Peter Maher Appreciation Thread

Twice his conqueror, Goddard is the real unacknowledged gem of the era. The real heavyweight champ by virtue of his 1896 victory over Ed Smith and the true King of Alcoholics as far as the ring is concerned.

 

A lot of peoples seem to have seen Maher as the new champion after the O'Donnel fight, including Corbett himself!

https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50403712/?terms=peter+maher

 

Maher Choynski seems to have generated a lot of interest:

https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50336363/?terms=peter+maher

https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50336411/?terms=peter+maher

 

Ah, okay. What match were you talking about? If Maher was born as you way in 1866, he was 30 for the 2nd match with Fitzsimmons.

 

First fight.

 

Seems a hard sell. Even James Robertson Couper doesn't seem to have seen it as a legit world title contest, and speaks of wanting to get Fitz Vs Corbett in South Africa, acknowledging it as the world title fight.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/227731059

 

Maher should be appreciated. He fought many of the best, usually losing vs. the best. Never an official champion, Maher didn't have to deal with the color line problem, which meant he fought the best white and black fighters for the most part in his time. He is a measuring stick of sorts and defined depth of the times. If you beat Maher, you belong...something like that.

Some felt Fitz vs Maher in 1886 was a title fight. It was rematch billed as for the World Heavyweight Title and was a finish fight. Corbett was inactive and passed the title to Maher, but he had no right to do so. The National Police Gazette, perhaps the Ring Magazine of its time also said it was a Championship Belt. Set to be filmed, legend has it Fitz wasn't happy about something and finished him so early the camera's weren't ready. It ended at the 1:35 mark of Round one. Or if you prefer it was over in 95 seconds.

Check out this cool plaque

http://static.boxrec.com/5/56/Fitz_Plaque.JPG

While Maher had a big right hand, he failed to upset a top-level fighter, but was given his chances to do so. This leads me to believe his skills were modest.

He won some and lost some, probably Goodard who 2-1 vs. Maher if I read the records correctly was Maher's best pure win.

 

Corbett was retired. Couper was on the take from various troughs. I only recognize the lineage that extends from Goddard and the true belt, The Transvaal Heavyweight Championship. All other claims are bunk.

 

Evidence?

Considering the Goddard fight was in SA, and he was the MC, I can't think of many people with much more incentive to call it a world title fight.