Papke was very hard-fought, ending in a

draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn most commonly refer to: * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Draw (tie), in a competition, where competitors achieve equal outcomes * Draw ...

. He lost his bout with Henry Lewis in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

by decision. His next fight was against

Willie Lewis William T. Lewis ''(né'' Willie Meria Tawlton Lewis; 10 June 1905 – 13 January 1971) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. Career Lewis was born Cleburne, Texas, United States. He grew up in Dallas and played in variety shows as ...

originally scheduled for 19 December 1907, but the police placed an injunction on the venue in New York . The fight went ahead on 23 December 1907. W.Lewis is said to have entered O'Keeffe's dressing room just before the fight, berating his apparent belly, quipping that he might kill him if he punched him there. O'Keeffe lost by knock out. Despite not winning a bout in the US, O'Keeffe was upbeat and in February 1908, he returned to England. He placed a message in the '' Sporting Life,'' declaring "he is here for business", in a wide-ranging article that revealed he contracted

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

in the US. The article claimed that anyone who wanted to challenge the statement need only send money to the ''Sporting Life'', with correspondence addressed to O'Keeffe and it would receive his immediate attention. Answering O'Keeffe's message in the ''Sporting Life'', fellow

Canning Town Canning Town is a town in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, north of the Royal Victoria Dock. Its urbanisation was largely due to the creation of the dock. The area was part of the ancient parish and County Borough of West Ham, ...

boxer Steve Smith took on O'Keeffe at the Wonderland Francais, Paris, the match ended in a draw. Less than two weeks later at the same venue, he was disqualified for a low blow in the fourth round against Jeff Thorne. Later that year, O'Keeffe toured Australia with Tommy Burns, the

World Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...

. At Burns is the shortest boxer ever to hold the title which he won in 1906. He also managed to successfully defend it eleven times against all claimants until he met with Jack Johnson on Boxing Day in 1908. While in Australia, O'Keeffe and Burns trained together and used to invite the public to watch these exhibitions of their skills. O'Keeffe fought a number of contests in Australia, mostly against heavier opponents, winning two, drawing one and losing three.

Late career: 1911–1918

He did not fight again in England until 1911, when he fought Eddie McGoorty, losing on points over fifteen rounds. McGoorty went on to become world champion in 1915. After this loss O'Keeffe won his next five fights between 1911 and 1913. His next defeat was a points decision against Private Jim Harris which he reversed over twenty rounds two months later, after defeating Frank Mantell twice in seven days. On 4 August 1913 he challenged

Bombardier Billy Wells William Thomas Wells, better known as Bombardier Billy Wells (31 August 1889 – 12 June 1967), was an English heavyweight boxer. Fighting under the name "Bombardier Billy Wells", he was British and British Empire Champion from 1911 ...

for the British Heavyweight Championship. He was a tall heavyweight who was almost three stones heavier than O'Keeffe, but it took fifteen rounds before Wells succeeded in knocking him out. O'Keeffe's next bout was against the young prodigy

. The match was billed as the Heavyweight Championship of Europe although both men were under the light heavyweight weight limit. He was knocked out in two rounds by the man who, at the time, appeared capable of beating all of Europe's boxers in quick succession. O'Keeffe gave a simple no-nonsense reason for his defeat to the ''Sheffield Daily Telegraph'': "He was too big and strong for me." His next fight was against Henry Reeve for the British Middleweight Championship on 2 February 1914. O'Keeffe won on points over twenty rounds. Later Reeve moved up to the light heavyweight division and won the British championship in 1916 against Dick Smith. O'Keeffe successfully defended his middleweight title two months later against Nichol Simpson. In May of the same year he earned a second notch on his belt by defeating Jim Sullivan who had himself held the belt in 1910 when he beat an old adversary of O'Keeffe's, Tom Thomas. O'Keeffe earned £650 for winning this fight. A year later in March 1915, he fought and knocked out the heavyweight,

Joe Beckett Joseph Beckett (4 April 1892 – 12 March 1965), also known by the nickname of "Joe", born in Wickham, Hampshire was an English professional light heavy/cruiser/heavyweight boxer of the 1910s and early 1920s, who won the National Sporting C ...

in eight rounds. Following this O'Keeffe had a return fight with Jim Sullivan. Although it was billed as being for the British Middleweight Title, the fight was not endorsed by the N.S.C; therefore, the Lonsdale Belt was not at stake on this occasion. The two met again on 21 February 1916.

Jimmy Wilde William James Wilde (12 May 1892 – 10 March 1969) was a Welsh professional boxer who competed from 1911 to 1923. He simultaneously held the National Sporting Clubs British flyweight title and the World Flyweight championship from 1916 to 1923. ...

, the former Flyweight champion, described the fight as the most punishing he had ever seen. Both men fought as though their lives depended on it. The ring and spectators sitting nearby were splashed with blood by the end of the battle and it can be seen from photographs of the event that Sullivan's white shorts were dark with blood by the end of twenty rounds when O'Keeffe gained the decision. Two months later he fought Bandsman Blake and knocked him out in the thirteenth round. Blake had a fine record at this stage having lost to only one man to date in his five-year professional career, Bombardier Billy Wells. Just three months later, on 22 May 1916, O'Keeffe was at the N.S.C to fight Bandsman Blake again. The £500 match went the full 20 rounds. "The contest was not a good one" according to the ''Sheffield Independent''. In the 12th round, the referee gave both fighters a last warning that he would order them out of the ring if they did not alter their methods. The paper reported that blame for this messy fight lay squarely with Blake, citing his constant clinching and holding, which was employed to avoid the infighting quality of O'Keeffe. Blake won the fight on points, a verdict "received by a crowded house with something almost akin to amazement", the ''Sheffield Independent'' states. Thus, O'Keeffe lost both the Championship and his Lonsdale Belt. Following this fight, both O'Keeffe and Blake were posted to France and the return fight demanded by the fans could not take place until their return. On 28 January 1918, O'Keeffe fought his last professional fight, defeating Blake to win the Lonsdale Belt outright along with an N.S.C Pension. In an article two days later, the ''Sportsman'' reported on the tributes being paid to O'Keeffe at the N.S.C. "No more popular ring victor in recent years has been seen than Sergt Pat O'Keeffe", it begins. Arthur Frederick Bettinson, one of the founding members of the Club remarked on O'Keeffe's exploits, remembering his name on the belt in both 1914 and 1918 and congratulated him as a sportsman and a man. O'Keeffe replied to these tributes modestly, saying that securing the Lonsdale Belt as his own was one of his key ambitions in his career. He would now concentrate on charity and family he said. O'Keeffe retired from professional boxing having made many lifelong friends.

Military service during World War I

. At the start of 1915, O'Keeffe joined the 1st Surrey Rifles. He was a Physical Training Instructor and Recruiting Sergeant. This is an excerpt from an Article about O'Keeffe's recruiting skill: He found Army life at the Regiment's home at

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

suited his boxing training well. With good, plain food, strict routine and drill, plenty of sparring partners, and ample space to train, he thrived in a friendly atmosphere where he was very popular with the men. O'Keeffe and other boxer-turned-soldiers planned activities to help boost the morale of injured troops. One such time was an organised boat trip down the Thames.

Retirement

O'Keeffe remained a public figure for many years. He took a seat on the inaugural

British Boxing Board of Control The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. History The British Boxing Board of Control was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff. ...

with fellow ex- champion boxers Billy Wells and

Jim Driscoll James Driscoll (15 December 1880 – 30 January 1925), commonly known as Peerless Jim, was a Welsh boxer who learned his trade in the boxing ring and used it to fight his way out of poverty. Driscoll was British featherweight champion an ...

. He participated in charity events, such as boxing an

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

football player, refereed amateur tournaments and took part in charity exhibition matches, most notably with his old rival Bombardier Billy Wells. These exhibitions could some times get heated, with O'Keeffe said to have once shouted "Stop it Billy! – I'm not the Kaiser!". O'Keeffe was a regular star spectator at big bouts. He also had his own boxing column in the '' Daily Herald'' for a while O'Keeffe carried on working. He was engaged in the licensing business, was a Publican and was involved in bookmaking. The French and British armies employed him as a boxing instructor in 1925. In March 1938, the N.S.C. moved into new premises in

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...

and held a banquet to honour the occasion. There were hosts of fighters presented including many of the old timers,

, Billy Wells, Teddy Baldock,

Pedlar Palmer Pedlar Palmer, born Thomas Palmer, (1876 – 13 February 1949) was an English boxer who held the world bantamweight championship from 1895 to 1899. Life Palmer was born in Canning Town, London on 19 November 1876. His father was a bare-knuck ...

Tancy Lee James "Tancy" Lee (31 January 1882 – 5 February 1941) was a Scottish professional boxer who competed from 1906 to 1926. He held the IBU world, EBU European and the National Sporting Club’s British flyweight titles in 1915, becoming the first ...

Johnny Basham John Michael Basham (1890 – 7 June 1947) was a Welsh boxer who became British and European champion at both welter and middleweight. His professional career spanned over 20 years, from 1909 to 1929, and after being stationed in Wrexham thro ...

and O'Keeffe. O’Keeffe died 16 August 1960 at the Mount Vernon Hospital in Middlesex, aged 77.

Professional boxing record

O'Keeffe's professional boxing record can be summarised as follows: , style="text-align:center;" colspan="8", Notable bouts , - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Res. , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - align=center , Win , 77-24-7 , align=left, , , , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , loss , 75-23-7 , align=left, , , , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , win , 60-23-7 , align=left, , , , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , loss , 60-22-7 , align=left, , , , , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , loss , 59-20-7 , align=left, , , , , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , loss , 48-14-6 , align=left, , , , , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , style="background:#abcdef;", Draw , 48-11-4 , align=left, , , , , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , win , 28-10-4 , align=left, , , , , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , win , 6-1-0 , align=left, , , , , align=left, , align=left,

References

General references

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Video

Pat O'Keeffe vs Billy Wells-British Army exhibition match-1916
From

British Pathe British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

Soldier Boxer Corpl Pat O'keefe To Fight Sullivan (1914-1918)
From

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:O'Keeffe, Pat 1883 births 1960 deaths English male boxers People from Canning Town Boxers from the London Borough of Newham Welterweight boxers Middleweight boxers British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from the London Borough of Newham London Regiment soldiers