John Morrissey was an Irish-born American, whose parents moved to New York State when he was a young child. He became a professional gambler, owning gambling houses in New York City in the 1850s and 1860s. In 1853 he challenged and defeated American boxing champion Yankee Sullivan, who was then recognized as the American champion. Morrissey became a U.S. Congressman from New York, between 1867 and 1871, backed by Tammany Hall. He later fell out with the Tammany political machine and became Democratic State Senator for New York between 1876 and 1878, running as an anti-Tammany candidate.
About John Morrissey in brief
John Morrissey was an Irish-born American, whose parents moved to New York State when he was a young child. In the early 1850s he went to San Francisco at the time of the California Gold Rush. He became a professional gambler, owning gambling houses in New York City in the 1850s and 1860s. Morrissey became a U.S. Congressman from New York, between 1867 and 1871, backed by Tammany Hall. However, he later fell out with the Tammany political machine and became Democratic State Senator for New York between 1876 and 1878, running as an anti-Tammany candidate. He is said to have acquired his nickname, ‘Old Smoke’, as a result of a fight in which he was pinned on his back atop burning coals from a stove that had been overturned. In 1853 he challenged and defeated American boxing champion Yankee Sullivan, who was then recognized as the American champion. The fight took place in Boston Corners, which was then in Massachusetts, but out of reach of its authorities, so a good location for the illegal match took place. The first boxing rules, which were developed in the 19th century into the London Prize Ring Rules, were introduced by heavyweight champion Jack Broughton in 1743 to protect fighters in the ring where deaths sometimes occurred.
Under these rules, if a man went down and could not continue after a count of 30 seconds, the fight was over. Hitting a downed fighter and grasping below the waist were prohibited. Fights usually lasted for 20-30 rounds and Rounds continued until one fighter touched the ground with his knee, or simply fell down. It was during his time in California that Morrissey appeared for the first time in a professional prizefighting ring. On August 31, 1852 he defeated George Thompson at Mare Island, California in the 11th round, earning USD 5,000. This success encouraged him to return to New New York to fight the American Champion, Yankee Sullivan. In October 1853, Morrissey held his own against Sullivan for most of the fight until the 37th round when a struggle between the fighters developed into a struggle on the ropes. The event earned him the nickname \”Old Smoke\”, which stuck with him through the rest of his life. He went on to marry the daughter of a ship’s captain, Sarah Smith, around 1849. He died in 1878 and is buried in Orville, New York.
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