Matty Matthews

On February 11, 1896, he knocked out Nick Collins in seven rounds at the Palm Athletic Club in New York. Though Collins was not as accomplished a boxer as Matthews would soon face in his career, the win was convincing and helped him to gain recognition.[8]

On October 29, 1896, Matthews knocked out English born boxer Stanton Abbott in the seventh of fifteen rounds at the Empire Athletic Club, in Buffalo, New York before a crowd of around 2,000. According to several sources, Abbott took the English lightweight title at 132 pounds in January 1893 at the National Sporting Club in London. Matthews employed a low crouch in the fight and seemed to be dominant throughout. He overwhelmed his opponent, who at several times seemed to have trouble effectively countering his blows.[9]

On April 10, 1897, Matthews defeated Mike Farragher in a second-round technical knockout at the National Sporting Club in New York. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle wrote that Farragher slipped in the second round avoiding a swing, hitting his head against a post, and was unable to continue, but many in the crowd felt the bout may have been fixed and Farragher's fall was staged.[2] The lights were dimmed as a result of the crowd's reaction, and order prevailed as the crowd filed out under the watch of the police present.[10] The Baltimore Sun wrote that the blow that caused the knockout was a strong right to Farragher's jaw.[11]

On December 21, 1897, Matthews won a twenty-round points decision against Mike Leonard at the Rienzi Athletic Club in Rochester, New York. Leonard faced most of the better welterweights of his day. Matthews had drawn with Leonard the previous year.[2]

Less than a week later, on December 27, 1897, he defeated Owen Ziegler by newspaper decision in a six-round bout at the arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He defeated him again on May 9, 1898, in a twenty-round points decision at the Opera House in Paterson, New Jersey. Ziegler, a Philadelphia-based boxer, met many of the better light and welterweights of his day including Young Griffo.[2] On December 10, 1898, Ziegler fought a tame twenty-round draw with Matthews at the Queen's City Athletic Club in Toronto, Canada.[12]

On March 31, 1898, he defeated noteworthy lightweight Austin Gibbons at the Opera House in Paterson, New Jersey in a ten-round points decision. In his early career, Gibbons had contended unsuccessfully for the World Lightweight Title against undefeated champion Jack McAuliffe.[2]

On April 20, 1898, he met Tom Broderick at the Waverly Athletic Club in Yonkers, New York. Matthews won the close decision after twenty rounds of fierce, cleanly fought boxing.[13] On May 26, 1898, he defeated Broderick again in a more impressive fourth-round technical knockout at the same location. Broderick was a serious competitor who met many of the top light and welterweight contenders of his day, and Matthew's commanding win convinced many that at twenty-four he was a serious contender for the world welterweight championship.

On August 25, 1898, he made his first unsuccessful attempt at the World Welterweight Championship against Mysterious Billy Smith at New York's Lenox Athletic Club, losing in a twenty-five round points decision.[2]

On January 19, 1899, he defeated Paddy Fenton at the Waverly Athletic Club in Yonkers, New York on a twenty-round points decision.[2] Fenton was a Connecticut-based light and welterweight who faced many quality welterweights in his career including Stanton Abbott and Tom Broderick. Around the fall of 1911 Fenton faced Abe Hollandersky, at the New London County Fair in an exhibition. Hollandersky would become the Panamanian Heavyweight Champion in May 1913.[14]

On July 10, 1899, he defeated Otto Sieloff at the Coney Island Athletic Club in Brooklyn, New York in a ninth-round technical knockout. The Dollar Weekly News wrote that Matthews "proved too much for his opponent, whom he allowed to be the aggressor while the bout lasted." Matthew's blows were stronger in the first two rounds, though Sieloff landed some blows in the second, but they may have lacked the force of Matthew's stiff lefts and right crosses to the jaw. The bout ended 1:30 into the ninth when Matthews landed a heavy right uppercut to Sieloff's jaw.[15]

On September 14, 1899, Matthews defeated Bobby Dobbs in a twenty-fifth round disqualification at the Coney Island Athletic Club in Brooklyn, New York. Dobbs was an exceptional black welterweight who took the 144 pound British Welterweight Championship in 1898, but never was given the opportunity to contend for the World Welterweight championship in the United States. On December 2, 1899, Matthews defeated another exceptional Black boxer, welterweight Hugh McWinters, in a twenty-round decision at the Pelican Club in Brooklyn.[2]

On February 16, 1900, Matthews defeated Kid McPartland at the Broadway Athletic Club in New York in a seventeenth-round technical knockout. In the one sided affair, McPartland was down twice in the second, and subsequently again in the fourth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and sixteenth, before the referee stopped the fight after the final knockdown twenty-four seconds into the seventeenth round. In the modern era the fight would have been stopped in the third knockdown.[2]

On March 27, 1899, he defeated "Philadelphia" Tommy Ryan in a twenty rounds points decision at the Youngstown Athletic Club in Youngstown, Ohio, though Ryan had a three-inch advantage in reach. Matthews was down in the sixth from a left to the jaw.[2]

On August 14, 1899, he defeated George Kerwin in a sixteenth-round technical knockout at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Kerwin was a talented boxer who would win the Lightweight Championship of Iowa in Dubuque two weeks later. The St. Louis Post Dispatch felt Kerwin had the advantage throughout the bout, and he outweighed Kerwin by twelve pounds.[19]

On October 27, 1899, Matthews met Eddie Connolly again in a twenty-five-round draw at the Broadway Athletic Club in New York. The fifteenth and the twenty-first rounds were marked by the heaviest battling, with Matthews down for a count of five. It was a fierce combat throughout the fight and both men were marked noticeably. At least one reporter felt strongly that Connolly may have had the better of the bout.[20]

On November 20, 1899, Matthews defeated Charley "Rough House" Burns in a fifteen-round points decision at the Ohio Athletic Club, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He had previously beaten Burns on June 21, 1899 in a sixth-round knockout at the welterweight range of 145 pounds in Youngstown, Ohio. Burns was a competent but not exceptional light and welterweight judging from his record.[2]

On April 9, 1900, Matthews defeated New Jersey boxer Dan McConnell in a third-round technical knockout at the Niles Athletic Club in Youngstown, Ohio. The fight was ended when Matthews landed a strong right to the jaw of McConnell.[21] One the same night according to several sources, Matthews defeated Billy Payne at the Niles Athletic Club in Youngstown, Ohio, in a fifteen-round points decision.

On May 4, 1900, he fought a ten-round draw with Kid Parker in Denver, Colorado which a few sources reported as a World Welterweight Title match. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Matthews, before an audience of around 2000, connected more often, though not necessarily with more telling blows. In the sixth, Matthews brought down Parker with a telling right, though Parker rose quickly and began delivering jabs and punches. Both boxers finished strong, though both were cut above the eye.[22]