Jake Kilrain


John Joseph Killion, more commonly known as Jake Kilrain, was a famous American bare-knuckle fighter and glove boxer of the 1880s.

Early life

Kilrain found employment as a teenager in Somerville, Massachusetts. As a country boy from Long Island, he had to learn how to stand up to the workers in the rolling mills. By the age of 20, he had been recognized as the toughest fighter in the mill. Kilrain was also a champion rower having won the National Amateur Junior Sculling Championship in 1883. He was later stripped of that honor when it was discovered that he was a prizefighter and thus could not be considered an amateur.
In 1883, Kilrain took up prizefighting as a profession and quickly established a reputation as a very tough fighter.

Professional career

World Championship fight with Jem Smith

By 1887 Kilrain already has been recognized as the U.S. National Champion, that gave him an opportunity to fight for the Championship of the World and silver belt versus the British Champion Jem Smith, scheduled to take place in December 1887, in France, at a little island on the River Seine, called St. Pierre d'Autils. The bout was attended by about a hundred of the upper class spectators and journalists, mainly from England, being covered by the major international media of the day, such as Reuters, Gaulois, etc. They fought 1-minute rounds with 30 seconds break between the rounds. At the outset the men fought evenly. After the 3rd round Kilrain scored several knockdowns, and wrestling formed the principal mode of operations for the rest of the fight. Before the 106th round had started, after two hours and a half of fighting when darkness set in, the bout was stopped due to technical reasons, as no artificial lighting of the scene has been arranged the outcome was called a draw due to darkness.
Clearly dominant throughout the fight upon his return to the United States, Kilrain was pronounced by Richard K. Fox of the National Police Gazette as Heavyweight Champion of the World for his bout with Jem Smith. The awarding of the belt to Kilrain was part of a strategy by Fox to draw Sullivan into a fight. Any remote claim he had to the title of world champion was lost in 1889 after his loss to John L. Sullivan.

Bout with John L. Sullivan

Kilrain is perhaps best known for challenging champion John L. Sullivan in 1889 in the last world heavyweight championship prizefight decided with bare knuckles under London Prize Ring rules in history. They fought 1-minute rounds with 50 seconds break between the rounds. In a hard-fought contest, Kilrain lost at the start of the 76th round when Mike Donovan, his second, threw in the sponge. Kilrain had not wanted to give up thinking that he could outlast Sullivan, but Donovan defended his actions insisting that Kilrain would have died had the fight gone on. In any case, the Kilrain-Sullivan fight can rightly be listed among the greatest fights of the pre-modern era.

Later career

Kilrain continued on for 10 more years after the Sullivan fight with gloves under Marquess of Queensberry rules with some success. His most significant win was a 44-round knockout of Boston's George Godfrey in 1891. He retired with a record of 31 wins, six losses, and ten draws, along with three no-decisions and one newspaper decision. He lived in his later years as a devoted family man with his wife and children as proprietor of a saloon in Baltimore, Maryland. After his saloon burned down, he moved back to Somerville and was given a job with the parks department. After government cutbacks during the Great Depression he became a night watchman at a Quincy, Massachusetts shipyard.
In his later life, Kilrain became good friends with John L. Sullivan. When Sullivan died in 1918, Kilrain served as a pallbearer at the funeral. He was also godfather to the English boxer Charley Mitchell's son Charles Mitchell.

Death and honors

Kilrain died on December 22, 1937, in a local hospital from complications of old age and diabetes, aged 78.
Kilrain was elected to the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009 and to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.
Scottish boxer and welterweight champion Henry Owens would later fight under the name "Jake Kilrain".

Professional boxing record

All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated.

Official record

All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as "no decision" bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
51Loss31–6–10 Steve O'DonnellTKO5, 2:15Oct 20, 1899Germania Maennerchor Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, US
50Loss31–5–10 Frank SlavinKO1, 2:15Sep 14, 1896Eureka A.C., Baltimore, Maryland, US
49ND31–4–10 Abe UllmanND10Sep 30, 1895Baltimore, Maryland, USExact date unknown
48Loss31–4–10 Steve O'DonnellTKO21, 1:18May 6, 1895Sea Side A.C., Coney Island, New York, US
47Draw31–3–10 Steve O'DonnellPTS8Mar 18, 1895Suffolk A.C., Boston, Massachusetts, US
46Loss31–3–9 Frank SlavinTKO9 Jun 16, 1891Granite A.C., Hoboken, New Jersey, USFor world interim heavyweight title
45Win31–2–9 George GodfreyKO44Mar 13, 1891California A.C., San Francisco, California, USA finish fight
44Win30–2–9 George MaguireKO2 Dec 4, 1890Utica, New York, US
43Win29–2–9 Mike BrennanPTS3Dec 3, 1890Montana, New York, US
42Win28–2–9 George HarrisKO2 Dec 1, 1890New York City, New York, US
41Win27–2–9 Arthur ChambersPTS3Aug 22, 1890Union Opera House, Ogden, Utah, US
40Win26–2–9 Jerry SlatteryTKO2 Aug 1, 1890New York City, New York, US
39Win25–2–9 Dick MayelPTS3Jun 18, 1890Cleveland, Ohio, US
38Win24–2–9 Tommy McManusPTS3Jun 13, 1890New York City, New York, US
37Win23–2–9 Frank StraubKO4 Jun 12, 1890New York City, New York, US
36Win22–2–9 Frank BosworthTKO3 Jun 10, 1890New York City, New York, US
35Loss21–2–9 James J. CorbettPTS6Feb 18, 1890Southern A.C., New Orleans, Louisiana, US
34Win21–1–9 Felix VacquelinKO3 Feb 2, 1890New Orleans, Louisiana, US
33Loss20–1–9 John ScholesNWS4Nov 4, 1889Mutual Street Rink, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
32Loss20–1–9 John L. SullivanKO75 Jul 8, 1889Richburg, Mississippi, USFor world bare-knuckle heavyweight title;
For inaugural world heavyweight title ;
London Prize Ring Rules
31Draw20–0–9 Jem SmithPTS106 Dec 19, 1887St. Pierre d'Autils, FranceClaimed world heavyweight title ;
London Prize Ring Rules
30Win20–0–8 Joe LannonTKO11 Mar 8, 1887Watertown, Massachusetts, US
29ND19–0–8 Jack AshtonND4Dec 22, 1886New Assembly Rooms, Baltimore, Maryland, US
2819–0–8 Johny SeidelND4Dec 22, 1886New Assembly Rooms, Baltimore, Maryland, US
27Win19–0–8John P. ClowPTS4Dec 22, 1886New Assembly Rooms, Baltimore, Maryland, US
26Win18–0–8Denny KillenPTS4Nov 19, 1886Comique Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
25Win17–0–8Tommy KellyKO4 Nov 17, 1886Theatre Comique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
24Win16–0–8Joe GodfreyKO2 Nov 15, 1886Theatre Comique, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
23Win15–0–8Frank HeraldTKO1, 2:00Nov 8, 1886Herring Run, Maryland, USPolice intervened
22Win14–0–8Jack AshtonPTS8Jul 31, 1886Ridgewood Baseball Park, New York City, New York, US
21Draw13–0–8Frank FaberPTS?1886Boston, Massachusetts, US
20Draw13–0–7George FryerPTS5May 15, 1885Boston, Massachusetts, US
19Win13–0–6Alf GreenfieldPTS?1884-1886Location unknownPrecise date & the number of rounds of bout unknown at this time.
18Win12–0–6Jerry MurphyPTS4Jan 5, 1885Norumbega Hall, Bangor, Massachusetts, US
17Draw11–0–6Jack BurkePTS5Dec 1, 1884New England Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, US
16Draw11–0–5Jem GoodePTS5Jul 3, 1884Battery D Armory, Chicago, Illinois, US
15Draw11–0–4Mike ClearyPTS4Jun 26, 1884Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
14Win11–0–3William SherriffPTS3 May 6, 1884Union Hall, Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, USPolice intervened
13Draw10–0–3Charley MitchellPTS4Mar 26, 1884Institute Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, US
12Win10–0–2Jerry MurphyKO2 Oct 29, 1883Bangor, Massachusetts, USPolice intervened
11Draw9–0–2Jem GoodePTS5Oct 26, 1883Conant Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, US
10Win9–0–1George GodfreyTKO3 May 16, 1883Boston, Massachusetts, USPolice intervened
9Win8–0–1John McGylnnTKO4 Apr 16, 1883New Bedford, Massachusetts, US
8Win7–0–1Pete McCoyKO3 Mar 19, 1883Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, US
7Win6–0–1John AllenPTS3Feb 10, 1883Boston, Massachusetts, USPrecise date of bout unknown at this time
6Draw5–0–1George GodfreyPTS3Jan 15, 1882Boston, Massachusetts, US
5Win5–0John HughesPTS3Jan 10, 1880Boston, Massachusetts, USPrecise date of bout unknown at this time
4Win4–0Dennis RoachTKO? Apr 1, 1879Somerville, Massachusetts, USPrecise date & number of rounds of bout unknown at this time
3Win3–0Dan DwyerPTS? Mar 10, 1879Somerville, Massachusetts, USPrecise date & number of rounds of bout unknown at this time
2Win2–0Jem DriscollTKO? Feb 1, 1879Somerville, Massachusetts, USPrecise date & number of rounds of bout unknown at this time
1Win1–0Jack DaleyKO2 Jan 1, 1879Somerville, Massachusetts, USPrecise date of bout unknown at this time;
Professional debut