In the 1850s, John Morrissey, a street brawler, beat some of that era’s leading boxers.
Born in 1831, Morrissey’s family emigrated from Ireland to Troy, New York, where he earned fame as a street gang pugilist. As leader of the Downtowns in 1848, he beat six members of the rival Uptowns in a single afternoon.
Such a fistfight earned him the nickname “Old Smoke” after he was forced onto a bed of coals but fought back to win. In 1853, Morrissey won the U.S. Heavyweight Bare-Knuckle Championship in 37 rounds.
He and Democratic supporters fought street battles against the rival gang of William “Bill the Butcher” Poole, later fictionalized in “The Gangs of New York.” When Poole was murdered in 1855, Morrissey was indicted, but released.
In 1858, he defended his championship against John Heenan. There was a rematch in 1859, which Morrissey again won, and he retired.
He invested his prize money in two saloons and a gambling house. With his profits, Morrissey opened the Saratoga racetrack in 1863. He died a U.S. senator in 1878.
