Monthly heavyweight rankings from 1882 onwards

In this thread I hope to make a decent attempt at ranking the top 10 heavyweights from 1882 onwards, tracking any movements. I obviously won't please everybody, but hopefully this can at least prove interesting for some of you.

Feedback and criticism welcome - I am sure I will make mistakes and miss things, so please help me by pointing these out!

In this first post I will cover 1882. I will start with my rankings at the end of 1881, which I have as follows:

1. Paddy Ryan - Aged 30 - American Champion (Beat Joe Goss in '80)
2. William Miller - Aged 35 - Australian contender in America (drew Dwyer, beat Goss, went 1-1 with Ryan)
3. Bill Farnan - Aged 30 - Australian Champion Claimant (won tournament in '79, beat Richardson in '81)
4. John L Sullivan - Aged 23 - Contender in America (beat Dalton in '81)
5. Alf Greenfield - Aged 28 - English Champion (beat Stewart in '80, drew Collins in '81 and broke arm)
6. Charles Hadley - Aged 35 - American Coloured Champion (beat Grant in '81)
7. Charles AC Smith - Aged 21 - Coloured contender in America
   
8. Joe Collins - Aged 34 - English contender (drew with Greenfield in '81)
   
9. James Dalton - Aged 27 - American fighter (beat Dwyer in exhibition in '79, lost to Sullivan in '81)
   
10. Jim Stewart - Aged 35 - Scottish fighter (drew with Allen in '79, lost to Greenfield in '80)

I have not included the following in the above top 10, as noted:

Tom Allen - retired in 1879 - Former English Champion
Larry Foley - retired in 1879 - Former Australian Champion
John Dwyer - retired in 1880 - Former American Champion
Joe Goss - retired in 1881 - Former American Champion

January 1882
13/1/82 Charles Hadley (#6) drew with Morris Grant over 4 rounds.
15/1/82 Charles AC Smith (#7) beat Dan Carr by 8th round KO.
15/1/82 George Godfrey drew with Jake Kilrain over 3 rounds.
18/1/82 Charles Hadley (#6) drew with Morris Grant over 4 rounds.
26/1/82 Charles Hadley (#6) drew with George Godfrey over 4 rounds.

1. Paddy Ryan
2. William Miller -
3. Bill Farnan -
4. John L Sullivan -
5. Alf Greenfield - out with broken arm since May '81
6. Charles Hadley -
7. Charles AC Smith -
8. Joe Collins -
9. Morris Grant - New entry due to 2 draws with Hadley
10. George Godfrey - New entry due to draw with Hadley

Jim Stewart dropped out of the top 10.

February 1882
7/2/82 John L Sullivan (#4) beat Paddy Ryan (#1) by 9th round KO for the American title.

1. John L Sullivan - Up by 3 places, new American Champion
2. William Miller -
3. Paddy Ryan - Down by 2 places, lost American title
4. Bill Farnan - Down by 1
5. Alf Greenfield - out with broken arm since May '81
6. Charles Hadley -
7. Charles AC Smith -
8. Joe Collins -
9. Morris Grant -
10. George Godfrey -

March 1882
9/3/82 Charles Hadley (#7) drew with Morris Grant (#9) over 4 rounds.

1. John L Sullivan -
2. William Miller -
3. Paddy Ryan -
4. Bill Farnan -
5. Alf Greenfield - out with broken arm since May '81
6. Charles Hadley -
7. Charles AC Smith -
8. Morris Grant - Up 1 rank due to draw with Hadley
9. Joe Collins - Down by 1
10. George Godfrey -

April 1882
1/4/82 Bill Farnan (#4) beat Peter Newton by 4th round KO.
6/4/82 Charles Hadley (#6) beat Morris Grant (#8) by 2nd round KO for the American Coloured Championship.
20/4/82 John L Sullivan (#1) beat John McDermont by 3rd round KO.
26/4/82 Charles Hadley (#6) beat Morris Grant (#10) by 2nd round KO.

1. John L Sullivan -
2. William Miller -
3. Paddy Ryan -
4. Bill Farnan -
5. Alf Greenfield - out with broken arm since May '81
6. Charles Hadley -
7. Charles AC Smith -
8. Joe Collins - Up by 1
9. George Godfrey - Up by 1
10. James Dalton - Returns to rankings due to Grant dropping below him

Morris Grant drops out due to 2 losses in the month.

May 1882
4/5/82 Charles Hadley (#6) fought Morris Grant to a no-decision over 4 rounds.

No changes to the rankings

June 1882
20/06/82 Morris Grant beat Charles Hadley (#6) over 4 rounds.
29/06/82 Morris Grant (#7) beat Viro Small over 4 rounds.

1. John L Sullivan -
2. William Miller -
3. Paddy Ryan -
4. Bill Farnan -
5. Alf Greenfield - out with broken arm since May '81
6. Charles AC Smith - Up by 1
7. Morris Grant - Enters top 10 due to win over Hadley
8. Charles Hadley - Down by 2 due to loss
9. Joe Collins - Down by 1
10. George Godfrey - Down by 1

James Dalton drops out of the rankings due to Grant's re-entry.

July 1882
04/07/82 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Jimmy Elliott by 3rd round KO. Elliott had previously been a contender int he late 1860s, but was now aged 44. He had been released from prison 3 years earlier, having served 9 years for highway robbery and assault with intent to kill. Since being released early due to an eye disease, he had lost to John Dwyer in 1879, not fought in 1880 or 1881, then beaten Dick Eagan over 4 rounds.
20/07/82 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Joe Collins (#9) over 4 rounds. Collins called himself "Tug Wilson". Sullivan had agreed to pay Collins $1000 if he did not knock him out within 4 rounds. As a result, Collins did not attempt to beat Sullivan, but took every opportunity to fall to the floor and avoid being knocked out. He successfully survived for 4 rounds and won the money, much to Sullivan’s annoyance.
26/07/82 Charles Hadley (#8) beat Frank Johnson over 4 rounds.

1. John L Sullivan -
2. William Miller -
3. Paddy Ryan -
4. Bill Farnan -
5. Alf Greenfield - out with broken arm since May '81
6. Charles AC Smith -
7. Morris Grant -
8. Charles Hadley -
9. George Godfrey - Up by 1
10. Joe Collins - Down by 1 due to loss

August 1882
No notable fights.
No changes to the rankings.

September 1882
23/09/82 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Henry Higgins by 3rd round KO.
No changes to the rankings.

October 1882
16/10/82 John L Sullivan (#1) beat S P Stockton by 2nd round KO.
18/10/82 Mike Cleary beat George Rooke by 3rd round KO.
30/10/82 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Charley O'Donnell by 1st round KO.
No changes to the rankings.

November 1882
07/11/82 Charles Hadley (#8) beat Morris Grant (#7).
14/11/82 Charles AC Smith (#6) drew with John Donaldson over 4 rounds.
16/11/82 Morris Grant (#9) beat Gus Lambert over 4 rounds.
17/11/82 John L Sullivan (#1) beat P J Rentzler by 1st round KO.
25/11/82 Jimmy Elliott beat James Dalton by KO.

1. John L Sullivan -
2. William Miller -
3. Paddy Ryan -
4. Bill Farnan -
5. Alf Greenfield - out with broken arm since May '81
6. Charles AC Smith -
7. Charles Hadley - Up by 1 due to win over Grant
8. George Godfrey - Up by 1
9. Morris Grant - Down by 2 due to loss to Hadley
10. Joe Collins -

December 1882
07/12/82 - Charles Hadley (#7) beat Morris Grant (#9) by 3rd round KO for the Police Gazette Coloured Heavyweight Championship.
22/12/82 - Charlie Mitchell won a heavyweight tournament organized by Billy Madden, former manager of John L Sullivan, beating 6 opponents. He was recognised by many as the new champion of England. Mitchell had previously won lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight competitions, and his entry to the heavyweight ranks made him a highly regarded contender.

1. John L Sullivan -
2. William Miller -
3. Paddy Ryan -
4. Bill Farnan -
5. Alf Greenfield - out with broken arm since May '81
6. Charlie Mitchell - New entry due to tournament win
7. Charles Hadley -
8. Charles AC Smith - Down by 2 due to Mitchell and Hadley wins
9. George Godfrey - Down by 1
10. Morris Grant - Down by 1

Joe Collins (Tug Wilson) dropped out due to Mitchell's entry.

1882 Year End Rankings

My rankings at the end of 1882 are therefore as follows:

1. John L Sullivan - Aged 24 - American Champion (Beat Paddy Ryan in '82)
   
2. William Miller - Aged 36 - Australian contender in America (drew Dwyer, beat Goss, went 1-1 with Ryan)
   
3. Paddy Ryan - Aged 31 - American Champion (Beat Joe Goss in '80, lost to Sullivan in '82)
4. Bill Farnan - Aged 31 - Australian Champion Claimant (beat Richardson in '81 and Newton in '82)
5. Alf Greenfield - Aged 29 - English Champion (beat Stewart in '80, drew Collins in '81 and broke arm)
6. Charlie Mitchell - Aged 21 - English Champion claimant (won tournament in '82)
7. Charles Hadley - Aged 36 - American Coloured Champion (beat Grant in '82)
8. Charles AC Smith - Aged 22 - Coloured contender in America (undefeated)
   
9. George Godfrey - Aged 29 - Coloured contender in America (drew Hadley in '82)
10. Morris Grant - Aged 37 - Coloured contender in America (lost to Hadley in '82)

 

1883

January 1883
10/1/83 Charles Hadley (#7) beat Harry Woodson by 2nd round KO.
18/1/83 Charles Hadley (#7) drew with George Godfrey (#9) over 6 rounds.
25/1/83 Charles Hadley (#7) beat James Woodside over 3 rounds for the American Coloured title.
25/1/83 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Harry Gilman by 3rd round KO.

1. John L Sullivan
2. William Miller
3. Paddy Ryan
4. Bill Farnan
5. Alf Greenfield - out with broken arm since May '81
6. Charlie Mitchell
7. Charles Hadley
8. George Godfrey - up by 1 due to draw with Hadley
9. Charles AC Smith - down by 1 due to Godfrey draw
10. Morris Grant

February 1883
7/2/83 Harry Woodson beat Charles Hadley (#7) on points over 3 rounds.
17/2/83 Charles AC Smith (#9) beat Jack Stewart by 4th round KO.
17/2/83 Charlie Mitchell (#6) beat Jack Clarke by 1st round KO. Clarke was the champion of Northern England.
23/2/83 George Godfrey (#7) beat Charles Hadley (#10)
24/2/83 Alf Greenfield (#5) returned from his injury, and beat Prussian in an exhibition fight
24/2/83 Charlie Mitchell (#6) beat Joe Collins in an exhibition fight
26/2/83 Alf Greenfield (#5) fought Charlie Mitchell (#6) in an exhibition fight. There was no clear winner, and the men were introduced as being “the two greatest boxers at present residing in England”.

1. John L Sullivan
2. William Miller
3. Paddy Ryan
4. Bill Farnan
5. Alf Greenfield
6. Charlie Mitchell
7. George Godfrey - up by 2 due to Hadley losing, then beating Hadley
8. Charles AC Smith
9. Harry Woodson - new entry due to win over Hadley
10. Charles Hadley - down by 3 due to 2 losses in the month

Morris Grant drops out due to Woodson's entry.

March 1883
7/3/83 Harry Woodson (#9) beat Steve Williams by 67th round KO.
8/3/83 Harry Woodson (#9) beat Viro Small over 4 rounds.
No changes to the rankings.

April 1883
6/4/83 Harry Woodson (#9) beat Jim McLaughlin by 7th round KO.
9/4/83 Charlie Mitchell (#6) beat unbeaten prospect Mike Cleary by 3rd round KO.
17/4/83 Harry Woodson (#9) beat Ben Bailey by 2nd round KO.
24/4/83 Harry Woodson (#9) beat Underhill by 2nd round KO.
In April, Charles AC Smith (#8) beat Amos Lavendar.
In advance of his fight in May, retired Australian Champion Larry Foley is reinstated to the rankings at #10

1. 1. John L Sullivan
   2. William Miller
   3. Paddy Ryan
   4. Bill Farnan
   5. Alf Greenfield
   6. Charlie Mitchell
   7. George Godfrey
   8. Charles AC Smith
   9. Harry Woodson
   10. Larry Foley - new entry due to scheduled fight in May

Charles Hadley drops out due to Foley's entry

May 1883
10/5/83 George Godfrey (#7) drew with McHenry Johnson over 4 rounds.
14/5/83 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Charlie Mitchell (#6) by 3rd round TKO.
16/5/83 Jake Kilrain beat George Godfrey (#7) by 3rd round TKO when police intervened.
28/5/83 William Miller (#2) beat Larry Foley (#10) over 40 rounds for the Australian Heavy Title. Foley had won the Australian bare-knuckle championship in 1879 but had not fought since. Miller had beaten the best American talent between 1876 and 1880 and stayed active in exhibition bouts since then. Both men had refused challenges by Australian title claimant Bill Farnan (#4) during 1882. The fight was officially declared a draw, but Foley admitted defeat shortly afterwards.

1. John L Sullivan
2. William Miller
3. Paddy Ryan
4. Bill Farnan
5. Alf Greenfield
6. Charlie Mitchell
7. Jake Kilrain - new entry due to win over Godfrey
8. Larry Foley - up by 2 due to going 40 rounds in loss to Miller
9. George Godfrey - down by 2 due to loss to Kilrain
10. Charles AC Smith - down by 2

Harry Woodson drops out due to Kilrain's entry

June 1883
16/6/83 Bill Farnan (#4) fought a no-decision bout with John Christie.
In June, Charlie Mitchell (#6) beat Garrett by 1st round KO
28/6/83 Alf Greenfield (#5) beat Mick Gilligan as part of a tournament in England.
29/6/83 Alf Greenfield (#5) beat Jack Burke on points in the final of the tournament. Some spectators believed Burke deserved the win. Nevertheless, Greenfield had solidified his claim to the English title.

1. John L Sullivan
2. William Miller
3. Alf Greenfield - up 2 due to winning tournament
4. Paddy Ryan - down by 1
5. Bill Farnan - down by 1
6. Charlie Mitchell
7. Jack Burke - new entry due to strong performance against Greenfield
8. Jake Kilrain - down by 1
9. Larry Foley - down by 1
10. George Godfrey - down by 1

Charles AC Smith drops out due to Burke's entry

July 1883
In July, Charlie Mitchell (#6) beat Denis Hayes over 4 rounds, and Davis by 1st round KO.
No changes to the rankings.

August 1883
6/8/83 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Herbert Slade by 3rd round TKO.
No changes to the rankings.

September 1883
18/9/83 Charlie Mitchell (#6) beat Herbert Slade by KO.

1. John L Sullivan
2. William Miller
3. Alf Greenfield
4. Paddy Ryan
5. Charlie Mitchell - up by 1 due to win over Slade
6. Bill Farnan - down by 1
7. Jack Burke
8. Jake Kilrain
9. Larry Foley
10. George Godfrey

October 1883
2/10/83 Charlie Mitchell (#5) drew over 7 rounds with William Sheriff.
17/10/83 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Jam McCoy by 1st round KO.
21/10/83 Paddy Ryan (#4) beat Jack Waite by 3rd round KO. Waite was the champion of Montana.

On 23rd October 1883, John L Sullivan (#1) stated his willingness to fight 4 rounds with soft gloves against Jem Mace, William Miller (#2), Paddy Ryan (#4) or any other man.

26/10/83 Jake Kilrain (#8) drew with Jem Goode on points over 5 rounds.
29/10/83 Jake Kilrain (#8) beat Jerry Murphy by 2nd round KO.
In October, Charlie Mitchell (#5) drew over 3 rounds with Herbert Slade.

No changes to the rankings.

November 1883

3/11/83 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Jim Miles by 1st round KO.
26/11/83 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Morris Hefey by 1st round KO.
In November, Charlie Mitchell (#5) beat Joe Collins by 3rd round KO.

1. John L Sullivan
2. William Miller
3. Alf Greenfield
4. Charlie Mitchell - up by 1 due to win over Collins
5. Paddy Ryan - down by 1
6. Bill Farnan
7. Jack Burke
8. Jake Kilrain
9. Larry Foley
10. George Godfrey

December 1883

4/12/83 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Mike Sheehan by 1st round TKO.

On 5th December 1883, William Miller (#2) posted the following challenge to John L Sullivan (#1):
"I hereby challenge Mr. John L. Sullivan, of Boston, champion of America, to box with small or ordinary sized boxing gloves, one to win, for £500 a side, which is as nearly as possible $2,500 a side, and the championship of the world; the match to take place in Australia or New Zealand, and the regular rules of the ring to govern the contest. I will allow Sullivan £100, which is nearly $500, for expenses. An answer through the New York Clipper or the Melbourne Sportsman, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, will receive prompt attention. If Sullivan accepts this challenge and wishes the £600 deposited with S.V. Winter, proprietor of the Melbourne Sportsman, prior to his starting for Australia, by sending a letter to that effect to the New York Clipper or the Melbourne Sportsman, the whole of the money will at once be deposited, and Sullivan, if he desires it, can receive a wire by cable to that effect.
Yours obediently,
WILLIAM MILLER, Champion of Australia.

22/12/83 Bill Farnan (#6) fought a 3-round no-decision bout against Jack Graham.

No changes to the rankings.

1883 Year End Rankings

My rankings at the end of 1883 are therefore as follows:

1. John L Sullivan - Aged 25 - American Champion (Beat Ryan and Collins in '82, and Mitchell in '83)
2. William Miller - Aged 37 - Australian Champion (beat Foley in '83)
3. Alf Greenfield - Aged 30 - English Champion (won tournament by beating Burke in '83)
4. Charlie Mitchell - Aged 22 - English Champion claimant (won tournament in '82, lost to Sullivan in '83)
5. Paddy Ryan - Aged 32 - Former American Champion (lost to Sullivan in '82)
6. Bill Farnan - Aged 32 - Australian Champion Claimant (beat Newton in '82)
7. Jack Burke - Aged 22 - English contender (lost in tournament final to Greenfield in '83)
8. Jake Kilrain - Aged 24 - American contender (beat Godfrey in '83)
9. Larry Foley - Aged 34 - Former Australian champion (lost to Miller in '83)
10. George Godfrey - Aged 30 - American Coloured Champion (Beat Hadley and lost to Kilrain in '83)

 

1884

January 1884
In Jan, John L Sullivan (#1) beat Jeff Tomkins by 1st round KO.
10/1/84 McHenry Johnson beat Harry Woodson in 3 rounds.
12/1/84 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Fred Robinson by 2nd round KO.

In January 1884, it was reported that John L Sullivan (#1) was willing to fight William Miller (#2). Sullivan’s manager Al Smith replied to Miller’s challenge as follows:

“Mr John L Sullivan will give Mr William Miller of Australia one thousand dollars to meet him in a glove contest in San Francisco or New York City. The winner to have the entire receipts of the house, and if Mr Miller stays 4 rounds, Marquis of Queensbury rules, he (Miller) to be declared the winner of the contest."

Miller accepted the challenge, and stated that he would leave for America once the New York Clipper confirmed that Sullivan had deposited the $1,000 with them.

In late January and early February, William Miller (#2) and Larry Foley (#9) had a series of friendly 3-round gloved exhibitions.

29/1/84 Tom Hinch beat McHenry Johnson over 9 rounds.

No change to the rankings.

1. John L Sullivan
2. William Miller
3. Alf Greenfield
4. Charlie Mitchell
5. Paddy Ryan
6. Bill Farnan
7. Jack Burke
8. Jake Kilrain
9. Larry Foley
10. George Godfrey

February 1884
1/2/84 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Sylvester Le Gouriff by 1st round KO.
2/2/84 Charles AC Smith beat Charles Hadley by 2nd round DQ.
5/2/84 Mervine Thompson beat Jack Stewart by 3rd round KO.
6/2/84 John L Sullivan (#1) beat James Lang by 1st round KO.
In Feb, John L Sullivan (#1) beat Boiquet by 1st round KO.

No change to the rankings.

March 1884
1/3/84 Bill Farnan (#6) fought a 3-round no-decision bout with Charlie Richardson.
5/3/84 Bill Farnan (#6) fought a pair of 3 round no-decision bouts with Jack Graham and Charlie Richardson.
6/3/84 John L Sullivan (#1) beat George M Robinson by 4th round DQ.
10/3/84 Mervine Thompson beat Charles AC Smith (#9) by 8th round KO.
13/3/84 Frank Glover beat Tom Hinch
18/3/84 Tom Robinson beat Charles AC Smith by 1st round KO.
20/3/84 Charlie Mitchell (#4) beat Joe Denning in 4 rounds.
22/3/84 Harry Woodson beat Professor Hurley by 3rd round KO.

On 24th March 1884, William Miller (#2) sent a letter to the Athletics editor of The Sportsman. He announced that he was intending to leave for America on 22nd May in order to fight John L Sullivan (#1), and that before leaving Australia he wished to meet the best available wrestlers to prove himself the best in the world. This was seen as a direct challenge to the legendary Scottish wrestler Donald Dinnie, who had recently arrived in Australia. Dinnie agreed to meet Miller in a wrestling contest, which was scheduled for April 1884.

26/3/84 Jake Kilrain (#8) drew over 4 rounds with Charlie Mitchell (#4)

1. John L Sullivan
2. William Miller
3. Alf Greenfield
4. Charlie Mitchell
5. Jake Kilrain - up by 3 due to draw with Mitchell
6. Paddy Ryan - down by 1
7. Bill Farnan - down by 1
8. George Godfrey - up by 2 due to Kilrain drawing with Mitchell, making Godfrey's loss look better.
9. Jack Burke - down by 2
10. Mervine Thompson - new entry due to win over Smith

Larry Foley drops out due to Thompson's entry.

April 1884
On 1st April 1884, Charlie Mitchell (#4) accepted the challenge of Larry Foley to fight with or without gloves.

10/4/84 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Al Marx by 1st round KO.
15/4/84 George Godfrey (#8) beat Harry Allen by 4th round KO.

On 19th April 1884, William Miller (#2) fought a wrestling contest against Donald Dinnie. After 5 rounds of wrestling, Miller seriously injured his ankle. At the hospital, it was revealed that he had suffered a compound fracture, and the attending doctor stated that he had faint hopes of Miller being able to fight again. A newspaper article at the time reported that the injury would probably seriously interfere with Miller’s plans to visit America to fight Sullivan. A separate article stated that the accident “has in all probability ruined his future prospects as a professional athlete”.

Given that it had been almost a year at this point since Miller’s last competitive fight, combined with the seriousness of his injury, the doubts around whether he would ever fight again, and his age (37), I have taken the decision to remove Miller from the rankings at this point. Should he return from injury he may be reinstated into the top 10, depending on the time that has elapsed.

29/4/84 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Dan Heny by 1st round KO.

1. John L Sullivan
2. Alf Greenfield - up by 1
3. Charlie Mitchell- up by 1
4. Jake Kilrain - up by 1
5. Paddy Ryan - up by 1
6. Bill Farnan - up by 1
7. George Godfrey - up by 1
8. Jack Burke - up by 1
9. Mervine Thompson - up by 1
10. Larry Foley - new entry due to Miller dropping out

William Miller is removed from the rankings as discussed above.

May 1884
1/5/84 John L Sullivan (#1) beat William Fleming by 1st round KO.
2/5/84 John L Sullivan (#1) beat Enos Philips by 4th round KO.
6/5/84 Jake Kilrain (#4) beat William Sherriff on points over 3 rounds.
10/5/84 George Godfrey (#7) drew with McHenry Johnson over 4 rounds.
12/5/84 Charlie Mitchell (#3) beat Billy Edwards by 3rd round stoppage.

On 14th May 1884, William Miller was interviewed, and stated that Sullivan had failed to deposit the promised money for their fight. He was hopeful that he could meet Sullivan in January 1885, if his recovery went well. He said that his injury had been assessed by doctors, and that he should be “as well as ever” within a few months.

On 27th May 1884, it was reported that John L Sullivan (#1) and Charlie Mitchell (#3) had agreed to fight in June.

No changes to the rankings.

June 1884
24/6/84 Billy Wilson drew with McHenry Johnson for the Police Gazette Coloured Heavyweight championship.
26/6/84 Jake Kilrain (#4) beat Mike Cleary over 4 rounds. It was officially declared a draw, but it was reported that Kilrain scored 10 points for every 1 of Cleary’s.

On 26th June 1884, Charlie Mitchell (#3) was taken ill with sunstroke, meaning his fight with Sullivan was in doubt. On 28th June he declared that he had recovered, and was ready to fight Sullivan.

On 30th June 1884, it was reported that John L Sullivan was very drunk, but intended to fight Mitchell anyway. In fact, the fight was cancelled at the last minute, with Sullivan declaring to the assembled crowd that he was not well enough to fight.

1. John L Sullivan
2. Alf Greenfield
3. Jake Kilrain - up by 1 due to win over Cleary
4. Charlie Mitchell - down by 1
5. Paddy Ryan
6. Bill Farnan
7. George Godfrey
8. Jack Burke
9. Mervine Thompson
10. McHenry Johnson - new entry due to draw with Wilson

Larry Foley drops out due to Johnson's entry

 

July 1884
3/7/84 Jake Kilrain (#3) drew with Jem Goode over 5 rounds.
3/7/84 Patsy Cardiff beat James McClarney for the Championship of Illinois. Cardiff was now 7-0. A rematch later in the month ended in a no-decision.
21/7/84 Dominick McCaffrey beat Jack Stewart, champion of Canada by 1st round KO. He challenged Jake Kilrain (#3).
26/7/84 Bill Farnan (#6) beat Peter Jackson by 4th round TKO for the Australian Heavyweight title. Jackson was undefeated in 5 fights before this bout.
26/7/84 Harry Woodson beat Abe Williams on points over 2 rounds.
28/7/84 Jack Burke (#8) beat Mike Cleary on points over 4 rounds.

1. John L Sullivan
2. Alf Greenfield
3. Jake Kilrain
4. Charlie Mitchell
5. Bill Farnan - up 1 due to win over Jackson
6. Jack Burke - up 1 due to win over Cleary
7. Paddy Ryan - down by 2
8. George Godfrey - down by 1
9. Mervine Thompson
10. Dominick McCaffrey - new entry due to win over Stewart

McHenry Johnson dropped out due to McCaffrey's entry.

August 1884
4/8/84 Mervine Thompson (#9) beat John Lawler by 3rd round KO.
11/8/84 Jack Burke (#6) beat Bill England by 1st round KO.
23/8/84 Jack Burke (#6) beat John Welch on points over 4 rounds.
25/8/84 Patsy Cardiff beat Bill Bradburn by 4th round KO.

No changes to the rankings.

September 1884
On 6th September 1884, Mervine Thompson (#9) challenged Dominick McCaffrey (#10) to a bout.

13/9/84 Bill Farnan (#5) fought a 3 round no-decision bout with W T Payne.
22/9/84 Patsy Cardiff beat Jack King over 4 rounds.
23/9/84 Bill Farnan (#5) beat Peter Jackson over 6 rounds. The bout was officially declared a draw due to spectator interference, but Farnan had Jackson in trouble.

No changes to the rankings.

October 1884
13/10/84 Dominick McAffrey (#10) beat Charlie Mitchell (#4) on points over 4 rounds.
21/10/84 Jack Burke (#7) drew with Charlie Mitchell (#6) on points over 4 rounds.

1. John L Sullivan
2. Alf Greenfield
3. Dominick McCaffrey - up by 7 due to win over Mitchell
4. Jake Kilrain - down by 1
5. Bill Farnan
6. Charlie Mitchell - down by 2 due to loss to McCaffrey
7. Jack Burke - down by 1
8. Paddy Ryan - down by 1
9. George Godfrey - down by 1
10. Mervine Thompson - down by 1

November 1884
10/11/84 John L Sullivan (#1) beat John Lafin by 4th round KO.

18/11/84 John L Sullivan (#1) won a decision against Alf Greenfield (#2) when the fight was stopped by police after 2 rounds. Billed as a “sparring exhibition” for legal reasons, the bout was supervised closely by police. The fight started with both men fighting on the outside and landing punches to the face. However, the fight got more violent in the second round, with Greenfield striking his head on a post and Sullivan causing a cut with a punch. Both men were able to continue, but when they stood to begin the third round the bout was halted by the police. Both men were arrested, but later found not guilty of conducting a prize fight. They agreed to a rematch in the near future.

24/11/84 Charlie Mitchell (#6) fought to a no-decision over 3 rounds with Jack Burke (#7)

No changes to the rankings.

December 1884
1/12/84 Jake Kilrain (#4) drew with Jack Burke (#7) over 5 rounds.
6/12/84 George Godfrey (#9) drew with George Taylor on points over 4 rounds.
In Dec, Charlie Mitchell (#6) beat Jim Brady by 3rd round KO.

1. John L Sullivan
2. Alf Greenfield
3. Dominick McCaffrey
4. Jake Kilrain
5. Jack Burke - up by 2 due to draw with Kilrain
6. Bill Farnan - down by 1
7. Charlie Mitchell - down by 1
8. Paddy Ryan
9. George Godfrey
10. Mervine Thompson

1884 Year End Rankings

My rankings at the end of 1884 are therefore as follows:

1. John L Sullivan - Aged 26 - American Champion (beat Mitchell in '83 and Greenfield in '84)
2. Alf Greenfield - Aged 31 - English Champion (beat Burke in '83, lost to Sullivan in '84)
3. Dominick McCaffrey - Aged 21 - American contender (beat Mitchell in '84)
4. Jake Kilrain - Aged 25 - American contender (beat Godfrey in '83, drew Mitchell in '84)
5. Jack Burke - Aged 23 - English contender (lost to Greenfield in '83, drew with Mitchell and Kilrain in '84)
6. Bill Farnan - Aged 33 - Australian Champion (beat Newton in '82, beat Jackson twice in '84)
7. Charlie Mitchell - Aged 23 - English Champion claimant (lost to Sullivan in '83, drew with Kilrain and Burke and lost to McCaffrey in '84)
8. Paddy Ryan - Aged 33 - Former American Champion (lost to Sullivan in '82, scheduled rematch in Jan '85)
9. George Godfrey - Aged 31 - American Coloured Champion (Beat Hadley and lost to Kilrain in '83)
10. Mervine Thompson - Aged 30 - American coloured contender (beat Smith in '84)