Young Griffo
Albert Griffiths, better known as Young Griffo, was a World Featherweight boxing champion from 1890 to 1892, and according to many sources, one of the first boxing world champions in any class. Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer rated Griffo as the eighth greatest featherweight of all time. He was inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1954, the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.
During his career he defeated Abe Willis, champion Ike Weir, Horace Leeds, and Joe Harmon. He won bouts against champion Torpedo Billy Murphy a total of four times, twice in World Featherweight title matches. A prolific boxer of great opponents, after coming to America, he fought champions Solly Smith, "Kid" Lavigne, Joe Gans, Tommy Ryan, George Dixon, Frank Erne, and featherweight contender Joe Bernstein. He was recorded as fighting over two hundred professional fights in his career.
Griffo also put together the most consecutive bouts without defeat in recorded boxing history. As of May 2021, with the addition of Newspaper decisions, boxrec.com lists his record as initially starting off at 7–0–3 before he lost his first fight. After losing, he went on a four-year unbeaten streak, accumulating a record of 79–1–38 before being defeated again 125 fights after his first loss. While newspaper decisions are not officially counted, he still went undefeated over this stretch when sportswriters determined the outcome.
Early life and titles
Albert Griffiths was born at Millers Point, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 1 January 1871. He took his ringname "Young Griffo" early in his career. Griffo turned pro in 1886, and until the age of 22, fought in his home land of Australia.For four of his most successful years as a boxer, Harry Tuthill was his athletic trainer and Hugh Behan and Sam Tuckhorn were managers, but by his mid career Griffo went through a host of trainers and managers who tired of his drinking habits and unwillingness to train. He said in a 1902 interview with The Cincinnati Enquirer that Larry Foley of Sydney had acted as an important early boxing mentor, and indeed Griffo had trained at Foley's boxing school at Sydney's White Horse Hotel where several of the greatest champions had spent time, including triple weight class champion Bob Fitzsimmons.
Taking Australian Featherweight Championship
On 26 December 1889, he fought Nipper Peakes in Melbourne for the Australian Featherweight Championship winning in an eight-round points decision. He held the title for several years defending it against Abe Willis and George McKenzie in Sydney in 1890.Taking World Featherweight Title vs. Billy Murphy, 1890
He first took the World Featherweight Title against Torpedo Billy Murphy on 2 September 1890 at the White Horse Hotel in Sydney in a fifteen-round decision. It was one of the first World Title matches ever held in Australia. At the time, the United States only recognized bouts that took place in North America, and so did not fully accept Griffo's claim to the World Title, but both Australia and Great Britain did. Subsequent to his death, the World Boxing Organization accepted Griffo's claim to the World Featherweight Title.He defended the British and Australian version of the World Featherweight title against Paddy Moran on 4 November 1890 in a 13-round decision in Sydney. He defended the World Featherweight Title against George Powell on 12 March 1891 in a twenty-round disqualification in Sydney. Griffo defended the World Featherweight Title a third time against Torpedo Billy Murphy again in Sydney, Australia on 22 July 1891, winning in a 20-second round disqualification.
In his final defense of the World Featherweight Title, he defeated Mick McCarthy on 22 March 1892 in Sydney in a fourth-round decision. He eventually vacated the title to fight at a higher weight.
He fought for the Australian Lightweight Title on 25 July 1892 against Jim Barron in Sydney, Australia in a 22-round bout that was declared a draw. The referee called the bout when both boxers appeared too battered and exhausted to continue. According to one source, an audience of 2,500 were present.
Boxing in the United States
In 1893, at the age of 22, he went to America. He boxed in the United States between November 1893 until his retirement from boxing in 1904 and remained there until his death in 1927. He arrived first in San Francisco and may have boxed a few bouts on the West Coast upon his arrival, but accounts differ. One of his first bouts in America was against "Young Scotty" in Chicago on 13 November 1893, where he was reputed to have challenged his opponent to hit him for several minutes while he bobbed his head and managed to avoid nearly every blow. At least one newspaper reported after his death that even in this early stage of his career, he had been pulled from a bar room before the fight with the skilled Black boxer, but his defensive skills in the bout were considered to have been extraordinary with Scotty unable to land a blow.Bout with future World Featherweight Champion Solly Smith
On 3 January 1894, he fought future World Featherweight champion Solly Smith at the Tivoli Theatre in Chicago to a six-round draw. Smith, who had distinguished himself by the time he met Griffo, would take the World Featherweight Championship the following year.On 23 January 1894, he fought an eight-round draw with John Van Heest in Chicago, making an impressive performance.
Match with Ike Weir, former world champion
On 17 March 1894, Griffo defeated Ike Weir at the Second Regiment Armory in Chicago. Griffo, as a lightweight, outweighed Weir considerably and dominated the bout, which was stopped by the police in the third round when Weir was down. Weir announced retirement after the bout but returned to the ring for a few more professional bouts and exhibitions. Although the bout officially was called a draw by the referee, Griffo knocked Weir down twice in the third round, with Weir taking a while to get to his feet. Many in the crowd were displeased with the official Draw decision. According to the Inter Ocean, as many as 5,000 were in attendance to watch "three of the fastest, fiercest and most brutal rounds ever fought in an American prize ring". Young Griffo made a veritable chopping block of Ike O'Neil Weir, the "Belfast Spider". It is important to note that according to one source, Griffo may have outweighed Wier by as much as 30 lbs. during the bout, but discrepancies in the weights of opponents was more common in this era of boxing. Several newspaper accounts of the fight, written after Griffo's death, wrote that he had been drinking before the bout, but by most accounts he had the edge during most of the fighting, and Weir was a worthy opponent.On 27 August 1894, he lost to the famed seven-year undefeated World Lightweight Champion Jack McAuliffe in Brooklyn, New York, losing in a 10-round points decision. McAuliffe had lost his World Lightweight Championship only the year before. Griffo had lost few of his fights by referee decision before his bout with the legendary McAuliffe. Due to McAuliffe's extraordinary record as lightweight champion, he was considered one of Griffo's most skilled opponents.
Meeting three champions
Griffo fought an assortment of opponents who would at one time hold world championships.Bouts with Lightweight contender "Kid" Lavigne
On 10 February 1894, he fought future World Lightweight Champion George "Kid" Lavigne for the first time in an eight-round draw in Chicago. On 12 October 1895, he fought Lavigne in a 20-round draw by points decision in Queens, New York. Lavigne would take the World Lightweight Championship only the following year.He subsequently fought an eight-round draw with the hard-hitting red head boxer Johnny Griffin at the Casino in Boston on 23 April 1894.
On 17 September 1894, he knocked out Eddie Loeber in only 2 minutes 36 seconds of the first round at the Seaside Athletic Club in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, wrote that the two men were very "poorly matched", and that it was a relief when the referee Dominick McAffrey stopped the bout. Hundreds of spectators struggled to shake hands with Griffo after the fight's conclusion.
On 4 March 1895, he defeated Horace Leeds at the Seaside Athletic Club in Coney Island in a 12-round bout in front of a sizable crowd of 4000 spectators. One reporter believed Griffo to be over the 133 pound weight limit, and fighting at a weight of as much as 140. The fighting was fierce, and both men were described as being "badly pummeled" in a close bout that had the betting about even. He lost to Leeds on 7 August 1897, in a four-round newspaper decision in Atlantic City, New Jersey. During this period, he was managed by Hugh Behan, but Griffo had an assortment of trainers in his career.