Never mentioned in the same breath as the lineal Heavyweight champions, professor William Miller appears to have wins over: Larry Foley (Australian champion and icon) - Won. Paddy Ryan - TKO2 (may have been an exhibition) Joe Goss - W Pts 11 Peter Jackson - ND4 Paddy Slavin - ND4 Jem Mace and Herbert Slade (3 rnds but exhibition only it seems) Dan Lea (Trained and mentored Fitzsimmons when Fitz was in NZ - EX 3) William Muldoon - W12 (trained Sullivan for the Kilrain fight and World champion wrestler) Steve Taylor - W9 (Reported but not confirmed fight against solid contender) Jim Corbett - His only loss i could find, on points in 6. Being a wrestler, i wonder whether he liked to use clinches and throws, with a style more suited to LPR than Queensbury, but still he has a record which shows he wasnt too shabby and you would think that on the limited evidence abailable, he would have to be considered capable (at his best) of competing with and even beating the likes of Sullivan, Jackson, Slavin, Corbett, Fitz,Jeffries etc. And quite possibly, if consensus of the time, is correct, this would place him quite a bit above most of Jack Johnson's challengers in terms of class of victory. Head to head, he wrestling ability probably makes him dangerous against any figher where the referee allows a liberal interpretation of the clinch.
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD18820626.2.6?query=herbert slade timaru There is an victory by William Miller over Herbert Slade. It was a wrestling match, but Slade was a noted wrestler himself.
Bumping this for McVey. I am pretty sure i have read a fair few reports that obviously didnt make its way to this thread, like i thought they did. I am guessing that first post came from CBZ. Still, look at that list of fighters he actually sparred with. Pretty impressive list.
here is a report on a wrestling match, with Donald Dinnie. But interestingly, it says that Miller is looking at travelling to the US to fight Sullivan (Presumably John L). It seems that this broken ankle he suffered in this fight may have cost him this chance. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...chTerm=william miller reminisce&searchLimits=
Here is a letter talking briefly about his boxing and wrestling career. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...chTerm=william miller reminisce&searchLimits= and another reminiscing style article. Note that he trained quite a few decent boxers. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...fessor william miller reminisce&searchLimits= here is a really good description of Peter Jackson spar with William Miller. This version has Jackson as totally dominant. There is also a decent description of the famous Jackson-Ryan bar fight. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...Term=jim corbett william miller&searchLimits=
even Excellent info B and particularly interesting that Slavin thought Jackson had declined significantly even before they met.
Reading up on Miller recently and I think it is fair to say that from 1878 to 1885 he was probably the second best heavyweight in the world. He beat Ryan, Goss, Dwyer, Taylor, Rooke, Foley and handled Slavin well in a ND affair.
How much credit can he be given for his fights with Ryan? The reports I've seen of the 1880 one just say he got injured and pulled out after a couple rounds, and it's not clear Miller was having the better of it from what I've seen, is there another he is considered to have won?
Doubts were cast on Ryan's injury claim as he pulled out after two rounds. In fairness, Ryan edged Miller in another contest with blackened gloves but that affair was a bit of a farce. I'll dig out the reports when I have time. The Dwyer fights and the Slavin exhibition seem to me to be his best performances.
