Billy Miske
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| File:Billy Miske portrait.jpg | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
Nickname | The St. Paul Thunderbolt |
| Born | William Arthur Miske April 12, 1894 |
| Died | January 1, 1924 (aged 29) |
| Height | 6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) |
| Weight | Light Heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Boxing career | |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 105 |
| Wins | 74 |
| Win by KO | 34 |
| Losses | 13 |
| Draws | 16 |
Billy Miske, alias The Saint Paul Thunderbolt (April 12, 1894 – January 1, 1924), was a professional boxer from Saint Paul, Minnesota.[1] During his tenure as a pugilist he had multiple-bout series with a plethora of all-time greats including Harry Greb, Jack Dempsey, Fred Fulton, Jack Dillon, Tommy Gibbons, Bill Brennan and Battling Levinsky, among others. Despite a career shortened by illness and an early death, statistical website BoxRec still lists Miske as the No. 26 ranked heavyweight of all time.[2]
Professional boxing career
[edit | edit source]
An American of German descent, Miske stood at 6'0" and over the course of his career weighed between 158 and 190 lbs. He was managed by John Pearl "J.P" Smith (1913–18) and Jack Reddy (1918–23).
Miske was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He began his career as a middleweight. During his career, he competed successfully as a light-heavyweight and heavyweight, defeating many well-known fighters. On September 6, 1920, Miske lost to Jack Dempsey in the third round of a fight to decide the World Heavyweight Boxing title. It was the first heavyweight title match to be broadcast on radio, and it was the only time Billy Miske was ever knocked out.
Illness and death
[edit | edit source]Miske fought his last bout against Bill Brennan, whom he met on November 7, 1923. At this point in his life, Miske knew he did not have much time left before his kidneys gave out (doctors had told him he had only months to live because of his Bright's Disease). Due to his family's economic situation, however, Miske decided he had to step into the ring one more time.[3][4] His health prevented him from training for the fight. Amazingly, though, Miske knocked Brennan out in the fourth round.[5] Miske died in St. Paul, Minnesota of kidney failure less than 2 months later on January 1, 1924. [6][7]
Legacy
[edit | edit source]Miske's enduring legacy is that of an underappreciated fighter. It is argued that Miske deserved, but never received, title matches against Jack Dillon, Battling Levinsky and Georges Carpentier. His three recorded losses are against Hall of Famers Jack Dempsey, Kid Norfolk and Tommy Gibbons, while his list of defeated opponents boasts some of the most storied names in boxing history. Miske's final professional record was 72-15-14 with 33 wins by knockout.[8] On December 8, 2009, it was announced that Miske would be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010. On September 28, 2012 Miske was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame.
Professional boxing record
[edit | edit source]| 103 fights | 43 wins | 3 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 32 | 1 |
| By decision | 8 | 2 |
| By disqualification | 3 | 0 |
| Draws | 2 | |
| Newspaper decisions/draws | 55 | |
| DQ | Disqualification | RTD | Corner retirement |
| KO | Knockout | SD | Split decision / split draw |
| MD | Majority decision / majority draw | TD | Technical decision / technical draw |
| NC | No contest | TKO | Technical knockout |
| PTS | Points decision | UD | Unanimous decision / unanimous draw |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round(s), time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | Win | 43–3–2 (55) | United States Bill Brennan | KO | 4 (10) | Nov 7, 1923 | United States City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska | |
| 102 | Win | 42–3–2 (55) | United States Harry Foley | KO | 4 (10), 0:42 | Jan 12, 1923 | United States City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska | |
| 101 | Loss | 41–3–2 (55) | United States Tommy Gibbons | UD | 10 | Dec 15, 1922 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 100 | Win | 41–2–2 (55) | United States Bud Ryder | TKO | 3 (10) | Nov 11, 1922 | United States Grand Forks Auditorium, Grand Forks, North Dakota | |
| 99 | Win | 40–2–2 (55) | United States Tommy Gibbons | DQ | 10 (15), 0:27 | Oct 13, 1922 | United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York | |
| 98 | Draw | 39–2–2 (55) | United States Bob Roper | PTS | 12 | Sep 4, 1922 | United States Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| 97 | Win | 39–2–1 (55) | United States Fred Fulton | KO | 1 (10) | Aug 25, 1922 | United States Lexington Park, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 96 | Win | 38–2–1 (55) | United States Martin Burke | NWS | 12 | Jul 10, 1922 | United States Stockyards Stadium, Denver, Colorado | |
| 95 | Win | 38–2–1 (54) | United States Willie Meehan | KO | 1 (10), 2:40 | Jul 3, 1922 | United States Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| 94 | Win | 37–2–1 (54) | United States Homer Smith | KO | 1 (12) | Jun 23, 1922 | United States Riverside Arena, Covington, Kentucky | |
| 93 | Win | 36–2–1 (54) | United States Bob Roper | PTS | 10 | May 29, 1922 | United States Dyckman Oval, Upper Manhattan, New York | |
| 92 | Win | 35–2–1 (54) | United States Martin Burke | PTS | 15 | Apr 27, 1922 | United States Orleans A.C., New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| 91 | Win | 34–2–1 (54) | United States Billy Shade | TKO | 2 (12) | Apr 10, 1922 | United States Oak Hill Auditorium, Youngstown, Ohio | |
| 90 | Win | 33–2–1 (54) | United States Al Roberts | KO | 2 (10), 2:53 | Mar 2, 1922 | United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York | |
| 89 | Win | 32–2–1 (54) | United States Bob Roper | DQ | 6 (8) | Feb 20, 1922 | United States Olympia A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 88 | Win | 31–2–1 (54) | Canada Jack Renault | TKO | 13 (15) | Jan 28, 1922 | United States Clermont Avenue Skating Rink, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 87 | Win | 30–2–1 (54) | Hungary Charley Weinert | NWS | 12 | Jan 16, 1922 | United States Broad A.C., Newark, New Jersey | |
| 86 | Win | 30–2–1 (53) | Italy Tony Melchior | TKO | 4 (10) | Nov 11, 1921 | United States Columbus, Ohio | |
| 85 | Win | 29–2–1 (53) | Canada Jack Renault | NWS | 8 | Jul 2, 1921 | United States Boyle's Thirty Acres, Jersey City, New Jersey | |
| 84 | Win | 29–2–1 (52) | United States Bill Brennan | NWS | 10 | Jun 8, 1921 | United States Lexington Park, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 83 | Win | 29–2–1 (51) | United States Tom McCarty | KO | 2 (10) | May 9, 1921 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 82 | Win | 28–2–1 (51) | United States Farmer Lodge | KO | 4 (10) | Mar 7, 1921 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 81 | Win | 27–2–1 (51) | United States Lee Anderson | PTS | 10 | Feb 9, 1921 | United States Arena, Milwaukie, Oregon | |
| 80 | Loss | 26–2–1 (51) | United States Jack Dempsey | KO | 3 (10), 1:13 | Sep 6, 1920 | United States Floyd Fitzsimmons Arena, Benton Harbor, Michigan | For world heavyweight title |
| 79 | Win | 26–1–1 (51) | United States Jack Moran | TKO | 2 (10) | Jun 11, 1920 | United States Nicollet Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| 78 | Loss | 25–1–1 (51) | United States Battling Levinsky | NWS | 12 | Jul 7, 1919 | United States Rossford Arena, Rossford, Ohio | |
| 77 | Draw | 25–1–1 (50) | United States Bill Brennan | NWS | 8 | Jun 25, 1919 | United States Cardinal Field, St. Louis, Missouri | |
| 76 | Draw | 25–1–1 (49) | United States Tommy Gibbons | NWS | 10 | Jun 19, 1919 | United States Nicollet Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| 75 | Loss | 25–1–1 (48) | United States Kid Norfolk | NWS | 10 | Jun 9, 1919 | United States Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 74 | Win | 25–1–1 (47) | United States Willie Meehan | NWS | 10 | Jun 6, 1919 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 73 | Win | 25–1–1 (46) | United States Bill Brennan | PTS | 15 | Apr 28, 1919 | United States Tulsa Convention Hall, Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| 72 | Loss | 24–1–1 (46) | United States Harry Greb | NWS | 10 | Mar 31, 1919 | United States Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 71 | Win | 24–1–1 (45) | United Kingdom Tom Cowler | KO | 4 (10) | Mar 28, 1919 | United States Albaugh Theater, Baltimore, Maryland | |
| 70 | Win | 23–1–1 (45) | United Kingdom Tom Cowler | NWS | 6 | Jan 11, 1919 | United States National A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 69 | Win | 23–1–1 (44) | United States Gus Christie | TKO | 10 (10) | Dec 27, 1918 | United States Elite Rink, Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |
| 68 | Win | 22–1–1 (44) | United States Fireman Jim Flynn | KO | 2 (15), 0:35 | Dec 16, 1918 | United States Tulsa Convention Hall, Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| 67 | Loss | 21–1–1 (44) | United States Jack Dempsey | NWS | 6 | Nov 28, 1918 | United States Olympia A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 66 | Win | 21–1–1 (43) | United States Tom McMahon | NWS | 6 | Nov 18, 1918 | United States Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 65 | Win | 21–1–1 (42) | United States Harry Greb | NWS | 10 | Sep 21, 1918 | United States Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 64 | Draw | 21–1–1 (41) | United States George Ashe | NWS | 4 | Jul 16, 1918 | United States Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York | |
| 63 | Win | 21–1–1 (40) | United Kingdom Bartley Madden | NWS | 8 | Jul 15, 1918 | United States Armory A.A. Outdoor Arena, Jersey City, New Jersey | |
| 62 | Win | 21–1–1 (39) | United States Gunboat Smith | NWS | 8 | Jul 12, 1918 | United States International League Ballpark, Jersey City, New Jersey | |
| 61 | Win | 21–1–1 (38) | United States Edward KO Kruvosky | PTS | 4 | Jun 14, 1918 | United States Dreamland Rink, San Francisco, California | |
| 60 | Draw | 20–1–1 (38) | United States Willie Meehan | PTS | 4 | Jun 7, 1918 | United States Shrine Temple, Los Angeles, California | |
| 59 | Win | 20–1 (38) | United States Henry Hendricks | TKO | 2 (4) | May 31, 1918 | United States San Francisco Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California | |
| 58 | Draw | 19–1 (38) | United States Jack Dempsey | NWS | 10 | May 3, 1918 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 57 | Win | 19–1 (37) | United States Gunboat Smith | PTS | 10 | Apr 12, 1918 | United States Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia | |
| 56 | Win | 18–1 (37) | United Kingdom Tom Cowler | TKO | 5 (12) | Apr 8, 1918 | United States Arcadia Rink, Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| 55 | Win | 17–1 (37) | United States Gus Christie | NWS | 10 | Feb 27, 1918 | United States Opera House, Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 54 | Draw | 17–1 (36) | United States Fred Fulton | NWS | 10 | Jan 18, 1918 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 53 | Win | 17–1 (35) | United States Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Nov 13, 1917 | United States Broadway Auditorium, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 52 | Win | 17–1 (34) | Canada Bert Kenny | TKO | 5 (12) | Oct 30, 1917 | United States Arena (Armory A.A.), Boston, Massachusetts | |
| 51 | Loss | 16–1 (34) | United States Kid Norfolk | PTS | 12 | Oct 16, 1917 | United States Arena (Armory A.A.), Boston, Massachusetts | |
| 50 | Win | 16–0 (34) | Hungary Charley Weinert | NWS | 10 | Oct 2, 1917 | United States Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 49 | Win | 16–0 (33) | United States Carl Morris | NWS | 10 | Sep 28, 1917 | United States Harlem S.C., Manhattan, New York | |
| 48 | Win | 16–0 (32) | Canada Bert Kenny | NWS | 10 | Sep 18, 1917 | United States Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 47 | Win | 16–0 (31) | United States Joe Bonds | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 24, 1917 | United States Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 46 | Loss | 15–0 (31) | United States Battling Levinsky | NWS | 10 | Feb 27, 1917 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 45 | Win | 15–0 (30) | United States Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Jan 16, 1917 | United States Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 44 | Win | 15–0 (29) | Hungary Charley Weinert | NWS | 12 | Jan 12, 1917 | United States Harlem S.C., Manhattan, New York | |
| 43 | Win | 15–0 (28) | Greece George KO Brown | NWS | 12 | Jan 1, 1917 | United States Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 42 | Win | 15–0 (27) | United States Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Dec 19, 1916 | United States Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 41 | Win | 15–0 (26) | United States Larry Williams | NWS | 6 | Nov 27, 1916 | United States Olympia A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 40 | Win | 15–0 (25) | United States Bob Moha | NWS | 10 | Nov 17, 1916 | United States Broadway Arena, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 39 | Win | 15–0 (24) | United States Tim O'Neil | KO | 6 (10) | Nov 9, 1916 | United States Clermont Avenue Skating Rink, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 38 | Win | 14–0 (24) | United States Battling Levinsky | NWS | 10 | Oct 30, 1916 | United States Clermont Avenue Skating Rink, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 37 | Win | 14–0 (23) | United States Battling Levinsky | NWS | 10 | Oct 12, 1916 | United States Clermont Avenue Skating Rink, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 36 | Win | 14–0 (22) | United States Jim Barry | TKO | 6 (10) | Sep 21, 1916 | United States Clermont Avenue Skating Rink, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 35 | Win | 13–0 (22) | United States Johnny Howard | KO | 10 (10) | Aug 31, 1916 | United States Clermont Avenue Skating Rink, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 34 | Win | 12–0 (22) | United States Jack Hubbard | KO | 9 (10) | Jun 22, 1916 | United States Clermont Avenue Skating Rink, Brooklyn, New York | |
| 33 | Loss | 11–0 (22) | United States Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Apr 14, 1916 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 32 | Win | 11–0 (21) | United States Dick Gilbert | PTS | 15 | Feb 29, 1916 | United States National A.C., Denver, Colorado | |
| 31 | Win | 10–0 (21) | United States Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Jan 28, 1916 | United States Opera House, Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 30 | Win | 10–0 (20) | United States Frank Hoe | KO | 2 (10) | Dec 28, 1915 | United States Marshfield, Wisconsin | |
| 29 | Win | 9–0 (20) | Canada Jack Clements | KO | 8 (10) | Dec 17, 1915 | United States Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| 28 | Draw | 8–0 (20) | United States Terry Kellar | NWS | 10 | Dec 3, 1915 | United States Opera House, Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 27 | Draw | 8–0 (19) | Greece George KO Brown | NWS | 12 | Nov 1, 1915 | Canada Winnipeg, Manitoba | |
| 26 | Win | 8–0 (18) | United States Jack Lester | KO | 2 (10) | Sep 10, 1915 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 25 | Draw | 7–0 (18) | United States Gus Christie | NWS | 10 | Aug 24, 1915 | United States Riverside A.C., Dubuque, Iowa | |
| 24 | Loss | 7–0 (17) | United States Tommy Gibbons | NWS | 10 | Jul 12, 1915 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 23 | Win | 7–0 (16) | Greece George KO Brown | NWS | 10 | Apr 28, 1915 | United States Acme Hall, Platteville, Wisconsin | |
| 22 | Win | 7–0 (15) | United States Mike O'Dowd | NWS | 10 | Apr 6, 1915 | United States Hudson Arena, Hudson, Wisconsin | |
| 21 | Win | 7–0 (14) | United States Eddie Nearing | DQ | 6 (10) | Mar 23, 1915 | United States Hudson Arena, Hudson, Wisconsin | |
| 20 | Win | 6–0 (14) | United States Gus Christie | NWS | 8 | Mar 16, 1915 | United States Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |
| 19 | Draw | 6–0 (13) | United States Mike Hirsch | NWS | 6 | Feb 25, 1915 | United States Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |
| 18 | Loss | 6–0 (12) | United States Jack McCarron | NWS | 6 | Jan 16, 1915 | United States National A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 17 | Draw | 6–0 (11) | United States Harry Greb | NWS | 6 | Jan 12, 1915 | United States Fairmont A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 16 | Win | 6–0 (10) | United States Billy Maxwell | NWS | 6 | Jan 9, 1915 | United States National A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 15 | Win | 6–0 (9) | United States Billy Maxwell | NWS | 6 | Jan 1, 1915 | United States National A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 14 | Draw | 6–0 (8) | United States Al Thiel | NWS | 10 | Dec 10, 1914 | United States Academy of Music, Pottsville, Pennsylvania | |
| 13 | Win | 6–0 (7) | United States Ralph Erne | TKO | 4 (10) | Nov 23, 1914 | United States O'Hara Theatre, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania | |
| 12 | Win | 5–0 (7) | United States Jimmy Dougherty | TKO | 3 (6) | Nov 14, 1914 | United States National A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 11 | Win | 4–0 (7) | United States Theodore Thompson | KO | 2 (6) | Jun 15, 1914 | United States St. Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 10 | Win | 3–0 (7) | United States Young Griffo | NWS | 10 | Jun 1, 1914 | United States O'Hara Theatre, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania | |
| 9 | Draw | 3–0 (6) | United States Jack McCarron | NWS | 10 | May 26, 1914 | United States Academy of Music, Pottsville, Pennsylvania | |
| 8 | Draw | 3–0 (5) | United States George Ashe | NWS | 6 | May 16, 1914 | United States National A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 7 | Loss | 3–0 (4) | United States Tommy Gibbons | NWS | 10 | Mar 24, 1914 | United States Hudson Arena, Hudson, Wisconsin | |
| 6 | Draw | 3–0 (3) | United States Spike Kelly | NWS | 10 | Feb 17, 1914 | United States Eighth Street Arena, Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 5 | Draw | 3–0 (2) | United States Bill Scott | NWS | 10 | Sep 30, 1913 | United States Superior Athletic Arena, Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 4 | Win | 3–0 (1) | United States Danny Ritt | TKO | 2 (10) | Jun 10, 1913 | United States Opera House, Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 3 | Draw | 2–0 (1) | United States Theodore Thompson | NWS | 6 | Apr 29, 1913 | United States Opera House, Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | United States Soldier Gregory | KO | 2 (6) | Apr 7, 1913 | United States Opera House, Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | United States Joe Christie | PTS | 6 | Mar 5, 1913 | United States Opera House, Superior, Wisconsin | Professional debut |
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Further reading
[edit | edit source]Moyle, Clay (2011) Billy Miske: The St. Paul Thunderbolt. Iowa City, Iowa: Win By KO Publications
References
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- ^ All-Time Heavyweight Rankings. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-11.
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Rick Reilly Sports Illustrated Article
- International Boxing Hall of Fame's article about Billy Miske
- 1955 Newspaper Article
- His Daughters page
- Article at CyberBoxingZone Journal
- Boxing record for Billy Miske from BoxRec (registration required) Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- 1924 Newspaper Article
- 1952 Newspaper Article
- Amazing Sports Stories - "Billy Miske: Dead Man Fighting"
- Biography: 'Billy Miske: The St. Paul Thunderbolt' by Clay Moyle
- Novel: 'The Final Round' by Gary W. Allison