Are you talking peak Goddard of 1890-92 or the one who hadn't really started his career in 1887? I think a peak Goddard beats any version of Kilrain.
Of course Slavin would beat him twice later as Kilrain was in various degrees of decline. I think that one would be a bit closer.
0-2. I have them both rated higher as their success was later on. Also Goddard had his alphabet belt when he was old who knows how good Goddard was in his prime.
Under Queensbury rules it is tempting to favor both, based on them being Queensbury specialists. Having said that some LPR specialists transitioned very successfully to Queensbury.
Slavin and Kilrain fought June 16 1891 in Hoboken N.J., Kilrain winning by 9th round tko of ten rounds scheduled. Kilrain hit hard but responding competitively into the the third round, when he was knocked down and rose to carry on bravely but bereft of any real strength to further punish Slavin, there after taking a piteous beating from the Australian. San Diego Union and Daily Bee, Volume XXXVI, Number 8221, 17 June 1891 https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDDU18910617.2.2&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-------- (some spelling errors. I'll try to polish it up over the coming week. Referee was Jerry Dunn) SLAVIN WON IT. Kilrain Knocked Out in the Ninth Round. The Australian's Terrible Eight Baud Too Much for Him. He Fought Hard and Bravely, But Was Out-Matched. An Offensive Fight from the FirstMany Clinches and Many Hard Blows by Both Men. ! Associated frees Dispatches. 1 New York, June 16. —The long discussed boxing contest between Jake Kilrain of Baltimore and Frank Slavln of Australia for a |10,U60 purse took place tonight at the club house of the Oranlte Athletic association, Hoboken. Slavln was declared the winner in the ninth round. The club house was not a very beautiful one and the attendance was not quite up to expectation. A large number of well known Sporting men were there. Ttyp men also were very late In coming into the ring and as there were no preliminary sparring matches the audience grew very Impatient. Finally at 11:10 the contestants came in. Jere Dunn was referee; John Kelly was time keeper; Muldoon, Cleary and Murray were Kilrain’s seconds, and Mitchell, Ed Stoddard and Pony Moore acted for Slavln. The gloves were four-ounce. Time was called at It ;'■£!, and Slavln immediately began offensive work, and after a clinch commenced a terrible right hand pounding of Kilrain’s ribs just below the heart. Jake, though weakened, made a grand rally and gave Slavln hard blows, right and left. Clinch upon clinch followed, and the round ended in favor of Kilrain, he getting a rib roaster on the Australian. In the second the clinch work began at once and again did the Australian pound away on Kilrain's rlhs, the blows being sickening. When the men separated Jake assumed the offensive In a gallant manner and banged Stavin on the head heavily with his right and left. Alter another clinch and more rib roasting Jake landed a right hander on Slavin's neck, causing him to whirl half round. Jake wound this up with terrible right and left facets, and the round ended in his favor. In the third, after a light interchange, Jake went for Slavln again and ham mered him to the ropes, but this seemed the end of his strength, for soon after Slavln shot out his right, caught Jake under the left ear and down he went like a log. He managed to stagger to his feet, but it was evident his strength was gone. After another clinch he received another terrible blow, which felled him to the stage painfully and half Insensibly. Jake managed to stagger to his knee and the gong saved him. The fourth round hail barely opened when down he went again. Those terrible heart blows had evidently done their work, and Jake was out of It. Blood jpas pouring from his nose, which Is sai l to be broken, and, this, combined with the water on both men, made them hi«rrl tile looking objects. Four times did Kilrain go to grass in this round, but again and again he rallied, although there was no force in his blows, while Slavln was full BTktrhngth and’ confidence. Bight and left handers were rained upon Kilrain, whose only chance of staying ten rounds was by clinching, and in all this he was sure to meet rl|i roasting. in the fifth landed repeatedly on the Australian s head without result, anil goon another terrible right hander sent him down and sent him to sleep once in his iSlarln'si comer in a puddle of water, and was about to pound him there when Referee Dunn interfered. The Australian tried to push Dunn aside, but the referee insisted and the gong gave Jake another lease of life. In the sixth there were more clinches and again those dreadful body blows beneath Kilrain's heart. Jake seemed to pick up a little and landed a neat upper cut beneath Slavin's jaw. but in the clinch which followed he again suffered severely. Jake was a little more than a chopping block forthe Australian, and had It not been that both men were dripping with water and red -lather, Slavin’s blows would have finished Jake before. In the seventh Slavln no sooner it la range than he went for Jake's ribs w ith the same vim as the first round. Afjer a break away they exchanged a feW Ineffectual long range blows, which only further demons’ rated Jake's helm Ussneis. Boilid "feraliy poured down his face. Some good exchanges were given, however, Jake landing once fairly with what seemed to be a final effort, which only made Siavin smile, in the eighth Jake went in for his sav ing clinches and throughout the round the referee was kept busy separating the men. Jake once landed his left on Slavic's head, but there was no force in the blow and in the clinch which followed the Australian almost stove in Jake’s ribs. The sound of the blows was actually heard outside the clubhouse. The sympathy of the majority of the audience was with Kilrain, who was dying so pluchlly, as he really was (■eaten in the second round. In the ninth and last round dak * man aged to come to She scratch In a pretty good shape, but after Slavln had landed upon him once or tsrh e he was again a mass of blood. He managed, however, to get in - two good blows on Slavin's head, though there was little force in them. Finally, Slavln hit Jake a couple of left handers on the neck and Jake went down as If shot. Still game, how ever. Jake slowly anil painfully rose and reeled. As the gong sounded he had to be carried to his corner, and Jere Dunu gave the tight to Slavln. Thus did KUrain practically meet his last Waterloo and passed Into the ranks of second-class men.
Does a Slavin fan get to slip something in Kilrain's food beforehand Joke. I would favor both over Kilrain, whom found his success moreso in bareknuckle. I would assert that Kilrain will do better than he did in his later Slavin fights, though. And is a real live dog against Goddard, obviously. Depends on distance as well.
