Grateful American® Foundation

Who suffered the first boxing fatality in the US?

September 13th

Picture-of-Bare-Knuckled-BoxerSeptember 13, 1842 — Today, in Hastings, New York, a prize fight between Christopher Lilly and Thomas McCoy lasted 2.41 hours. In the 77th round, McCoy collapsed and died in front of 2,000 fans.

According to news sources, the coroner’s investigation of McCoy’s remains showed that fluid from wounds that he had received during the fight had drained into McCoy’s lungs and that he had drown. It was the first fatality n an fight that took place in the US.

According to historians, bare-knuckled fights were of importance to the British, the results were not quite as important in America who took no notice to these boxing bouts.

Boxing in the USA, during the 19th century, could be placed in two categories: prize fighting, or boxers fought for money in bare knuckled contested bouts. Both categories of boxing was to the attraction of professional gamblers and consolidated organised criminality that found their way into the boxing circles, that caused the sport to fall foul of local authorities laws.

Words of Wisdom

Seems to me if grate Men dont leeve off writing Pollyticks, breaking Heads, boxing Ears, ringing Noses and kicking Breeches, we shall by and by want a world of Hemp more for our own consumshon.

— John Adams, in a 1763 Boston Evening-Post column about the advantages of growing hemp.

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