User:Ditch Fisher/sandbox/The Kilrain Fight

In July of 1889, Jake Kilrain and John L. Sullvian fought a boxing match at a farm outside of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in what was the last officially sanctioned bare-knuckle world heavyweight championship bout. The fight occurred under auspicions of secrecy, as prizefighting was illegal at the time; however, approximately 3,000 spectators attended, and newspapers across the world covered the event. The venue for the fight was hastily constructed, with trees being felled only the night before. The fight occurred under sweltering, 100-plus degree temperatures, with Sullivan winning by knock-out in the 75th round. Subsequently, both fighters were charged with illeagal prize fighting by authorities.

Pre-Fight
Even though prizefighting had been declared illeagal at the time (in all 38 states), newspapers across the country- and even internationally- had been reporting on the impending match-up for months. When the fight was finally scheduled, most attendees arrived by train, under the cover of darkness, routed out of New Orleans. Tickets were purposefully vague about the specific location of the fight. After rumours surfaced that the fight was to be held in Mississippi, state Governor Robert Lowrey offered a $1,500 reward for the arrest of Kilrain and Sullivan.

Legacy
Even though the fight had a championship on the line, it was not recognized until much later that it was the last officially sanction bare-knuckle boxing match in the United States. Over 1 million dollars was waged on the fight, at a time when the average worker made only .25 per day.

Sullivan died in 1918, with Kilrain being a pallbearer at his funeral. Kilrain died in 1937. There is a historical marker located at the crossroads near where the fight occurred.