Jim Hall (boxer)

Jim Hall
Jim Hall
Born	Montague James Furlong; 22 July 1868; Murnbyee, New South Wales
Died	14 March 1913 (aged 44); Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Nationality	Australian
Other names	Jim Hall
	Statistics
Weight(s)	158–170 lb (72–77 kg)
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Reach	76 in (193 cm)
Stance	orthodox
	Boxing record
Total fights	93
Wins	40
Wins by KO	37
Losses	12
Draws	9
No contests	30

Montague James Furlong (22 July 1868 – 14 March 1913), commonly known as Jim Hall, was an Australian

The Milwaukee Journal, Hall's career was affected by alcoholism, and he died of tuberculosis

in 1913.

Hall was the 2007 Inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame Pioneers category.

Biography

Australia

Born in Murnbyee, New South Wales, Hall began his professional boxing career in 1886 at the age of 17. Fighting mainly in Sydney, he established himself as one of the country's best middleweights with his quick and graceful style. He won the Australian middleweight title at his first attempt in 1887, defeating Jim Fogarty with a knockout. His only loss to that point was to welterweight Billy Williams, who Hall said he could knock out in 4 rounds - though he failed to do so. Successfully defending his title against Fogarty, Edward Rollins and Peter Boland, Hall soon established a strong rivalry with New Zealand emigrant Bob Fitzsimmons, who challenged him to a title fight in 1890. Though the records show that Fitzsimmons was counted out in round four, he later alleged he had taken a pre-arranged "dive" for a payment of around $US75, which he said was never paid by Hall. Hall vehemently denied Fitzsimmons' claims of a fixed bout, and the true story behind the fight is still unknown.

Shortly afterwards, Hall planned to leave Australia for the United States, seeking a title match with World Champion

Broken Hill, New South Wales. By the end of 1890, however, Hall had recovered his Australian championship in a match against Starlight Rollins, before losing it to Billy McCarthy

on 18 January 1892 – he embarked for America three days later aboard the ship Alameda.

United States

Hall began training at

National Guardsmen

to surround the amphitheatre and prevent the event from occurring.

Hall's alcoholism still caused problems, and on 23 August he attacked his manager

New Orleans, Louisiana, on 8 March 1893. Kline worked Hall hard in training, but the fighter resisted, with The New York World newspaper reporting that he ate what he pleased and continued to drink a quart of Burgundy

a day. Despite this, Hall was favourite for the fight, but was knocked out by Fitzsimmons in only the fourth round.

Hall contested and won two more fights in

Cleveland, Ohio and London^[clarify] for drunken fights. The night before a fight against Charles Lawler, Hall was again arrested for public drunkenness, and was reportedly still intoxicated when he stepped into the ring, defeating Lawler in the tenth round. In September 1899, Hall challenged Joe Choynski for the World light-heavyweight title and was knocked out in seven rounds by the Californian (although some^[who?] sources report it was three rounds), who had done the same to him in thirteen rounds just three years earlier. Hall's final fight was held in 1900, against Tommy Dixon

, and ended in a draw after 20 rounds.

Death

After being diagnosed with

boxing gloves and the epitaph

"Prizefighter", and placed it on the grave - 93 years after Hall's death.

Boxing style

Weighing around 160 pounds (73 kg) during his career, and never heavier than light heavyweight, Hall was renowned for challenging even heavyweight fighters without taking a backward step. Hall's remarkable grace and agility in the ring allowed him to keep his opponents off-balance, and a thorough knowledge of ring-craft helped him use this to his advantage. Hall's punch was not particularly strong, but was very effective against his opponents' vulnerable and awkward techniques. Writing in The Ring magazine, George T. Tickell described Hall as "a remarkably brilliant boxer ... [with] the ability to think and act simultaneously, [making] him a perfect specimen of the bruising glove artist."

References

Ehrmann, Pete (4 April 2006). "Jim Hall of Fame". TheSweetScience.com Boxing. Archived from the original on 28 June 2006. Retrieved 16 June 2006.
"Jim Hall". Cyber Boxing Zone. 12 May 2006. Retrieved 16 June 2006.
"Jim Hall". BoxRec. Retrieved 16 June 2006.^{[permanent dead link]}
Ehrmann, Pete (16 June 2006). "Boxing hero free to make his final mark". Sydney Morning Herald
. Retrieved 16 June 2006.
"Jim Hall". Archived from the original on 20 July 2006. Retrieved 16 June 2006.