Excerpts Inquirer Obit - Undefeated Middleweight Champion Mike Donovan - 25 Mar1918

In his day Donovan taught the art of self-defense to more prominent men, including bankers, brokers, merchants and statesmen, than any other boxing professor in America. He was idolized by them all. for he was not only a great teacher, but a like-able man as well. One of his staunchest admirers was Theodore Roosevelt, who received his early physical training from Donovan. 

Donovan came to this city in 1873, where he married Miss Cecilia Butler and it was a most happy marriage. Fifteen children were born to them, nine of whom arc now alive, six girls and three boys.

Donovan's next stopping place was this city, and he soon became well known here. His first fight of note was with Jimmy Murray. It was called a draw after a battle of forty-three'rounds, lasting one hour and five minutes. The ring was pitched on Smith's Island, in the Delaware River, and the battle was for a purse of $100. The bout was witnessed by only a small crowd, because, the police had the tip and, many of the regulars remained away, fearing arrest. 

I spent the happiest days of my life in dear old Philly, and what great sessions we used to, have at Johnny Clark's, Arthur Chambers', Billy McLean's, McGees' on Second street, and the old Comique. In those days you could not get by with any four-flush methods. You had to get out and meet all comers, and some rare old birds they used to trot out to meet the champions who would go to Philadelphia, to fill a week's engagement at the different boxing resorts. Murray was one of the cleanest boxers I ever met and I shall never forget our fight on the island. We did not have a regular ring, but fought on the turf with the bare hands. 

The ring was formed by the crowd circling around us. It was a great fight, and one of the hardest I ever had, for I was almost blind from his blows. I still have some scars of that fight. Look here, look into the corners of my eyebrows, close to the bridge of my nose; see those two scars? Those are two places he cut me with those hard hands of his. 

Yes, we were both arrested and taken to Philadelphia. At the jail they wouldn't put Murray and myself in the same cell at first, because they believed we would continue the fight. I finally convinced the warden that I couldn't fight, even if I wanted to, because I could not see. It took me nearly four months to recover from that fight.
  

Library of Congress




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