Al O'Brien
| BORN |
1859
(Fought out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| WEIGHT |
132-141 lbs |
|
Undated (possibly 1885-1890)
Horace Leeds Atlantic City, NJ EX
1891
Jul 4 Frank Young (Black Wonder) Pottsville, Pa KO 2
Jul 5 Frank Young (Black Wonder) Tumbling Run, Pa W 10
-Some sources report "Jack Young"
Jul 11 Frank Myers Philadelphia, Pa LK 2
Dec 26 Henry Lutz New York, NY KO 1
1892
Feb 6 Charles "Bull" McCarthy New York, NY L 4
-O'Brien fought a man named "Charles McCarthy";
It appears that this same man was "Charles Bull McCarthy";
Some sources report "L 6"
Feb 27 "Hoboken" Tommy Kelly New York, NY ND 6
Apr 2 Jack Smith Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Apr 4 -O'Brien was challenged by "Hoboken" Tommy Kelly to a bout
Apr 29 Frank Young (Black Wonder) Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
May 2 Jimmy Carroll Philadelphia, Pa ND 3
May 4 Jimmy Carroll Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
May 7 Austin Gibbons New York, NY SCH
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled
May 7 Charles "Bull" McCarthy Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
May 7 "Brooklyn" Paddy Smith New York, NY SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
May 18 -O'Brien accepted the challenge of "Hoboken" Tommy Kelly to a bout at 133 lbs
May 21 Charles "Bull" McCarthy Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
May 24 Tommy Green Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled as part of a Benefit for Al O'Brien;
The outcome is not known; Green was from New York
Jun 2 Billy Frazier Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Jun 11 Lon Hayes Camden, NJ SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Jun 14 -O'Brien was scheduled to spar at Philadelphia, Pa (Southwark AC)
Jun 22 George Reynolds New York, NY KO 2
-Some sources report 07/22/1892; Some sources report "LK 3"
Jul 1 -O'Brien challenged any lightweight in the world to a bout
Jul 9 Jack Burke Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled
Sep 3 Jack Burke Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled
Sep 26 Billy Dacey Brooklyn, NY SCH
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled
Oct 14 -O'Brien was scheduled to spar at Philadelphia, Pa (Oxford AC)
Oct 15 Al O'Brien's Unknown Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Oct 29 Frank Young (Black Wonder) Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Nov 1 Lon Hayes Philadelphia, Pa EX
Nov 19 "Brooklyn" Paddy Smith New York, NY SCH
-This bout was scheduled but not held; Smith claimed he had an injured ankle
Nov "Hoboken" Tommy Kelly New York, NY SCH
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled
Nov 26 -O'Brien was challenged by Jimmy McHale to a bout
Dec 2 Owen Zeigler Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled
Dec 3 Mike Kearney Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known;
Kearney was called the Lightweight Champion of New England
Dec 8 Walter Campbell Gloucester City, NJ SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Dec 10 Jimmy McHale Philadelphia, Pa ND 2
-The men fought wildly and wrestled often;
The referee could not control them; He stopped the fight
Dec 15 Frank Myers Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
1893
Jan 7 Owen Zeigler Philadelphia, Pa LK 3
-Lightweight Championship of Philadelphia
Feb Horace Leeds Philadelphia, Pa EX
-Leeds was a sparring partner for O'Brien during late
Jan-early Feb 1893; A number of bouts were held;
O'Brien ran 8-10 miles per day
Feb 4 Isaac "Ike" O'Neil Weir Girardville, Pa LK 3
Feb 16 Horace Leeds Philadelphia, Pa EX
Feb 23 Billy Welch Buffalo, NY KO 10
-Some sources report "W 10"
Mar 12 -O'Brien was challenged by Billy Lavigne to a bout
Apr 16 -O'Brien was challenged by Dutch Neal to a bout
May 13 George Dawson Philadelphia, Pa ND 4
May 20 George Dawson Philadelphia, Pa EX
May 29 Bob Fitzsimmons Philadelphia, Pa EX 3
Jul 4 Horace Leeds New York, NY ND 6
-Stanton Abbott was the referee
Jul 31 Owen Zeigler Philadelphia, Pa LT 3
-A couple of seconds for O'Brien jumped into the ring;
The referee stopped the bout; The bout ended in a row;
Ziegler was better
Aug 2 -O'Brien was scheduled to spar at Philadelphia, Pa (Union AC)
Nov 25 Jim Burge New York, NY ND 6
-O'Brien claimed he was not told to weigh in at 133 lbs;
Burge objected to his weight and would not fight unless
O'Brien agreed he had to knock out Burge or the verdict
would be called a "draw"; O'Brien agreed to this but was
upset; Weights: 141-133; One source reports 139-133
1894
Jan 31 "Wilmington" Jack Daly Washington, DC L 6
Jan Billy Young Washington, DC SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Feb Joe Burke SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Feb 17 Patsy Francis New York, NY W 4
-This bout was part of a Benefit for Mike Donovan
Mar 17 Joe Harmon New York, NY ND 4
Apr 16 Joe Harmon New York, NY L 6
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known;
The weight limit was 138 lbs; Harmon was at least 15 pounds heavier
Jul 3 -O'Brien and Con Sullivan got into a skirmish and Sullivan hit O'Brien
on the cheek with a knife, leaving an ugly cut; Sullivan was berating
Cliff Valentine over an old grudge and O'Brien said something in Cliff's
defense
Jul 29 -O'Brien was challenged by Jim Perry (England) to a bout
Aug 24 -O'Brien was planning on going to England with Denny Butler on a sparring tour
Aug 27 Charles "Rough House" Burns Brooklyn, NY KO 4
Sep 3 Jimmy McHale Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Sep 22 Jack Hanley Philadelphia, Pa LT 4
Oct 8 Jimmy Mitchell Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled
Oct 13 Jimmy Hagan Philadelphia, Pa ND 4
Oct 24 -O'Brien was scheduled to spar at Philadelphia, Pa (Nonpareil AC)
Oct 31 Jack Randall Philadelphia, Pa ND 4
Nov 3 John McCann Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Nov 6 -O'Brien was challenged by Paddy Sheehan to a bout
Nov 10 Chris Hinip Philadelphia, Pa ND 3
-Some sources report "Chris Hines"
Nov 13 -O'Brien accepted the challenge by Paddy Sheehan to a bout
Nov 13 Cliff Valentine Pottsville, Pa ND 3
Nov 14 -O'Brien challenged Jimmy Mitchell to a bout
Nov 28 Paddy Sheehan Philadelphia, Pa ND 4
-This bout was part of a Benefit for Al O'Brien
Dec 1 -O'Brien was scheduled to spar at Philadelphia, Pa (Nonpareil AC)
Dec "Wilmington" Jack Daly SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Dec 19 Charles Gehring Baltimore, Md LT 3
-Police intervened twice; First, when the fighting became
vigorous, they allowed the bout to continue; Then, when
the fighting became fast and O'Brien was winded, they
stopped it
1895
Jan 12 Leslie Pearce Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Jan 12 -O'Brien was employed as a motorman on the Camden, Gloucester
and Woodbury Electric Road
Jan 19 Tom Keenan Philadelphia, Pa ND
-Some sources report "John Keenan"
Feb 2 -O'Brien accepted the challenge by George Reynolds to a bout
Feb 2 John McCann Philadelphia, Pa ND 3
Feb 27 Andy Watson Philadelphia, Pa ND 4
Mar 12 Pepper Griffin New York, NY ND 6
Mar 14 -O'Brien challenged Tommy Kelly to a bout
Apr 3 Jimmy Handler Brooklyn, NY ND 10
May 7 Maurice Hagerstrom New York, NY W 8
May 15 Stanton Abbott New York, NY ND 6
Dec 7 Billy Hill Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-Hill used the name "Muldoon's Piccaninny"; Hill refused to fight; Conditions not known
Dec 14 Charles Gehring Philadelphia, Pa TK 2
1896
Jan 13 Stanton Abbott South Bethleham, Pa ND 6
Jan 18 Stanton Abbott New York, NY ND 4
Feb 1 Stanton Abbott Philadelphia, Pa ND 4
Feb 14 Al Smith Philadelphia, Pa ND 4
Feb 15 "Wilmington" Jack Daly Philadelphia, Pa ND 4
Apr 9 Dan McConnell Philadelphia, Pa D 6
Aug 17 Jim Holmes New York, NY D 6
-Police intervened; Some sources report "NC 5"
Oct 16 Paddy Sheehan Allentown, Pa ND 6
Nov 28 "Wilmington" Jack Daly Philadelphia, Pa ND 6
1897
Jan 9 Dan McConnell Philadelphia, Pa ND 4
-Some sources report "L 6"
Mar 6 Harry Smith Philadelphia, Pa ND 6
-This man was not the famous boxer
Apr 5 Zeke Cables Hartford, Ct KO 6
May 22 Mike Martin New York, NY L 10
Oct 5 Dan McConnell Athens, Pa ND 10
Oct 18 Jack Fox Brooklyn, NY L 10
*** The Following Bout Is Reported But Not Confirmed ***
1894
Mar 7 Charles "Bull" McCarthy Philadelphia, Pa ND 6
Review courtesy of
Tracy Callis,
Historian, International Boxing Research Organization
|