Today in sports history

The greatest boxer of his day, and one of the best-known athletes of the 19th century, John L. Sullivan, died 90 years ago today at age 59.

There were no formal championships in those days, but Sullivan was the first boxer to be considered heavyweight champion of the world, after he beat fellow fighting Irishman Paddy Ryan in 1882. He was given a belt in 1887 with the inscription "Presented to the Champion of Champions, John L. Sullivan, by the Citizens of the United States."

Sullivan knocked out Jake Kilrain in round 75 (That's right: ROUND SEVENTY-FIVE) on July 8, 1889, in Richburg, Mississippi, in the last bare-knuckle heavyweight championship ever fought. Sullivan vomited in the 44th round, but recovered, and Kilrain gave up 31 rounds later. The number of rounds is a bit misleading, however, as the fight was under the London Prize Ring Rules, and not the Queensbury Rules that govern boxing today. Under the London rules, a round ended whenever one of the fighters fell or got knocked down, rather than being timed. Still, the outdoor fight lasted several hours, and it gets pretty hot in Mississippi in July.

Sullivan, a heavy drinker in his younger years, became a teetotaler and temperance advocate later in life. But it was too late to save him; he died of a liver ailment.