Fireman Jim Flynn
Encyclopedia
Andrew Chiariglione, usually known as Fireman Jim Flynn, (24 December 1879 – 12 April 1935) was an American boxer
of the early twentieth century.
, Flynn's first recorded fight was in 1899, and in 1906 he was offered a title shot by heavyweight champion Tommy Burns
. They met on 2 October 1906, with Burns stopping Flynn in the 15th round. Flynn fought the highly-rated Sam Langford
in 1908 and twice more in 1910, losing twice and gaining a draw in the other.
On 4 July 1912, Flynn challenged for the world title a second time, this time against Jack Johnson
. Despite being warned by the referee, Flynn continually attempted to headbutt Johnson, and the local sheriff eventually stepped in to stop the fight in Johnson's favour.
He continued to fight rated contenders such as Battling Levinsky
, Billy Miske
, Jack Dillon
and Gunboat Smith
, and scored a first round knock-out over future heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey
in February 1917 (He was the only fighter to ever knock out Jack Dempsey), although boxing historian Monte Cox has questioned the legitimacy of the result. A year later Flynn met Dempsey again, and this time Flynn was knocked out in the first round.
Flynn continued to fight into his 40s. He fought three further bouts against Langford, losing all three, and beat Tiger Flowers
, the future middleweight champion, in 1923. He finally retired in 1925 after a 26 year ring career, with a final record of 47-53-20, including 33 wins by knockout
.
Boxing
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...
of the early twentieth century.
Biography
A native of Hoboken, New JerseyHoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, Flynn's first recorded fight was in 1899, and in 1906 he was offered a title shot by heavyweight champion Tommy Burns
Tommy Burns (boxer)
Tommy Burns , born Noah Brusso, is the only Canadian born world heavyweight champion boxer. The first to travel the globe in defending his title, Tommy made 11 title defenses despite often being the underdog due to his size. Burns famously challenged all comers as Heavyweight Champion, leading to...
. They met on 2 October 1906, with Burns stopping Flynn in the 15th round. Flynn fought the highly-rated Sam Langford
Sam Langford
Sam Langford was a Black Canadian boxing standout of the early part of the 20th century. Called the "Greatest Fighter Nobody Knows," by ESPN. He was rated #2 by The Ring on their list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". Langford was originally from Weymouth Falls, a small community in Nova...
in 1908 and twice more in 1910, losing twice and gaining a draw in the other.
On 4 July 1912, Flynn challenged for the world title a second time, this time against Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
. Despite being warned by the referee, Flynn continually attempted to headbutt Johnson, and the local sheriff eventually stepped in to stop the fight in Johnson's favour.
Battling Levinsky
Barney Williams , was light heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1916 to 1920.-Boxing career:...
, Billy Miske
Billy Miske
Billy Miske, alias The Saint Paul Thunderbolt , was a professional boxer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. -Professional Boxing Career:...
, Jack Dillon
Jack Dillon
Ernest Cutler Price was light heavyweight boxing champion of the world.-Personal:...
and Gunboat Smith
Gunboat Smith
Edward "Gunboat" Smith was an Irish American boxer and later a boxing referee.- Boxing career :Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent much of his youth in orphanages, working on farms and on the railroads. He joined the U.S...
, and scored a first round knock-out over future heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
in February 1917 (He was the only fighter to ever knock out Jack Dempsey), although boxing historian Monte Cox has questioned the legitimacy of the result. A year later Flynn met Dempsey again, and this time Flynn was knocked out in the first round.
Flynn continued to fight into his 40s. He fought three further bouts against Langford, losing all three, and beat Tiger Flowers
Tiger Flowers
Theodore Flowers became the first African-American middleweight boxing champion, defeating Harry Greb in 1926. Known as "Tiger", he began boxing professionally in 1918 at the age of 23 while working at a Philadelphia shipbuilding plant...
, the future middleweight champion, in 1923. He finally retired in 1925 after a 26 year ring career, with a final record of 47-53-20, including 33 wins by knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
.
External links
- Fireman Jim Flynn at FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...