Jimmy O'Hara

James John O'Hara (born James John Ehrich;[1] December 3, 1925 – January 17, 2002) was a commissioner and then executive secretary for the Minnesota Board of Boxing from 1976 to 2001. When O'Hara was appointed to the Minnesota Board of Boxing, he was a retired light heavyweight amateur and retired professional heavyweight boxer. O'Hara retired from the ring in 1953 with a claim to the Minnesota professional heavyweight title after a win over Don Jasper.[2][3][4]

James John O'Hara
Boxing Commissioner State of Minnesota
In office
June 1, 1976 – January 17, 2002
Preceded byLarry McCaleb
Succeeded byScott LeDoux
Executive Secretary of Minnesota Boxing Board
Personal details
Born(1925-12-23)December 23, 1925
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJanuary 17, 2002(2002-01-17) (aged 76)
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
SpouseKathleen M. O'Hara
Children
  • Gary
  • Lynn
  • Steven
  • Jeffrey

Boxing career

Golden Gloves

O'Hara competed in the Northwest Golden Gloves tournament in 1943, 1944, and 1945 as a light heavyweight.[5][6][7][8] He was 4-F, unfit for military service, due to gout attacks which he suffered all his life.[9]

Over the winter of 1943–1944, O'Hara won the St. Paul Golden Gloves tournament as a light-heavy. He finished runner up at the Northwest Golden Gloves tournament, having been rated an even chance to win the championship.[10]

During the 1945 Golden Gloves, a rivalry began between O'Hara and Earl Adkinson that followed the fighters into their professional careers. O'Hara and Adkinson fought three times in 1945, with O'Hara never managing the upper hand over Adkinson.[8][11][12][13]

Minnesota State Heavyweight Champion

O'Hara's unanimous decision over Don Jasper on August 27, 1953, gave him a claim to the Minnesota professional heavyweight title, though there was some controversy, as the fight was only six rounds as opposed to ten.[14][3][4]

Amateur fight record
Date Opponent Result
1943
February 4, 1943 Dave Gagaliardi Win[15]
February 9, 1943 Gene Fesenmaier Loss, WO[5]
April 28, 1943 Bill Luff Loss[16]
May 14, 1943 Bill Luff Loss[17]
July 7, 1943 Pvt. Nick Mauro[18]
October 26, 1943 Les Supkolvis[19]
November 26, 1943 Casey Milespie Win, KO[20]
November 29, 1943 Roger La Count Win[21]
December 7, 1943 Al Cotton[22]
1944
February 4, 1944 Warren Wellers Win[6]
February 4, 1944 Dick Woodley Win[6]
February 8, 1944 Art Skipton Win, TKO[23]
February 9, 1944 Gene Fesenmaier Win[24]
February 14, 1944 Waldo Serie Win[7]
February 14, 1944 Larry Rasley Loss[7]
February 21, 1944 Bud Bunn[25]
March 6, 1944 Roger La Count[26]
March 17, 1944 Gene Fesenmaier Win[27]
April 18, 1944 Bud Bunn[28]
May 16, 1944 Joe Stepka Loss[29]
October 10, 1944 Chuck Hensel Loss[30]
October 25, 1944 Bill Shoberg Win[31]
November 3, 1944 Chuck Hensel Win[32]
November 8, 1944 Bearcat Fischer Win, KO[33]
November 20, 1944 Budd Bunn Win[34][35]
December 1, 1944 Budd Bunn Win, TKO[36]
1945
January 12, 1945 Dick Radman Win[37]
January 26, 1945 Jim Tappe Win[38]
January 30, 1945 Erle (Earl[39]) Adkinson Loss[8]
March 16, 1945 Alton Thostenson Win[40]
March 20, 1945 Erle (Earl) Adkinson Loss[11]

Professional fight record

Source[41]

Date Opponent Result
1945
May 18, 1945 Jack Taylor Win, KO
June 8, 1945 Earl Adkinson Loss, KO
1948
April 8, 1948 Willie Dee Jones Loss, PTS
September 7, 1948 Willie Dee Jones Loss, PTS
1950
June 1, 1950 Big Jack Herman Win, KO
June 14, 1950 Big Jack Herman Loss, KO
September 27, 1950 Tony Gallus Win, PTS
1953
March 5, 1953 Tom Tierney Win, TKO
August 27, 1953 Don Jasper Win, PTS
October 27, 1953 Jack Wagner Loss, TKO
November 24, 1953 Joe Thomas Win, KO

Minnesota Boxing Commissioner

O'Hara was appointed to the Minnesota Board of Boxing in 1976 by Minnesota Governor Wendell Anderson.[42] Soon after, O'Hara was voted by the board to serve as its executive secretary, a paid advisory position, in which capacity he served for 25 years.[43][2]

"He was a great mediator and diplomat," said Joe Azzone, past Chair of the Boxing Board.[44] "I always thought Jim was the wisest guy I ever met," said international boxing referee Denny Nelson. "He knew how to handle people."[45]

O'Hara was one of four long-term leaders in the history of boxing regulation in Minnesota. The others were George Barton (who served 27 years), Jack Gibbons (19 years), and Scott LeDoux (23 years, including 18 years with O'Hara). A journalist for over 50 years, Barton received in 1952 the James J. Walker Award from the Boxing Writers' Association of New York.[46][47] Jack Gibbons, the son of boxing legend Mike Gibbons, boxed professionally as a light-heavy and retired with a record of 57 wins (20 by KO), five losses (none by KO), and one draw.[48] Scott LeDoux was a former heavyweight contender in the 1970s and 1980s.

Personal life and death

Mike O'Hara

On November 3, 1951, Jimmy O'Hara's brother and fellow boxer, Michael Ehrich (known as Mike O'Hara), was shot and killed by Bernard L. "Mutt" Martineau.[49] Martineau was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to ten to twenty years in Stillwater prison.[50] After his retirement from the ring, Jimmy helped create a boxing program at Stillwater prison.[2]

John O'Hara

Another brother, John O'Hara, was a professional middleweight boxer with a record of 18 wins, 13 losses, and one draw.[51] John O'Hara reportedly drew with Ronald Reagan in a street fight.[52]

Business

O'Hara made his living as a businessman, partnering with Jerry Hurley as a wholesaler to bars and restaurants.[53]

Cancer

O'Hara died on January 17, 2002, from late-stage bladder cancer.[2]

Legacy

Boxing

O'Hara was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014, ultimately being recognized for his work in boxing administration, including 25 years as head of the Minnesota Boxing Board.[54][55] His commemoration reads, in part:

"He was an iconic figure on the streets of St. Paul [Minnesota], a man recognized by countless of his fellow citizens. He was very simply Mr. Boxing."[55]

Upon O'Hara's death in 2002, St. Paul Pioneer Press sportswriter Tom Powers offered this assessment: "O'Hara, as much a part of the fabric of St. Paul as the cathedral or the capitol building, worked with promoters, handlers and fighters, always gently steering them in the right direction. He could tell them where to get proper health insurance as easily as he could recommend a qualified referee.[56]

References
  1. "Jimmy O'Hara". BoxRec. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  2. Collins, Terry (January 21, 2002). "Boxing's O'Hara, 76, dies". Minneapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  3. PPNS (August 28, 1953). "O'Hara Beats Jasper in Duluth Test". St. Paul Pioneer Press.
  4. Riley, Don (June 13, 1976). "Don Riley's Eye Opener". St. Paul Pioneer Press.
  5. "Glove Results". The Minneapolis Star. February 10, 1943.
  6. "Glove Summary". The Minneapolis Star. February 5, 1944.
  7. "Glove Results". Star Tribune. February 15, 1944.
  8. "Four Finals on Slate Tonight". The Minneapolis Star. January 31, 1945. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  9. "Round 4: The O'Hara Name & St. Paul".
  10. Louis H. Gollop, Stepka, Lentsh, O'Hara Rated "Even Chance" in Golden Gloves Finals, St. Paul Pioneer Press, February 13, 1944, page 1 (Sports).
  11. "Adkinson Tops O'Hara Again". Star Tribune. March 21, 1945. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  12. "Johnny, Erle Meet as Pros". The Minneapolis Star. May 29, 1945. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  13. "Williams in Red, to Promote Again". The Minneapolis Star. June 9, 1945. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  14. "Jasper, O'Hara Battle". Duluth Herald. August 27, 1976.
  15. "St. Paul Gloves". The Minneapolis Star. February 4, 1943.
  16. "Del Cockayne Wins Verdict". The Minneapolis Star. April 29, 1943. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  17. "Agness Beats Marr in Snelling Bout". The Minneapolis Star.
  18. "O'Hara's Head Snelling Card". The Minneapolis Star. July 2, 1943.
  19. "Tyler to Sub for Cockaynes". The Minneapolis Star. October 26, 1943.
  20. "Graves Again Wins 'Split'". The Minneapolis Star. November 27, 1943.
  21. "31 Gophers Awarded Letters". The Minneapolis Star. November 30, 1943.
  22. "Heavies Top Boxing Card". The Minneapolis Star. December 7, 1943.
  23. "Results Tuesday". The Minneapolis Star. February 9, 1944.
  24. "1944 02 10 Golden Glove Meet Results". Star Tribune. February 10, 1944. p. 12. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  25. Barton, George A. (February 18, 1944). "Opponent sought for Spotts on Ascension fight program". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  26. "La Count Heads Monday's Card". Star Tribune. March 4, 1944.
  27. "Stepka Proves His Point—by Decision". The Minneapolis Star. March 18, 1944.
  28. "Mert Herrick on St. Paul Card". Star Tribune. April 16, 1944. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  29. "Stepka Decisions O'Hara". Star Tribune. May 17, 1944.
  30. "Chuck Hensel Beats O'Hara". The Minneapolis Star. October 11, 1944.
  31. "Herrick Defeats Slayton Fighter". Star Tribune. October 26, 1944.
  32. "Herrick, O'Hara Win in St. Paul". The Minneapolis Star. November 4, 1944.
  33. "Herrick Loses at Rochester". Star Tribune. November 9, 1944.
  34. "Bunn vs. O'Hara in Bout Tonight". The Minneapolis Star. November 20, 1944.
  35. "O'Hara Decisions Bud Bunn in Amatuer [sic] Mitt Inaugural". Star Tribune. November 21, 1944.
  36. "O'Hara Wins TKO in St. Paul Fight". The Minneapolis Star. December 2, 1944.
  37. "Slavin Loses to Red Meath". Star Tribune. January 13, 1945. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  38. Barton, George A. (January 27, 1945). "O'Hara in Close Win in St. Paul". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  39. "O'Hara Upset in St. Paul Finals". Star Tribune. January 31, 1945. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  40. "Glove Results". Star Tribune. March 17, 1945. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  41. "BoxRec: Jimmy O'Hara". boxrec.com. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  42. SNS (June 10, 1976). "Hibbing High coaches quit". The Minneapolis Star. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  43. "O'Hara elected to post on State Boxing Commission". The Minneapolis Star. August 27, 1976. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  44. Terry Collins, Jim O'Hara Dies; He Ran the State Boxing Board, Minneapolis Star Tribune, January 21, 2002, page B5, col. 1.
  45. Jim Wells, Jim O'Hara, 76, Boxing Official, St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 19, 2002, Obituaries, City Edition.
  46. "BoxRec: George Barton".
  47. George A. Barton, My Lifetime In Sports (The Olympic Press 1957)
  48. "BoxRec: Jack Gibbons".
  49. "Push Probe of Slaying in St. Paul". The Minneapolis Star. November 5, 1951. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  50. AP (February 5, 1952). "Man Gets Ten Years for Manslaughter". Winona Daily News. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  51. "BoxRec: Johnny O'Hara".
  52. Volume 122 Congressional Record No. 37, March 16, 1976, Statement of Representative Joseph E. Karth.
  53. Tad Vezner, Jerry Hurley: A Life of Hard Work Made Him St. Paul's "Mozzarella King," St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 29, 2010.
  54. See id.
  55. "Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame – Expanded: Jim O'Hara". Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  56. Tom Powers, Boxing Lost a Friend with O'Hara's Passing, St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 23, 2002, page D1, column 2.
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