George Foreman vs John C Heenan

the Title is"Fights For The Champioship".and the fly leaf says Fights For The Championship,and Celebrayed Prize Battles,or accounts of.All the Prize Battles for the Championship From The Days ofFigg and Broughton to the present time.And Also Many Other Game and extra ordinary battles between first rate pugilistsof Ancient and Modern Times.Compiled From Bell's Life In London "Boxiana",by the author of Bell's Life In London.It was published at "Bell's Life " office 170 the Strand price seven shillings and sixpence.

 

I guess Magriel didn't list all possible editions of the book in his bibliography then. He only has 1855 and 1859 editions listed.

Anyway, I looked up some non-local re-prints of that fight report (from Buffalo Courier, etc), as well as what Elliott Gorn wrote in 'Manly Art' based on three or four reports, and I didn't see in any of them mention of Heenan's particular success at long range or his preference of that range in this fight. Does your edition give any hint as to the author or original source of the report?

 

Unfortunately it is untitled but is written as though it had just happened,obviously the writer was an American Journalist,possibly off the paper I mentioned, the Spirit.Regarding the Syers fight Sayers reportedly broke his forearm in the 6th round warding off Heenan's punches.

 

If Heenan fought Morrissey in 1858,I don't see where you are with your dates J? 1895? 1896 and 97?

 

Is this a joke?? Heenan never won a known fight. He is the #1 most undeserving Hall of Famer, and that's saying a helluva lot. He was his own media creation. He got the shot at Morrissey because he kept talking endless trash through a newspaper column that he worked for. When he finally got the chance to make good on all his talk, he choked.

Heenan would find a way to blow this fight. He was the bareknuckle Andrew Golota.

 

Heenan's record is no were near complete though.
I mean who were the locals he beat to build his rep??


Heenan was a clever boxer with tremendous punching power; He was also a capable wrestler

John was muscular and gained a reputation for toughness as a young man while swinging a hammer in the workshops of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company

Heenan was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002


1855-1857
-Heenan defeated many local men and was recognized as an
outstanding fighter

1857
Dec Joe Coburn New York, NY EX

1858
Mar 15 Johnny "Cocky" Woods Boston, Ma EX
Mar 17 Johnny "Cocky" Woods Boston, Ma EX
Oct 20 John Morrissey Long Point, Can L 11
-Heavyweight Championship of America;
Heenan broke his right hand early in the
contest and fought at a disadvantage

-Heenan "married" Adah Isaacs Menken, a famous actress

1859
Apr 4 John Morrissey EX

1860
Apr 17 Tom Sayers Farnborough, Eng D 42
-Heenan seemed to have the advantage when the
crowd broke into the ring

May 20 -Heenan was awarded a duplicate Championship Belt

1863
Dec 10 Tom King Wadhurst, Eng L 24
-Championship of England;
Heenan knocked King out of time in round
eighteen but the fight continued and King
won

1864
Apr 4 Tom King Lewes, Eng SCH
-This fight was scheduled but cancelled;
Some sources report 4/05/1864

1868
Sep 4 Mike McCoole SCH
-This fight was scheduled but cancelled

1869-1870
-Heenan and Jem Mace toured America giving exhibitions

1871
Feb 11 Jem Mace New York, NY EX 3

 

Heenans first Fight ,UNDER LONDON PRIZE RING RULES WAS AGAINST MORRISSEY,the men he beat before that were local toughs.Heenan stood 6 2in and weighed between 198 and 220 [this was for the Morrissey fight].
Tale Of the Tape
Sayers Heenan
AGE
32 23
HEIGHT
5 81/2 6 2
WEIGHT
158 200[approx]

IN the 6th rd Sayers broke a bone in his right forearm,now given that Heenan had every physical advantage plus he was nearly 9 years younger ,add to this that Sayers fought 36 rds with a BROKEN ARM,add that Heenan was fighting a MIDDLEWEIGHT ,what should have been the result of this draw?Now you have the sum OF JOHN CAMEL HEENAN,the AMERICAN MYTH.

 

I dont see how you can say Heenan was winning handily until his injury since it happenend in the first round.Heenan according to my sources had his first fighjt under prize Ring rulles against Morriessey ,his fights before that were not against pugilists,if you have any evidence to the contrary please produce it.I ncall Heena the American Myth because if you look at his record it is a sparse one and a losing one at that.Morrisey who beat Heenan was a tough man nothing more ,he only had 4 fights himself ,one of which he lost,one against Yankee Sullivan who had then 1 fight,two against Poole and Thompson ,who had NEVER BEEN in the PRIZE RING .you talk of these men as though they were ona par or equal to real bare knuckle fighters like Mace ,Mendoza, Jackson ,Figg,Broughton,Cribb,they were little more than tough men involved in "tough man" contests.Is it because the best of them were English that you need to bum up these American novices? Before Sullivan,and I mean JOhn L most of the best men fighting in the world were ENGLISH or Irish.I must tell you Heenan is regarded in the UK as one of Boxings jokes.Sayers giving away height ,weight and age ,PLUS a broken arm blacked Heenan's eyes,the fight was stopped with Heenan, his hands around Sayers throat in an effort to strangle him was thwarted by the ropes being cut and a draw was declared.I dont think heenan was EVER the best man in the world,and probably not in America either.A point to remember about Morrissey versus Heenan is that Morrissey had been retired for 4YEARS prior to their fight.

 

I dont see how you can say Heenan was winning handily until his injury since it happenend in the first round.Heenan according to my sources had his first fighjt under prize Ring rulles against Morriessey ,his fights before that were not against pugilists,if you have any evidence to the contrary please produce it.I ncall Heena the American Myth because if you look at his record it is a sparse one and a losing one at that.Morrisey who beat Heenan was a tough man nothing more ,he only had 4 fights himself ,one of which he lost,one against Yankee Sullivan who had then 1 fight,two against Poole and Thompson ,who had NEVER BEEN in the PRIZE RING .you talk of these men as though they were ona par or equal to real bare knuckle fighters like Mace ,Mendoza, Jackson ,Figg,Broughton,Cribb,they were little more than tough men involved in "tough man" contests.Is it because the best of them were English that you need to bum up these American novices? Before Sullivan,and I mean JOhn L most of the best men fighting in the world were ENGLISH or Irish.I must tell you Heenan is regarded in the UK as one of Boxings jokes.Sayers giving away height ,weight and age ,PLUS a broken arm blacked Heenan's eyes,the fight was stopped with Heenan, his hands around Sayers throat in an effort to strangle him was thwarted by the ropes being cut and a draw was declared.I dont think heenan was EVER the best man in the world,and probably not in America either.A point to remember about Morrissey versus Heenan is that Morrissey had been retired for 4YEARS prior to their fight.

 

Sorry about the double post,but to answer your question ,Joe Coburn was probably the best man in America at the time and he challenged Heenan twice ,Heenan refused to fight him.