Billy Miske | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | William Arthur Miske (1894-04-12)April 12, 1894 |
| Died | January 1, 1924(1924-01-01) (aged 29) |
| Other names | The St. Paul Thunderbolt |
| Statistics | |
| Weights | Light Heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 105 |
| Wins | 74 |
| Wins by KO | 34 |
| Losses | 13 |
| Draws | 16 |
Billy Miske, aliasThe Saint Paul Thunderbolt (April 12, 1894 – January 1, 1924), was a professionalboxer fromSaint Paul,Minnesota.[1] During his tenure as apugilist he had multiple-bout series with a plethora of all-time greats includingHarry Greb,Jack Dempsey,Fred Fulton,Jack Dillon,Tommy Gibbons,Bill Brennan andBattling Levinsky, among others. Despite a career shortened by illness and an early death, statistical websiteBoxRec still lists Miske as the No. 26 ranked heavyweight of all time.[2]
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 inSt. 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 toJack 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 onradio, and it was the only time Billy Miske was ever knocked out.
Miske fought his last bout againstBill 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 hisBright'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 inSt. Paul, Minnesota of kidney failure less than 2 months later on January 1, 1924.[6][7]
Miske's enduring legacy is that of an underappreciated fighter. It is argued that Miske deserved, but never received, title matches againstJack Dillon,Battling Levinsky andGeorges 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 byknockout.[8] On December 8, 2009, it was announced that Miske would be inducted into theInternational Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010. On September 28, 2012 Miske was inducted into theMinnesota Boxing Hall of Fame.
| 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) |  Bill Brennan | KO | 4 (10) | Nov 7, 1923 | City Auditorium,Omaha, Nebraska | |
| 102 | Win | 42–3–2 (55) | Harry Foley | KO | 4 (10),0:42 | Jan 12, 1923 | City Auditorium,Omaha, Nebraska | |
| 101 | Loss | 41–3–2 (55) | Tommy Gibbons | UD | 10 | Dec 15, 1922 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 100 | Win | 41–2–2 (55) | Bud Ryder | TKO | 3 (10) | Nov 11, 1922 | Grand Forks Auditorium,Grand Forks, North Dakota | |
| 99 | Win | 40–2–2 (55) | Tommy Gibbons | DQ | 10 (15),0:27 | Oct 13, 1922 | Madison Square Garden,New York City, New York | |
| 98 | Draw | 39–2–2 (55) | Bob Roper | PTS | 12 | Sep 4, 1922 | Coliseum,Oklahoma City,Oklahoma | |
| 97 | Win | 39–2–1 (55) | Fred Fulton | KO | 1 (10) | Aug 25, 1922 | Lexington Park,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 96 | Win | 38–2–1 (55) | Martin Burke | NWS | 12 | Jul 10, 1922 | Stockyards Stadium,Denver, Colorado | |
| 95 | Win | 38–2–1 (54) | Willie Meehan | KO | 1 (10),2:40 | Jul 3, 1922 | Coliseum,Oklahoma City,Oklahoma | |
| 94 | Win | 37–2–1 (54) | Homer Smith | KO | 1 (12) | Jun 23, 1922 | Riverside Arena,Covington, Kentucky | |
| 93 | Win | 36–2–1 (54) | Bob Roper | PTS | 10 | May 29, 1922 | Dyckman Oval,Upper Manhattan,New York | |
| 92 | Win | 35–2–1 (54) | Martin Burke | PTS | 15 | Apr 27, 1922 | Orleans A.C.,New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| 91 | Win | 34–2–1 (54) | Billy Shade | TKO | 2 (12) | Apr 10, 1922 | Oak Hill Auditorium,Youngstown, Ohio | |
| 90 | Win | 33–2–1 (54) | Al Roberts | KO | 2 (10),2:53 | Mar 2, 1922 | Madison Square Garden,New York City, New York | |
| 89 | Win | 32–2–1 (54) | Bob Roper | DQ | 6 (8) | Feb 20, 1922 | Olympia A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 88 | Win | 31–2–1 (54) |  Jack Renault | TKO | 13 (15) | Jan 28, 1922 | Clermont Avenue Skating Rink,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 87 | Win | 30–2–1 (54) |  Charley Weinert | NWS | 12 | Jan 16, 1922 | Broad A.C.,Newark, New Jersey | |
| 86 | Win | 30–2–1 (53) |  Tony Melchior | TKO | 4 (10) | Nov 11, 1921 | Columbus, Ohio | |
| 85 | Win | 29–2–1 (53) | Jack Renault | NWS | 8 | Jul 2, 1921 | Boyle's Thirty Acres,Jersey City, New Jersey | |
| 84 | Win | 29–2–1 (52) | Bill Brennan | NWS | 10 | Jun 8, 1921 | Lexington Park,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 83 | Win | 29–2–1 (51) | Tom McCarty | KO | 2 (10) | May 9, 1921 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 82 | Win | 28–2–1 (51) | Farmer Lodge | KO | 4 (10) | Mar 7, 1921 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 81 | Win | 27–2–1 (51) | Lee Anderson | PTS | 10 | Feb 9, 1921 | Arena,Milwaukie, Oregon | |
| 80 | Loss | 26–2–1 (51) | Jack Dempsey | KO | 3 (10),1:13 | Sep 6, 1920 | Floyd Fitzsimmons Arena,Benton Harbor, Michigan | Forworld heavyweight title |
| 79 | Win | 26–1–1 (51) | Jack Moran | TKO | 2 (10) | Jun 11, 1920 | Nicollet Park,Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| 78 | Loss | 25–1–1 (51) | Battling Levinsky | NWS | 12 | Jul 7, 1919 | Rossford Arena,Rossford, Ohio | |
| 77 | Draw | 25–1–1 (50) | Bill Brennan | NWS | 8 | Jun 25, 1919 | Cardinal Field,St. Louis, Missouri | |
| 76 | Draw | 25–1–1 (49) | Tommy Gibbons | NWS | 10 | Jun 19, 1919 | Nicollet Park,Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| 75 | Loss | 25–1–1 (48) | Kid Norfolk | NWS | 10 | Jun 9, 1919 | Forbes Field,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 74 | Win | 25–1–1 (47) | Willie Meehan | NWS | 10 | Jun 6, 1919 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 73 | Win | 25–1–1 (46) | Bill Brennan | PTS | 15 | Apr 28, 1919 | Tulsa Convention Hall,Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| 72 | Loss | 24–1–1 (46) | Harry Greb | NWS | 10 | Mar 31, 1919 | Duquesne Gardens,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 71 | Win | 24–1–1 (45) |  Tom Cowler | KO | 4 (10) | Mar 28, 1919 | Albaugh Theater,Baltimore, Maryland | |
| 70 | Win | 23–1–1 (45) | Tom Cowler | NWS | 6 | Jan 11, 1919 | National A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 69 | Win | 23–1–1 (44) | Gus Christie | TKO | 10 (10) | Dec 27, 1918 | Elite Rink,Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |
| 68 | Win | 22–1–1 (44) | Fireman Jim Flynn | KO | 2 (15),0:35 | Dec 16, 1918 | Tulsa Convention Hall,Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
| 67 | Loss | 21–1–1 (44) | Jack Dempsey | NWS | 6 | Nov 28, 1918 | Olympia A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 66 | Win | 21–1–1 (43) | Tom McMahon | NWS | 6 | Nov 18, 1918 | Forbes Field,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 65 | Win | 21–1–1 (42) | Harry Greb | NWS | 10 | Sep 21, 1918 | Forbes Field,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| 64 | Draw | 21–1–1 (41) | George Ashe | NWS | 4 | Jul 16, 1918 | Madison Square Garden,New York City, New York | |
| 63 | Win | 21–1–1 (40) | Bartley Madden | NWS | 8 | Jul 15, 1918 | Armory A.A. Outdoor Arena,Jersey City, New Jersey | |
| 62 | Win | 21–1–1 (39) | Gunboat Smith | NWS | 8 | Jul 12, 1918 | International League Ballpark,Jersey City, New Jersey | |
| 61 | Win | 21–1–1 (38) | Edward KO Kruvosky | PTS | 4 | Jun 14, 1918 | Dreamland Rink,San Francisco, California | |
| 60 | Draw | 20–1–1 (38) | Willie Meehan | PTS | 4 | Jun 7, 1918 | Shrine Temple,Los Angeles, California | |
| 59 | Win | 20–1 (38) | Henry Hendricks | TKO | 2 (4) | May 31, 1918 | San Francisco Civic Auditorium,San Francisco, California | |
| 58 | Draw | 19–1 (38) | Jack Dempsey | NWS | 10 | May 3, 1918 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 57 | Win | 19–1 (37) | Gunboat Smith | PTS | 10 | Apr 12, 1918 | Municipal Auditorium,Atlanta, Georgia | |
| 56 | Win | 18–1 (37) | Tom Cowler | TKO | 5 (12) | Apr 8, 1918 | Arcadia Rink,Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| 55 | Win | 17–1 (37) | Gus Christie | NWS | 10 | Feb 27, 1918 | Opera House,Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 54 | Draw | 17–1 (36) | Fred Fulton | NWS | 10 | Jan 18, 1918 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 53 | Win | 17–1 (35) | Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Nov 13, 1917 | Broadway Auditorium,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 52 | Win | 17–1 (34) |  Bert Kenny | TKO | 5 (12) | Oct 30, 1917 | Arena (Armory A.A.),Boston, Massachusetts | |
| 51 | Loss | 16–1 (34) | Kid Norfolk | PTS | 12 | Oct 16, 1917 | Arena (Armory A.A.),Boston, Massachusetts | |
| 50 | Win | 16–0 (34) | Charley Weinert | NWS | 10 | Oct 2, 1917 | Broadway Arena,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 49 | Win | 16–0 (33) | Carl Morris | NWS | 10 | Sep 28, 1917 | Harlem S.C.,Manhattan, New York | |
| 48 | Win | 16–0 (32) | Bert Kenny | NWS | 10 | Sep 18, 1917 | Broadway Arena,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 47 | Win | 16–0 (31) | Joe Bonds | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 24, 1917 | Broadway Arena,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 46 | Loss | 15–0 (31) | Battling Levinsky | NWS | 10 | Feb 27, 1917 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 45 | Win | 15–0 (30) | Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Jan 16, 1917 | Broadway Arena,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 44 | Win | 15–0 (29) | Charley Weinert | NWS | 12 | Jan 12, 1917 | Harlem S.C.,Manhattan, New York | |
| 43 | Win | 15–0 (28) |  George KO Brown | NWS | 12 | Jan 1, 1917 | Broadway Arena,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 42 | Win | 15–0 (27) | Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Dec 19, 1916 | Broadway Arena,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 41 | Win | 15–0 (26) | Larry Williams | NWS | 6 | Nov 27, 1916 | Olympia A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 40 | Win | 15–0 (25) | Bob Moha | NWS | 10 | Nov 17, 1916 | Broadway Arena,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 39 | Win | 15–0 (24) | Tim O'Neil | KO | 6 (10) | Nov 9, 1916 | Clermont Avenue Skating Rink,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 38 | Win | 14–0 (24) | Battling Levinsky | NWS | 10 | Oct 30, 1916 | Clermont Avenue Skating Rink,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 37 | Win | 14–0 (23) | Battling Levinsky | NWS | 10 | Oct 12, 1916 | Clermont Avenue Skating Rink,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 36 | Win | 14–0 (22) | Jim Barry | TKO | 6 (10) | Sep 21, 1916 | Clermont Avenue Skating Rink,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 35 | Win | 13–0 (22) | Johnny Howard | KO | 10 (10) | Aug 31, 1916 | Clermont Avenue Skating Rink,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 34 | Win | 12–0 (22) | Jack Hubbard | KO | 9 (10) | Jun 22, 1916 | Clermont Avenue Skating Rink,Brooklyn, New York | |
| 33 | Loss | 11–0 (22) | Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Apr 14, 1916 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 32 | Win | 11–0 (21) | Dick Gilbert | PTS | 15 | Feb 29, 1916 | National A.C.,Denver, Colorado | |
| 31 | Win | 10–0 (21) | Jack Dillon | NWS | 10 | Jan 28, 1916 | Opera House,Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 30 | Win | 10–0 (20) | Frank Hoe | KO | 2 (10) | Dec 28, 1915 | Marshfield, Wisconsin | |
| 29 | Win | 9–0 (20) | Jack Clements | KO | 8 (10) | Dec 17, 1915 | Minneapolis Armory,Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| 28 | Draw | 8–0 (20) | Terry Kellar | NWS | 10 | Dec 3, 1915 | Opera House,Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 27 | Draw | 8–0 (19) | George KO Brown | NWS | 12 | Nov 1, 1915 | Winnipeg,Manitoba | |
| 26 | Win | 8–0 (18) | Jack Lester | KO | 2 (10) | Sep 10, 1915 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 25 | Draw | 7–0 (18) | Gus Christie | NWS | 10 | Aug 24, 1915 | Riverside A.C.,Dubuque, Iowa | |
| 24 | Loss | 7–0 (17) | Tommy Gibbons | NWS | 10 | Jul 12, 1915 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 23 | Win | 7–0 (16) | George KO Brown | NWS | 10 | Apr 28, 1915 | Acme Hall,Platteville, Wisconsin | |
| 22 | Win | 7–0 (15) | Mike O'Dowd | NWS | 10 | Apr 6, 1915 | Hudson Arena,Hudson, Wisconsin | |
| 21 | Win | 7–0 (14) | Eddie Nearing | DQ | 6 (10) | Mar 23, 1915 | Hudson Arena,Hudson, Wisconsin | |
| 20 | Win | 6–0 (14) | Gus Christie | NWS | 8 | Mar 16, 1915 | Milwaukee Auditorium,Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |
| 19 | Draw | 6–0 (13) | Mike Hirsch | NWS | 6 | Feb 25, 1915 | Milwaukee Auditorium,Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |
| 18 | Loss | 6–0 (12) | Jack McCarron | NWS | 6 | Jan 16, 1915 | National A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 17 | Draw | 6–0 (11) | Harry Greb | NWS | 6 | Jan 12, 1915 | Fairmont A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 16 | Win | 6–0 (10) | Billy Maxwell | NWS | 6 | Jan 9, 1915 | National A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 15 | Win | 6–0 (9) | Billy Maxwell | NWS | 6 | Jan 1, 1915 | National A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 14 | Draw | 6–0 (8) | Al Thiel | NWS | 10 | Dec 10, 1914 | Academy of Music,Pottsville, Pennsylvania | |
| 13 | Win | 6–0 (7) | Ralph Erne | TKO | 4 (10) | Nov 23, 1914 | O'Hara Theatre,Shenandoah, Pennsylvania | |
| 12 | Win | 5–0 (7) | Jimmy Dougherty | TKO | 3 (6) | Nov 14, 1914 | National A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 11 | Win | 4–0 (7) | Theodore Thompson | KO | 2 (6) | Jun 15, 1914 | St. Paul Auditorium,Saint Paul, Minnesota | |
| 10 | Win | 3–0 (7) | Young Griffo | NWS | 10 | Jun 1, 1914 | O'Hara Theatre,Shenandoah, Pennsylvania | |
| 9 | Draw | 3–0 (6) | Jack McCarron | NWS | 10 | May 26, 1914 | Academy of Music,Pottsville, Pennsylvania | |
| 8 | Draw | 3–0 (5) | George Ashe | NWS | 6 | May 16, 1914 | National A.C.,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| 7 | Loss | 3–0 (4) | Tommy Gibbons | NWS | 10 | Mar 24, 1914 | Hudson Arena,Hudson, Wisconsin | |
| 6 | Draw | 3–0 (3) | Spike Kelly | NWS | 10 | Feb 17, 1914 | Eighth Street Arena,Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 5 | Draw | 3–0 (2) | Bill Scott | NWS | 10 | Sep 30, 1913 | Superior Athletic Arena,Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 4 | Win | 3–0 (1) | Danny Ritt | TKO | 2 (10) | Jun 10, 1913 | Opera House,Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 3 | Draw | 2–0 (1) | Theodore Thompson | NWS | 6 | Apr 29, 1913 | Opera House,Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Soldier Gregory | KO | 2 (6) | Apr 7, 1913 | Opera House,Superior, Wisconsin | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Joe Christie | PTS | 6 | Mar 5, 1913 | Opera House,Superior, Wisconsin | Professional debut |
Moyle, Clay (2011) Billy Miske: The St. Paul Thunderbolt. Iowa City, Iowa: Win By KO Publications