Andy Bowen

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Andy Bowen

Andy Bowen (born February 5, 1864 in New Orleans , † December 15, 1894 there ) was an American boxer . He played on 6/7. April 1893 against Jack Burke the longest boxing match of all time. He died a few hours after being knocked down in the fight against George Lavigne . Bowen's death caused a decline in boxing matches in New Orleans.

Life

Andy Bowen was born on February 5, 1864. He worked as a blacksmith and in the cotton fields.

The young, ambitious Bowen saw prize boxing as an opportunity to get more out of his life. As recently as 1889, this activity was considered illegal in all 38 US states. But in 1890 the US state of Louisiana legalized the type of competition, and New Orleans became the boxing metropolis of the United States in the 1890s. Boxing took place in the sports clubs that were created and held public competitions. His first boxing competitions are known from 1887. Bowen, around 1.63 m tall and weighing around 60 kg, developed into a master of the lightweight and gained a reputation among contemporaries after his successes as a hero ( "hero of Annunciation Square" ). At that time he prevailed against some well-known opponents. Around 1890 he was recognized as a master of the south.

Bowen was a stocky, stocky boxer. Because of his physical strength, he relied more on his strength and consistency than on finesse and boxing dexterity. Long fights were more common. His dark skin caused problems for Bowen, as the exclusive upper-class sports clubs were strict about allowing only white boxers into the ring. Bowen always vigorously denied the suspicion that he was a mulatto , claiming to be of Irish-Hispanic descent. The local boxing community eventually believed him, and he became a fixture on the town's boxing scene.

His longest boxing match

On the evening of April 6, 1893, local hero Andy Bowen and Jack Burke from Texas competed for the championship of the south in the "Olympic Club" of New Orleans for $ 2,500 in prize money . When the fight began at 9:00 p.m. (sources also speak of 9:15 p.m. or 9:30 p.m.), no one suspected they were going to witness a historic event. The opponents, already equipped with boxing gloves, wanted to fight in 3-minute rounds according to the rules until the winner was determined. The referee was John Duffy, who often judged Bowen's compliance at competitions.

In the first 14 rounds, both boxers tried to come to a quick decision. But then their strength slackened and both waited for the opponent to show themselves. At 3 a.m., lap 89 was reached. Bowen was said at the time that he had a broken wrist. Some spectators migrated to take care of breakfast, others were overwhelmed by sleep and the reporter for the local newspaper "Daily Picayune" also suffered from fatigue. After 7 hours and 19 minutes, 110 laps had been played. Both boxers were pumped out. Burke's knuckles were broken in both hands. When the bell rang in round 111, none of the opponents came out of his corner and referee Duffy, according to sources, ended the action at 4:43 am with the statement "No contest" . The boxing match was later rated as a "tie".

His last boxing match

On December 14, 1894, Andy Bowen tried to assert himself against the 25-year-old George Lavigne , called "The Saginaw Kid", in the "Auditorium Athletic Club" in New Orleans in the ring. The sports club attracted audiences with the opportunity to watch three competitions in one evening. Bowen's and Lavigne's appearance came in the second boxing match.

Referee was once again John Duffy. According to him, Bowen came up with an uncharacteristically low level of enthusiasm. The struggle itself became more and more one-sided. In the first round Bowen's left hand hit the opponent's nose, but did little to achieve it. When Andy later started moving his arms like a windmill, his friends knew he had given up. In the final rounds, Lavigne often got punches in Bowen's stomach area. On the 18th round, Bowen swayed like a drunk, clinging to avoid Lavigne's hits. An opponent's right hand reached him by the jaw, Bowen fell back and his head hit the wooden floor with a thump. The ring was not padded, just covered with canvas over the wooden planks.

The unconscious was taken to his locker room, where he gave signs of life. His hands worked as if he were trying to fend off the competitor or deliver blows. Bowen vomited undigested peas. Doctors gave him whiskey, which raised his heart rate from 32 to 70 beats per minute. An ambulance was called, but it was feared that hospitalization could trigger negative publicity for the sport. The unconscious was ultimately transported home, where his worried wife Mathilde took care of him. Andy Bowen died without regaining consciousness on December 15, 1894 at 7:15 a.m. in the presence of a clergyman.

The incident caused a great outcry. Police interrogated Lavigne, Duffy, and others on suspicion of manslaughter, but the coroner (a death investigator in the Anglo-Saxon legal system) ruled that it was not Lavigne's blow, but Bowen's fall that was the cause of death. Bowen's death resulted in more boxing events in New Orleans being suspended. The event meant the decline of boxing competitions in the city, which even the renewed heyday of championship fights between 1910 and 1915 could no longer stop. George "Kid" Lavigne was able to continue his career and became the second lightweight boxing champion in fights according to the Queensberry rules . His name is listed in the " International Boxing Hall of Fame ".

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ This date is calculated from the "New York Times" report of his death. Another source mentions - probably incorrectly - May 3, 1867
  2. ^ New Orleans Nostalgia
  3. ↑ http://www.archive.org/stream/louisianaaguidet010578mbp/louisianaaguidet010578mbp_djvu.txt
  4. ^ "Chicago Daily Tribune," December 16, 1894
personal data
SURNAME Bowen, Andy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American boxer, participant in the longest boxing match
DATE OF BIRTH February 5, 1864
PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans
DATE OF DEATH December 15, 1894
Place of death New Orleans