John Donaldson

BORN    1853; Cleveland, Ohio (Some sources report 1860); Fought out of Cleveland and Minneapolis
DIED    December 27, 1897; Cleveland, Ohio (Some sources report December 7, 1897)
HEIGHT  5-10 1/2
WEIGHT  160-180 lbs
RACE    White; Irish-American

Donaldson was a clever boxer-type; He was quick on his feet and moved well

During his career, Donaldson defeated such men as Bryan Campbell, Jack Keefe, James Dalton, and Al Marx

He was a frequent sparring partner for Jim Corbett and is best known for his two contests against John L. Sullivan

Undated (Before 1880)
       Dan Carr                   Cleveland, Oh                     W  7
       Bryan Campbell             Bradford, Pa                      W  3

1880
       Jack McDonald              Buffalo, NY                       D  3
May 26 Bluett Boyd                Buffalo, NY                      KO  1
Aug 13 Jim Taylor                 Mount Clemens, Mi                KO  5
Dec 20 John L. Sullivan           Cincinnati, Oh                   EX  4
          -Sullivan stopped Donaldson
Dec 24 John L. Sullivan           Cincinnati, Oh                   LK 10
          -Some sources report 1881
Dec 27 -Donaldson and Sullivan were arrested for prizefighting
          but were released two days later

1881
       C.A.C. Smith               East Saginaw, Mi                  L  4
          -Some sources report "LK 4" during 1879

1882
Jun 14 "Captain" James Dalton     Milwaukee, Wi                    EX  4
Aug  4 Morris O'Connell           Milwaukee, Wi                    EX  3
Aug 12 "Captain" James Dalton     Chicago, Il                      EX   
Oct  7 Ed Seward                  Racine, Wi                       EX  3
Nov 14 C.A.C. Smith               Port Huron, Mi                    D  4
Dec 20 George Kitterman           LaSalle, Il                      KO  4

1883
Feb 17 "Captain" James Dalton     Milwaukee, Wi                    EX   
Feb 25 A.S. Harmon                Racine, Wi                       EX  3
Apr  8 Jack Keefe                 Norway, Mi                        W   
May 18 "Captain" James Dalton     Milwaukee, Wi                     L  3
          -Police intervened
Aug  4 "Captain" James Dalton     Minneapolis, Mn                   W  4
          -Some sources report "L 4"
Nov 26 Steve Taylor               St. Paul, Mn                     EX   

1884
Apr 12 J. Beecher                 Minneapolis, Mn                  KO  2
Nov    Duncan McDonald            Butte, Mt                         L  4
          -McDonald lasted and claimed the win

1883-1885 
       Jim Corbett                                                  L  4

1885
Jan  3 Jack Keefe                 Cedar Rapids, Ia                  L  3
May 20 -Donaldson seconded Patsy Mellen vs Jake Kilrain 
           at Minneapolis, Mn
Sep 24 Patsy Cardiff              Minneapolis, Mn                   L  4
Oct 16 Patsy Cardiff              Milwaukee, Wi                    EX   

1886
Jul  4 Al Marx                    Deadwood, Dakota Territory       KO  7
       Frank Herald               Minneapolis, Mn                 SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Sep 17 John Cusick                Ashland, Wi                      LK  3
          -Some sources report "LK 2"

1887
Aug  8 -Some sources report that Donaldson was the backer 
           of Patsy Cardiff and willing to pit him against
           any man in the world for $5,000, London rules

1889
Mar    Patsy Cardiff              Helena, Montana Territory        EX   
Sep 28 Jim Corbett                San Francisco, Ca                EX  3
          -Reports vary - "EX 4" - "L 4"
Oct    Paddy Ryan                 San Francisco, Ca                 W   
          -This was a barroom fight

1890
Apr 30 Jim Corbett                Sacramento, Ca                   EX   

1891
Jan 15 Jim Corbett                New Orleans, La                  EX   

Feb    -Donaldson and Corbett toured the eastern United States and
           sparred; They appeared in New York, Brooklyn and Chicago;
           Probably, other cities too

Mar    -Donaldson and Corbett sparred in San Francisco during March
           and April 1891

1892
Oct  3 Jim Corbett                in New Jersey                    EX   
          -This bout was part of the play Gentleman Jack
Oct  4 Jim Corbett                Wilmington, De                   EX   
Oct  5 Jim Corbett                Asbury Park, NJ                  EX   
          -This bout was part of the play Gentleman Jack

          -Donaldson and Corbett toured the eastern United States and
           sparred as part of the play, Gentleman Jack, for several months

1893
Sep  4 Jim Corbett                New York, NY                     EX  3
Oct  4 Jim Corbett                Wilmington, De                   EX  3
Oct    Jim Corbett                Interlaken, NJ                   EX   
Nov    Jim Corbett                Cleveland, Oh                    EX   
          -This bout was held during November 20-25 1893
Nov 27 Jim Corbett                Buffalo, NY                      EX   
Dec 16 Jim Corbett                Mayport, Fl                      EX   
Dec    -Donaldson was one of Corbett's sparring partners 
           while Jim prepared for the Charlie Mitchell bout
Dec 31 Jim Corbett                Mayport, Fl                      EX   

1894
Jan 18 Jim Corbett                Mayport, Fl                      EX   
Jan 19 Jim Corbett                Mayport, Fl                      EX   
Jan 28 Jim Corbett                New York, NY                    SCH   

          -Donaldson and Corbett were planning to go on a two-month
           sparring tour as part of the play, Gentleman Jack; They
           reportedly appeared in Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh,
           Harlem and Washington, DC

Feb 12 Jim Corbett                Philadelphia, Pa                 EX  4
          -This bout was part of the play, Gentleman Jack

          -Corbett and Donaldson returned to their sparring tour
           as part of the play, Gentleman Jack; They reportedly 
           appeared in Cincinnati, St. Louis, Newark, Brooklyn,
           Louisville and Philadelphia

Apr  9 Jim Corbett                Philadelphia, Pa                 EX  4
          -This bout was part of the play, Gentleman Jack

Apr 12 -Donaldson sailed for Europe with Jim Corbett; They were
          scheduled to spar in the play, Gentleman Jack, beginning 
          Apr 21 1894

          -Donaldson and Corbett performed in their sparring tour
           as part of the play, Gentleman Jack; They reportedly 
           appeared in London, Paris, provinces in England, Ireland
           and Scotland

          -A biography of Corbett reported that Donaldson and Jim
           sparred as part of the play, Gentleman Jack, and appeared
           in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester,
           Birmingham, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Brighton, Southampton,
           Sheffield, Belfast and Dublin

Jul    -Donaldson and Corbett sailed for America (on about Jul 20)
          and arrived Aug 1; Donaldson became semi-retired and 
          Steve O'Donnell became Corbett's primary sparring partner

1895
Sep 30 Jim Corbett                New York, NY                     EX  1

1896
Dec 14 George Rooke               New York, NY                     EX  3

*** Assistance Was Provided By Sergei Yurchenko **

Record courtesy of Tracy Callis and William Schutte, Historians,
International Boxing Research Organization