Vintage boxing artwork
THE RING ALMANAC
THE RING ALMANAC
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Heavyweight · Bare-Knuckle & Gloves (1880–1919)

James J. Corbett

"Gentleman Jim"

Top 100 · #99 · 52.8 points
11
Wins
4
Losses
2
Draws
5
KOs
45%
KO %
Born
1866
Died
1933
Nationality
USA
Career
1886–1903

Called the father of modern boxing for his scientific footwork and jab, Corbett dethroned Sullivan in the first major gloved title bout.

Titles & Honours

Career Timeline

1886–1903
  1. Milestone

    First recorded professional bout

    vs Billy Keneally · W PTS

    View fight record
  2. Signature fight

    vs Peter Jackson

    D61 Peter Jackson (1891) · California Athletic Club, San Francisco, California, U.S.

    View fight record
  3. Title history

    Title reign begins

    World Heavyweight Champion (1892–1897). Year from profile title history; exact title-winning bout not identified.

    View title / honour details
  4. Signature fight

    vs John L. Sullivan

    W KO21 John L. Sullivan (1892) · Olympic Club, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

    View fight record
  5. Signature fight

    vs Bob Fitzsimmons

    L KO14 Bob Fitzsimmons (1897) · The Race Track Arena, Carson City, Nevada, U.S.

    View fight record
  6. Milestone

    Latest recorded bout

    vs James J. Jeffries · L TKO. Not necessarily the retirement date.

    View fight record

Derived from the current archive and profile honours. Title-reign years are not exact bout dates; title claims are not independently verified. Signature fights use existing profile selections, or clearly labelled wins over other archived fighters when no selections exist. Year-only dates retain their original precision.

Photo Archive

Stage actor James J. Corbett. Subjects: actors
Stage actor James J. Corbett. Subjects: actors
Signed drawing of James J Corbett by Manuel Rosenberg 1922
Signed drawing of James J Corbett by Manuel Rosenberg 1922
James J. Corbett preparing for the day's work.
James J. Corbett preparing for the day's work.
James J. Corbett, American boxer, punching the bag to get in condition to handle James J. Jeffries for the championship fight. First photos taken with gloves in five years
James J. Corbett, American boxer, punching the bag to get in condition to handle James J. Jeffries for the championship fight. First photos taken with gloves in five years
Advertising for the film serial The Midnight Man (1919) with James J. Corbett in The Moving Picture World.
Advertising for the film serial The Midnight Man (1919) with James J. Corbett in The Moving Picture World.
Original text: While I found the photograph on a website, the photo was clearly taken the day of the fight, March 17, 1897. Add to that that this was the second of two times that Corbett and Fitzsimmo
Original text: While I found the photograph on a website, the photo was clearly taken the day of the fight, March 17, 1897. Add to that that this was the second of two times that Corbett and Fitzsimmo
Subjects: Corbett, James John, 1866- [from old catalog]; Boxing
Subjects: Corbett, James John, 1866- [from old catalog]; Boxing

7 archival photographs under their original licences.

Fight-by-Fight Record

DateResultOpponentMethodRoundVenue
1884-01-01WBilly KeneallyPTS4San Francisco, California, U.S.
1884-01-01WJoe ChoynskiKO1San Francisco, California, U.S.
1885-01-01WProfessor John DonaldsonPTS4San Francisco, California, U.S.
1885-08-28WDave EisemannTKO2Olympic Club, San Francisco, California, U.S.
1885-12-03WWilliam T. WelchKO1Oakland, California, U.S.
1886-07-03DDuncan McDonaldPTS6Opera House, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
1886-07-03WFrank SmithDQ3Pavilion, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
1886-12-01WDuncan McDonaldPTS6Evanston, Wyoming, U.S.
1887-01-01WBill HayesKO3San Francisco, California, U.S.
1887-02-02WMartin CostelloPTS3San Francisco, California, U.S.
1887-02-02WJames C. DaileyTKO2San Francisco, California, U.S.
1887-08-27DJack BurkePTS3San Francisco, California, U.S.
1888-06-30DFrank GloverPTS3San Francisco, California, U.S.
1888-11-01WWilliam MillerPTS6San Francisco, California, U.S.
1889-05-30NCJoe ChoynskiNC4Fairfax, California, U.S.
1889-06-05WJoe ChoynskiKO27Benicia Harbor, Benicia, California, U.S.
1889-07-01WGeorge AtkinsonKO1San Francisco, California, U.S.
1889-07-15WJoe ChoynskiPTS4San Francisco, California, U.S.
1889-12-11WAustralian Billy SmithPTS6Portland, Oregon, U.S.
1889-12-12WAustralian Billy SmithPTS6Portland, Oregon, U.S.
1889-12-28DDave CampbellPTS10Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, U.S.
1890-02-18WJake KilrainPTS6Southern Athletic Club, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
1890-04-14WDominick McCaffreyTKO4Fifth Avenue Casino, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
1891-05-21NCPeter JacksonNC61California Athletic Club, San Francisco, California, U.S.
1891-10-08WEd KinneyPTS4Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
1892-02-16NCJoe LannonPTS4New York City, New York, U.S.
1892-04-06WJohn McCannTKO1Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
1892-09-07WJohn L. SullivanKO21Olympic Club, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
1894-01-25WCharley MitchellKO3Duvall Athletic Club, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
1896-06-24DTom SharkeyPTS4Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, U.S.
1897-03-17LBob FitzsimmonsKO14The Race Track Arena, Carson City, Nevada, U.S.
1898-11-22LTom SharkeyDQ9Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, U.S.
1900-05-11LJames J. JeffriesKO23Seaside Athletic Club, Coney Island, New York, U.S.
1900-08-30WKid McCoyKO5Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1903-08-14LJames J. JeffriesTKO10Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, U.S.

Showing 35 of 35 recorded fights · last updated 2026-10-11. Imported record tables are not independently verified and may be incomplete. Early-era logs include newspaper decisions (NWS), which are not counted in the official totals above.

Record notes

Fight record last retrieved: 2026-10-11. Title histories remain subject to archival review.

Historical-era totals differ between record-keeping conventions (newspaper decisions, exhibitions).

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