Battling Nelson
Encyclopedia
Oscar Mathæus Nielsen, also known as Battling Nelson, (June 5, 1882-February 7, 1954) was a Danish
boxer who held the world lightweight
championship on two separate occasions. He was nicknamed "the Durable Dane".
, Denmark, but emigrated to the United States the following year and he was raised in Hegewisch, a neighborhood on the far southeast side of Chicago
. He died in 1954 in Chicago
, Illinois
after suffering serious head injuries
obtained from an attack during a street crime.
professionally in 1896. He fought for the vacant lightweight title against Jimmy Britt
on December 20, 1904, but lost a twenty-round decision. He lost to Abe Attell
in 1905 but then beat Jack O'Neill
to secure another shot at the title. This time, on September 9, 1905, he beat Britt by an eighteenth-round knockout.
He defended the title once against Terry McGovern
but then faced former champion Joe Gans
on September 3, 1906, in Goldfield, Nevada
. Gans dropped Nelson repeatedly during the bout, but could not knock him out. Finally, in the forty-second round, Nelson hit Gans low and was disqualified, losing the bout and his title.
In 1907 and 1908, Nelson split a pair of bouts with old foe Britt and he and Attell fought to a draw. He then challenged Gans for the title on July 4, 1908. This time he knocked Gans out in the seventeenth round. They fought again two months later, with Nelson winning by a twenty-one round knockout.
In 1909 Nelson fought Ad Wolgast in a fight held over the lightweight limit. Wolgast beat him and Nelson gave Wolgast a chance at his title on February 22, 1910. Eventually unable to see due to the accumulation of punches, Nelson lost the title when the referee stopped the fight in either the fortieth or the forty-second round.
Nelson continued to fight and in 1917 challenged Freddie Welsh
for the lightweight title. He lost a twelve-round decision and retired from fighting in 1920.
He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame
in 1992.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
boxer who held the world lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
championship on two separate occasions. He was nicknamed "the Durable Dane".
Personal history
Nelson was born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark, but emigrated to the United States the following year and he was raised in Hegewisch, a neighborhood on the far southeast side of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He died in 1954 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
after suffering serious head injuries
Head injury
Head injury refers to trauma of the head. This may or may not include injury to the brain. However, the terms traumatic brain injury and head injury are often used interchangeably in medical literature....
obtained from an attack during a street crime.
Boxing career
Nelson began boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
professionally in 1896. He fought for the vacant lightweight title against Jimmy Britt
Jimmy Britt
Jimmy Britt was a boxer from 1902 to 1909. He fought Joe Gans twice for the World lightweight title but lost both bouts.-Later life:...
on December 20, 1904, but lost a twenty-round decision. He lost to Abe Attell
Abe Attell
Abraham Washington "Abe" Attell , known in the boxing world as Abe "The Little Hebrew" Attell, was a boxer who became known for his record-setting six-year reign as World Featherweight Champion...
in 1905 but then beat Jack O'Neill
Jack O'Neill
Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, three science fiction shows about military teams exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices...
to secure another shot at the title. This time, on September 9, 1905, he beat Britt by an eighteenth-round knockout.
Terry McGovern (boxer)
Terrible Terry McGovern , born John Terrence McGovern in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States, was a boxer who held the world bantamweight and featherweight titles.-Professional career:...
but then faced former champion Joe Gans
Joe Gans
Joe Gans was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Gans was rated as the greatest lightweight boxer of all time by boxing historian and Ring Magazine founder, Nat Fleischer and was known as the "Old Master". He fought from 1891 to 1909.Gans started boxing professionally about 1891 in Baltimore...
on September 3, 1906, in Goldfield, Nevada
Goldfield, Nevada
Goldfield is an unincorporated community and the county seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States, with a resident population of 440 at the 2000 census. It is located about southeast of Carson City, along U.S...
. Gans dropped Nelson repeatedly during the bout, but could not knock him out. Finally, in the forty-second round, Nelson hit Gans low and was disqualified, losing the bout and his title.
In 1907 and 1908, Nelson split a pair of bouts with old foe Britt and he and Attell fought to a draw. He then challenged Gans for the title on July 4, 1908. This time he knocked Gans out in the seventeenth round. They fought again two months later, with Nelson winning by a twenty-one round knockout.
In 1909 Nelson fought Ad Wolgast in a fight held over the lightweight limit. Wolgast beat him and Nelson gave Wolgast a chance at his title on February 22, 1910. Eventually unable to see due to the accumulation of punches, Nelson lost the title when the referee stopped the fight in either the fortieth or the forty-second round.
Nelson continued to fight and in 1917 challenged Freddie Welsh
Freddie Welsh
Freddie Welsh was a Welsh lightweight boxing champion. Born in Pontypridd, Wales, and christened Frederick Hall Thomas, he was nicknamed the "Welsh Wizard". Brought up in a tough mining community, Welsh left a middle-class background to make a name for himself in America...
for the lightweight title. He lost a twelve-round decision and retired from fighting in 1920.
He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
in 1992.