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

John L. Sullivan

"The Boston Strong Boy"

38
Wins
1
Losses
3
Draws
33
KOs
87%
KO %
Born
1858
Died
1918
Nationality
USA
Career
1878–1905

The first sporting superstar in America, Sullivan bridged the bare-knuckle and gloved eras and famously offered to fight 'any man in the house.'

Titles & Honours

Career Timeline

1878–1905
  1. Milestone

    First recorded professional bout

    vs John A. Hogan · W PTS

    View fight record
  2. Signature fight

    vs Paddy Ryan

    W KO9 Paddy Ryan (1882) · Mississippi City, Mississippi, U.S.

    View fight record
  3. Milestone

    25th recorded win

    vs James McCoy · TKO. Newspaper decisions excluded.

    View fight record
  4. Signature fight

    vs Jake Kilrain

    W KO75 Jake Kilrain (1889) – last bare-knuckle title fight · Richburg, Mississippi, U.S.

    View fight record
  5. Milestone

    Latest recorded bout

    vs James J. Corbett · L KO. Not necessarily the retirement date.

    View fight record
  6. Signature fight

    vs James J. Corbett

    L KO21 James J. Corbett (1892) · Olympic Club, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

    View fight record

Title wins · dates not yet documented

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

John L. Sullivan - Jake Kilrain fight, 1898. Library of Congress description: "Sullivan-Kilrain boxing match, Richburg, Miss."
John L. Sullivan - Jake Kilrain fight, 1898. Library of Congress description: "Sullivan-Kilrain boxing match, Richburg, Miss."
Caricature of Sullian Corbett prizefight
Caricature of Sullian Corbett prizefight
John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918), also known as the Boston Strong Boy, in his prime. He was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from February 7, 1
John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918), also known as the Boston Strong Boy, in his prime. He was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from February 7, 1
John L. Sullivan. Library of Congress description: "The champion of all champions--'Hoping to deserve your appreciation, I remain yours truly - John L. Sullivan'. Illus. from: Supplement to Police Gaz
John L. Sullivan. Library of Congress description: "The champion of all champions--'Hoping to deserve your appreciation, I remain yours truly - John L. Sullivan'. Illus. from: Supplement to Police Gaz

4 archival photographs under their original licences.

Fight-by-Fight Record

DateResultOpponentMethodRoundVenue
1879-01-01WJohn A. HoganPTS4
1879-01-01WTommy ChandlerPTS4
1879-03-13WJack CurleyKO0Fight to the finish;Show began on the 13th. Fight began on the 14th at 1am
1879-03-14WJohnny Cocky WoodsKO5
1879-06-28WGeorge RookeKO3Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
1879-06-28WDan DwyerTKO3
1880-12-24WProfessor John DonaldsonRTD10Pacific Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
1881-03-31WSteve TaylorTKO2Harry Hill's, New York City, New York, U.S.
1881-05-16WJohn FloodKO8Yonkers, New York, U.S.
1881-07-11WFred CrossleyKO1Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1881-07-21WDan McCartyKO1Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1881-08-13WCaptain James DaltonKO4
1881-09-03WJack BurnsKO1Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1882-02-07WPaddy RyanRTD9Mississippi City, Mississippi, U.S.
1882-04-20WJohn McDermontTKO3Grand Opera House, Rochester, New Hampshire, U.S.
1882-07-04WJimmy ElliottKO3Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
1882-07-17WJoe CollinsPTS4Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1882-09-23WHenry HigginsTKO3St. James Athletic Club, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
1882-10-16WS P StocktonKO2Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
1882-10-30WCharley O'DonnellKO1Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1882-11-17WP J RentzlerTKO1Theatre Comique, Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
1883-01-25WHarry GilmanKO3Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1883-05-14WCharley MitchellTKO3
1883-08-06WHerbert SladeTKO3Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1883-10-17WJames McCoyTKO1McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1883-11-03WJim MilesTKO1East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S.
1883-11-26WMorris HefeyKO1Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
1883-12-04WMike SheehanTKO1Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
1884-01-01WJeff TomkinsKO1
1884-01-12WFred RobinsonKO2Butte, Montana, U.S.
1884-02-01WBoiquetKO1Victoria, British Columbia, U.S.
1884-02-01WSylvester Le GouriffKO1Astoria, Oregon, U.S.
1884-02-06WJames LangKO1Seattle, Washington, U.S.
1884-03-06WGeorge M RobinsonDQ4Mechanic's Pavilion San Francisco, California, U.S.
1884-04-10WAl MarxKO1Grand Opera House, Galveston, Texas, U.S.
1884-04-29WDan HenryKO1Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
1884-05-01WWilliam FlemingKO1Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
1884-05-02WEnos PhillipsKO4Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
1884-11-10WJohn LaflinKO4New York City, New York, U.S.
1885-01-12WAlf GreenfieldPTS4Institute Hall, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
1885-01-19NCPaddy RyanNC1Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1885-06-13WJack BurkePTS5Driving Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1885-08-29WDominick McCaffreyPTS7Chester Driving Park, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
1886-09-18WFrank HeraldTD2Coliseum Rink, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1886-11-13WPaddy RyanKO3Mechanic's Pavilion San Francisco, California, U.S.
1887-01-18DPatsy CardiffPTS6Washington Roller Rink, Minneapolis, Minnesota U.S.
1888-01-05WWilliam SamuellsTKO3Philharmonic Hall, Cardiff, Wales
1888-03-10DCharley MitchellPTS39Chantilly, Oise, France
1889-07-08WJake KilrainKO75Richburg, Mississippi, U.S.
1892-09-07LJames J. CorbettKO21Olympic Club, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.WTD2 (?)0

Showing 51 of 51 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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