Peter Maher Appreciation Thread

Glad you did this ,I was thinking about him the other day, Jesus he fought everybody! The guy could whack and he certainly had a big pair because he didn't give a stuff who he went in with.
Fitzsimmons x2
Ruhlin x4
Goddardx3
O Donnell x5
Sharkey x2
Russell
O Brien x2
Craig
Clarkx3
CC Smith x2
Godfrey
Klondike
SlavinChoynski x3
McCaffrey
Jackson
Butler x3
Gardner
McCoy
Hart
Hall

 

I think we should disregard the Jackson "Fight", Maher was a virtual amateur against the world's top fighter. I think Maher's best fights were the wins over Choynski, Goddard, Slavin and the draws with Ruhlin-a great fight-and Sharkey. His "draws" with Hall and McAuliffe were wins too all but in name. He possibly-probably?- was robbed of a win by ko in the first Fitz fight by an early bell. His career was dogged by alcohol abuse, this as an explanation rather than offering an excuse, but he could quite possibly be the hardest puncher P4P of the bigger boys.

 

Sneak preview..."Round one saw a cagey start by both fighters, Fitz feinting and Maher doing the leading off. Bob caught Maher with a right, left combination that sent him to the floor. On arising, he was met with a volley of rights and lefts, one jab opening a bad cut on the lip. Peter’s temper was up though and he wildly rushed his Cornish born tormentor. A wild right to the head and powerful left to the body left Fitz draped helplessly and almost out on the ropes, sitting on one rope with his head resting on the top one. The bell was clanging as blow upon blow rained down on Fitz as in his comatose state he tried to parry and cover-up.

Finally, the referee Professor Duffy heard the bell and pulled Maher off his stricken foe. Greggains sprang from the corner and dragged Fitz back to his stool. Brandy was administered to try and revive him while in the other corner Peter was bleeding profusely from the mouth. The controversy was to surround the ringing of the bell with claims been made that Joe Choynski, Fitzsimmons wily second realising that his man was about to be knocked out, kicked the bell as he scampered into the ring."

 

...and "The New York World quoted John P. Dunn of that city as follows, in 1917. “Do you know that Peter Maher had Fitz out in their fight at New Orleans in the first round? He did that. I know, because I was master of ceremonies. Peter went after Bob like a wild man in the first round and Bob was on the floor, ready for the shutter, when Joe Choynski, his chief second, jumped in over the side of the ring, kicking the bell with his foot as he went to end the round. It was a nervy, quick-witted thing to do and nobody was any the wiser.”

Others claimed that it was Bob’s timekeeper, George Clark from Chicago that had rapped the bell ten seconds early. Clark would certainly appear to have motive to do so as The Ogden Standard reported on March 3rd that he had an $8,000 bet on the middleweight champion. The New York Times rather coyly stated that “This blow nearly knocked Fitzsimmons out, but the call of time and his clever seconds rescued him, and when he came up for the next round he was a much better, because a much wiser, man. In the first round Maher’s lip was cut open. To this Fitzsimmons directed his attention, jabbing it, swinging at it, and keeping it constantly bleeding. That cut had a great deal to do with the result”.

 

"Finally..."The local city paper fight reports neither prove nor disprove the short round claim. The “Times-Democrat” explained “The Irishman landed a tremendous uppercut on his jaw. Fitz's head flew up as if it would fly off his shoulders, and then, almost collapsed, he fell against the back of his neck, just catching the top rope, while he partially sat on the lower one. Just then the gong sounded.” The “Times-Picayune” was of a similar vein; “Maher…struck the temple with force, knocking Fitzsimmons to the ropes and nearly through them. Fitzsimmons was groggy, the color faded from his cheeks and had Maher the chance to hit him several more blows Fitzsimmons money would have been at a discount. The bell rang. Fitz’s seconds rushed over and carried him to his corner, reviving him with brandy.”

 

What is this? Fitz belted Maher out in one round in the fight that mattered in 1896. Fitz was 32, Maher 26. A prime for prime match up, Maher was destroyed.

 

Back in the day the top contenders, which Maher was fought everyone. Today a champion at heavyweight might only have 3-4 matches vs. other top ten contenders for his entire career.

 

I am offering information to the creator of this thread. Nothing to do with the second match. Maher BTW was born in 1866.

 

I often think that we spend too much time evaluating fighters as champions and title challengers, and not enough time evaluating them as contenders.

 

The McAuliffe contest took place in San Francisco as part of the mid-winter fair, over four rounds. "The San Francisco Chronicle" stated that "another round looked like it would have put the Missionary phenomenon out, but that pleasure was denied the champion of Ireland". The bout was slow but Maher had all the best of it, referee Young Mitchell declaring a no contest but as the "San Francisco Call" commented the "decision wronged Maher, as he certainly outpointed the big Tanner".

 

Hall was quoted after his fight with Maher; “I went to Boston fully expecting to beat Maher. All our money and that of my friends was on me-I should say about $3,700-and when I saw that I could not win, I saved it. I thought that I could evade Maher and beat him by jabbing and superior cleverness. I found out my mistake when he knocked me down and thought the best thing I could do would be to get a draw. I am frank to admit that I underestimated Maher. He is a great fighter and can whip me no matter how perfect my condition. He has learned a great deal in the last year or two and is growing clever. I say with all candour that Maher can whip any living man with the possible exception of Corbett, and I think he can give the champion a harder fight than any man in the ring”. The fight conditions were that if no knock-out was scored, the decision was to be a draw.