Philadelphia Jack O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Joseph Francis Hagan (January 17, 1878 – November 12, 1942) was light heavyweight
boxing champion of the world.
and the cousin of heavyweight boxer Jack Rowan.
O'Brien turned pro in the 1890s. He stood 5-101/2 and weighed 152-165 pounds. He was agile, quick and limber, a two-handed puncher who landed often but not a particularly hard hitter. His best punches were a left jab and a hard overhand right, and he was a good defensive fighter who blocked punches well and counter-punched accurately.
O’Brien won the world light heavyweight championship with a 13-round TKO over Bob Fitzsimmons
in San Francisco, California
, but abandoned the title. He challenged world heavyweight champion Tommy Burns
on November 28, 1906, in Los Angeles, and got a 20-round draw. The referee was former world champion James J. Jeffries
. O’Brien challenged Burns again in Los Angeles on May 8, 1907, and this time Burns won the 20-round decision. He fought the fearsome middleweight champion Stanley Ketchel
in a 10-round No Decision on March 26, 1909, in which O’Brien was saved by the bell at the end of the 10th round. He fought heavyweight champion Jack Johnson
in a six-round No Decision on May 19, but on June 9 he faced Ketchel again and was beaten in three rounds.
His career record in 180 fights is 147 wins, 41 loses and 19 draws.
Hagan is believed to have managed a gym at 1658 Broadway, New York City, in the late 1920s/early 1930s. World middleweight champion Harry Greb trained in O’Brien’s at gym, and the only existing films of Greb in action are workouts and sparring with O’Brien.
He died on November 12, 1942.
O’Brien was also the chief second to Jack Dempsey at the 1926 Dempsey-Tunney bout in Philadelphia.
, founder and editor of The Ring Magazine, ranked O'Brien as the No. 2 All-Time Light Heavyweight, and Charley Rose ranked him as the No. 3 All-Time Light Heavyweight. O'Brien was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1968, the World Boxing Hall of Fame
in 1987, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994.
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
boxing champion of the world.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, Hagan was the older brother to Young Jack O'BrienYoung Jack O'Brien
Young Jack O'Brien, born John T. Hagan, was a lightweight boxer from Pennsylvania.-Biography:He was the brother of Philadelphia Jack O'Brien. On September 18, 1912 he beat Young Brown at the St. Nicholas Arena in New York City....
and the cousin of heavyweight boxer Jack Rowan.
O'Brien turned pro in the 1890s. He stood 5-101/2 and weighed 152-165 pounds. He was agile, quick and limber, a two-handed puncher who landed often but not a particularly hard hitter. His best punches were a left jab and a hard overhand right, and he was a good defensive fighter who blocked punches well and counter-punched accurately.
O’Brien won the world light heavyweight championship with a 13-round TKO over Bob Fitzsimmons
Bob Fitzsimmons
Robert James "Bob" Fitzsimmons , was a British boxer who made boxing history as the sport's first three-division world champion. He also achieved fame for beating Gentleman Jim Corbett, the man who beat John L. Sullivan, and is in The Guinness Book of World Records as the Lightest heavyweight...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, but abandoned the title. He challenged world 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...
on November 28, 1906, in Los Angeles, and got a 20-round draw. The referee was former world champion James J. Jeffries
James J. Jeffries
James Jackson Jeffries was a world heavyweight boxing champion.His greatest assets were his enormous strength and stamina. Using a technique taught to him by his trainer, former welterweight and middleweight champion Tommy Ryan, Jeffries fought out of a crouch with his left arm extended forward...
. O’Brien challenged Burns again in Los Angeles on May 8, 1907, and this time Burns won the 20-round decision. He fought the fearsome middleweight champion Stanley Ketchel
Stanley Ketchel
-External links:**...
in a 10-round No Decision on March 26, 1909, in which O’Brien was saved by the bell at the end of the 10th round. He fought heavyweight champion 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...
in a six-round No Decision on May 19, but on June 9 he faced Ketchel again and was beaten in three rounds.
His career record in 180 fights is 147 wins, 41 loses and 19 draws.
Hagan is believed to have managed a gym at 1658 Broadway, New York City, in the late 1920s/early 1930s. World middleweight champion Harry Greb trained in O’Brien’s at gym, and the only existing films of Greb in action are workouts and sparring with O’Brien.
He died on November 12, 1942.
Exhibitions
Known Exhibitions fought by O'Brien:- 1909-8-20 EX4 Dick Gilbert, Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
- 1909-2-11 EX4 Anthony J. Drexel BiddleAnthony J. Drexel BiddleAnthony Joseph Drexel Biddle I , also known as Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Sr., was the man upon whom the book My Philadelphia Father and the play and film The Happiest Millionaire were based...
, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,... - 1909-1-04 EX2 Fred Cooley, Washington S.C. Philadelphia, PA
- 1909-1-04 EX2 Jack Reed, Washington S.C. Philadelphia, PA
- 1909-1-04 EX2 Jack Cooper, Washington S.C. Philadelphia, PA
- 1908-9-23 EX4 Anthony J. Drexel BiddleAnthony J. Drexel BiddleAnthony Joseph Drexel Biddle I , also known as Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Sr., was the man upon whom the book My Philadelphia Father and the play and film The Happiest Millionaire were based...
, Philadelphia, PA - 1908-4-04 EX4 Anthony J. Drexel BiddleAnthony J. Drexel BiddleAnthony Joseph Drexel Biddle I , also known as Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Sr., was the man upon whom the book My Philadelphia Father and the play and film The Happiest Millionaire were based...
, Philadelphia, PA - 1902-3-26 EX Jack McCann, Reading, PennsylvaniaReading, PennsylvaniaReading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
- 1902-3-26 EX2 Morris Mahoney, Reading, PA
O’Brien was also the chief second to Jack Dempsey at the 1926 Dempsey-Tunney bout in Philadelphia.
Legacy
Nat FleischerNat Fleischer
Nathaniel Stanley Fleischer was a noted American boxing writer and collector. Fleischer inaugurated in 1922, encouraged by Tex Rickard, the Ring Magazine publication...
, founder and editor of The Ring Magazine, ranked O'Brien as the No. 2 All-Time Light Heavyweight, and Charley Rose ranked him as the No. 3 All-Time Light Heavyweight. O'Brien was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1968, the World Boxing Hall of Fame
World Boxing Hall of Fame
The World Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Riverside, California, United States, in Southern California. The WBHF is one of two recognized international boxing halls of fame with the other being the International Boxing Hall of Fame , with the IBHOF being the more widely recognized...
in 1987, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994.