Next in ther series after Jem Mace In three categories Best win: In terms of quality of opponent, and manner of victory Most important win: In terms of historical significance Most spectacular performance: More for when we get to ones with footage, but not really the quality of the win, just a great display of the champion's ability. My picks Best win: Charlie Mitchell, I think Mitchell's overall achievements were probably the best. Most important in: Jack Kilrain, Sullivan was long past his past, and it lead to a long tough well remembered battle, also the last LPR fight as far as I know Most spectacular performance: I think I'll go for his rapid KO of Sylvester Le Gouriff
Best win: Charlie Mitchell. The way he dispatched a 15-0 contender in the 3rd round solidifies the legacy, Mitchell had a good resume too Most important win: Paddy Ryan, first fight. He won the championship from this, pretty self explanatory. Most spectacular win: the 76 rounder with Jake Kilrain. Possibly the greatest comeback KO in boxing history. Sullivan was vomitting, beaten left and right, suffering from alcoholism and was even offered a draw mid-bout, but he soldiered on.
I would cite the Killrain LPR fight as his most impressive win. In this bout Sullivan was a washed up Queensbury champion, taking on the best bare knuckle fighter in the world, and he still got the win. It might also be his most important win, because it eliminated the last rival title claim, and effectively brought all the title claims under the control of a Queensbury fighter. It might be the case, that this fight brought forward the demise of bare knuckle boxing, by a decade or two! For most spectacular performance, I would probably cite the first Paddy Ryan fight. Ryan was not a strong champion, but he was not a trivial obstacle either, and rapid knockouts were almost unknown under LPR rules, and Sullivan just blasted him!
Best win: Kilrain. Came back from near death to beat his best opponent in decisive fashion, while also proving he has the ability to be patient and pace himself over a 2 hour period. Most important: the first Paddy Ryan win established Sullivan as the biggest superstar boxing had seen, and the heights he achieved as a result of that win likely hadn’t been seen by a boxer since. Most impressive: either Ryan 1 or the Kilrain fight, by all accounts Sullivan’s peak performance was the first Ryan fight but he overcame so much adversity against Kilrain, all while proving that he is more than just a rusher. I’ll pick the Kilrain fight.
