Please read this amazing article on Paddy Monaghan, he is the greatest bare kunckle boxer ever, Paddy won 114 fights from 1962 to 1980 with nothing but hand wraps. He was the last bare kunckle champion in the modern era to fight with out gloves and not loose a match.
Let's get this man inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame..
Everyone knows the last bareknuckle championship bout was fought between the great John L. Sullivan and Jake Kilrain in Richburg, Mississippi on July 8, 1889. Sports Illustrated reported as much in the August 23, 1954 issue of that illustrious sports periodical.
Everyone is wrong.
Irishman Paddy Monaghan can give you at least 114 reasons why they are wrong. That is because, from 1962 to 1980, Monaghan visited a dozen countries to fight 114 times wearing nothing on his hands but wraps. He never lost.
Paddy Monaghan was born February 19, 1944 in the village of Ederney in Northern Ireland. He had a difficult childhood, beset by poverty and bullies. He left school at age five, and he developed a reputation as a fighter. As a teenager this tendency would be harnessed by professional bareknuckle manager Tommy Heard, who scolded young Paddy with the tough wisdom: "Only mugs fight for nothing". By the age of eighteen Monaghan was fighting men years older and was himself teaching a little tough wisdom to those who considered him an easy mark.
Monaghan fought under the auspices of the now defunct Bareknuckle Boxing organization (BKB). While the BKB organized the fights and saw that medical supervision was provided, bareknuckle fighting was never sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control. Nor were these fights legal in the US when Monaghan made his way across the Atlantic to expand his fistic empire. According to Paddy, this was hardly a problem as the law cast a 'blind eye' and 'many of them were even punters'. In Paddy's words, punters were "the guys who came to the fights because they loved blood and gore - also the betting!"
He knocked out Canadian Jean Paul Durrell to take the Middleweight (160 pound) championship in 1974. He defended the title twenty-seven times over six years. He did this with no gloves. Compare to the longest reigning gloved middleweight champion of the world, Bernard Hopkins. He was middleweight king for just five years (1995-2005) and defended his title(s) only twenty-one times. One might point out that Hopkins only became the unified champion in 1994 when he added the WBA super world middleweight belt to his WBC, IBF and WBO straps. In short, Paddy Monaghan had the longest reign as middleweight boxing champion of the world with or without gloves, and he defended his title more times than anyone.
Monaghan claims he never considered a switch to Queensbury rules boxing, or gloved boxing as we know it today. "I wouldn't switch over to Queensbury rules..., because my reputation as a BKB fighter meant they would not have accepted me anyway."
Ultimately it was loyalty that kept Monaghan punching with bare knuckles; he had the 'greatest respect' for his longtime manager, Tommy Heard.
Monaghan is also famous for fights that did not involve his fists. Disgusted that Muhammad Ali's title was stripped and his boxing license suspended for actions having nothing to do with the ring, Paddy campaigned to free Ali from his boxing exile. Though Joe Frazier's work on Ali's behalf is well known, he was not the only heavy hitter in Ali's corner during these dark times. Shortly after Monaghan submitted his collected signatures to the US ambassador Ali saw his boxing license reinstated. Upon learning of the Irishman's efforts Ali paid the bareknuckle fighter a visit. This sparked a friendship that has lasted through the years.
Monaghan's story is largely lost to fight fans today, but this should soon change. Just as Monaghan spoke out on behalf of Ali more than four decades ago, an effort is under way to have the world's greatest bareknuckle fighter inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Perhaps more exciting to Monaghan's fans, and more impactful to his legacy, Monaghan's son Tyrone has scripted a biopic about his father's life. Under the auspices of Angel Films Ireland, the younger Monaghan is bringing the incredible tale to film. For American fight fans interested in the film, Paddy promises it will be released in the US. Tyrone Monaghan guarantees world theatrical domination. Who are we to doubt? The Monaghan name is synonymous with 'knockout'!
His is his story... http://www.fightsaga.com/news/item/1084-Paddy-Monaghan-The-Greatest-Bareknuckle-Boxer-Ever
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