James Red Herring
Encyclopedia
James Bryan Herring, also known as Red Herring, was a boxer and a champion in the light welterweight
division.
Herring was born on March 19, 1896, in Paducah, Kentucky
, and began boxing in 1913 when he won a bout as a featherweight by KO, fighting on a benefit card for striking railroad workers in Paducah.
He was a Sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War I, and was stationed at both Camp Pike, Arkansas and Camp Shelby, Mississippi where he served as boxing instructor. He claimed to have gone 35-0-1 in 36 army bouts with the draw coming against the camp's heavyweight. He was the All-Southern Army Lightweight Champion in 1917. He is also said to have been the Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight Champion at Camp Shelby
.
In 1919 after winning a Lightweight elimination tournament in the South, Herring got a chance to meet World Lightweight Champion Benny Leonard
on December 19, 1919, in Memphis, Tennessee. Leonard won the bout by TKO in the sixth round.
Herring fought Young Stribling
twice in 1922 in Macon, Georgia
, earning a 10-round draw in the first fight and losing a 10 round decision in the second fight. Stribling would later tell the New Yorker magazine that Herring hit him with one of the hardest punches he had ever felt in his career.
Herring won the World Jr. Welterweight title March 27, 1925 from Pinky Mitchell
, when Mitchell was disqualified by referee Slim McClelland. This was disputed due to Mitchell weighing in at 146 pounds, well above the Jr. Welterweight limit. Nonetheless Herring claimed the title until 1929. He was also photographed with the title at times well after 1925.
Herring retired from boxing in 1930 after fighting a ten-round draw with former British Lightweight and Welterweight title holder Harry Mason at Utica Stadium. Herring returned to the ring in 1933 for four fights, in an attempt to bring fans to Convention Hall in Utica where he was a fight promoter from 1933-1937.
From 1938-1940 he was the Recreational Director for the town of New Hartford, New York.
From 1955-1960 he was the athletic director at Griffis Air Force Base in Rome, New York.
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
division.
Herring was born on March 19, 1896, in Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
, and began boxing in 1913 when he won a bout as a featherweight by KO, fighting on a benefit card for striking railroad workers in Paducah.
He was a Sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War I, and was stationed at both Camp Pike, Arkansas and Camp Shelby, Mississippi where he served as boxing instructor. He claimed to have gone 35-0-1 in 36 army bouts with the draw coming against the camp's heavyweight. He was the All-Southern Army Lightweight Champion in 1917. He is also said to have been the Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight Champion at Camp Shelby
Camp Shelby
Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate begins at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to serve as a major, independent mobilization station of the...
.
In 1919 after winning a Lightweight elimination tournament in the South, Herring got a chance to meet World Lightweight Champion Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard was an American lightweight boxer. He was named as number 8 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years and number 7 on ESPN's 50 Greatest Boxers of All-Time....
on December 19, 1919, in Memphis, Tennessee. Leonard won the bout by TKO in the sixth round.
Herring fought Young Stribling
Young Stribling
Young Stribling was a professional boxer in the Heavyweight division.He was the elder brother of fellow boxer Herbert Stribling.- Background :...
twice in 1922 in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, earning a 10-round draw in the first fight and losing a 10 round decision in the second fight. Stribling would later tell the New Yorker magazine that Herring hit him with one of the hardest punches he had ever felt in his career.
Herring won the World Jr. Welterweight title March 27, 1925 from Pinky Mitchell
Pinky Mitchell
Pinky Mitchell was an American boxer who was the first champion in the light welterweight division.-Early life:Born Myron Mitchell on January 1, 1899, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mitchell was nicknamed Pinky because of his father's statement, on seeing Mitchell in his crib as a baby, that "he's like a...
, when Mitchell was disqualified by referee Slim McClelland. This was disputed due to Mitchell weighing in at 146 pounds, well above the Jr. Welterweight limit. Nonetheless Herring claimed the title until 1929. He was also photographed with the title at times well after 1925.
Herring retired from boxing in 1930 after fighting a ten-round draw with former British Lightweight and Welterweight title holder Harry Mason at Utica Stadium. Herring returned to the ring in 1933 for four fights, in an attempt to bring fans to Convention Hall in Utica where he was a fight promoter from 1933-1937.
Outside the Ring
He ran a gym in Utica, NY in the late 1920s, with minor league baseball player Art Mills running the gym when Herring was on the road.From 1938-1940 he was the Recreational Director for the town of New Hartford, New York.
From 1955-1960 he was the athletic director at Griffis Air Force Base in Rome, New York.