The book "The Irish Champion," the story of Peter Maher, his opponents and their records is now available.
Looks interesting.
SEE:
http://www.trafford.com/07-2554
New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
Re: New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
About the Book
Peter Maher, a Galway born, and Dublin reared fighter, laid a strong claim on sport’s greatest prize, The Heavyweight Championship of the world, in the 1890’s. For over ten years he was a top contender and his popularity was such that he was arguably the most famous sportsman in America at the turn of the Twentieth century. This popularity stemmed from his prodigious punching power, good looks and affable, good-natured and easy-going manner.
He mixed with everybody from Presidents like Teddy Roosevelt and William McKinley to Wild West icons Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and Judge Roy Bean and a multitude in between. Yet today he is virtually unknown except to the anoraks of the boxing world. This book attempts to address this situation. It traces his career from the amateur days in Dublin, deals with all his big fights in the United States and the famous contest for the World Title against Bob Fitzsimmons in Mexico. It charts his downward spiral until his death in 1940 in Baltimore. The book also contains a records section where the career records of some forty of his opponents are published, some for the first time and most at least revised with corrections and additions. The book also contains many photographs from the period and attempts by the use of contemporaneous newspaper reports to accurately portray the man and his times.
Peter Maher, a Galway born, and Dublin reared fighter, laid a strong claim on sport’s greatest prize, The Heavyweight Championship of the world, in the 1890’s. For over ten years he was a top contender and his popularity was such that he was arguably the most famous sportsman in America at the turn of the Twentieth century. This popularity stemmed from his prodigious punching power, good looks and affable, good-natured and easy-going manner.
He mixed with everybody from Presidents like Teddy Roosevelt and William McKinley to Wild West icons Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and Judge Roy Bean and a multitude in between. Yet today he is virtually unknown except to the anoraks of the boxing world. This book attempts to address this situation. It traces his career from the amateur days in Dublin, deals with all his big fights in the United States and the famous contest for the World Title against Bob Fitzsimmons in Mexico. It charts his downward spiral until his death in 1940 in Baltimore. The book also contains a records section where the career records of some forty of his opponents are published, some for the first time and most at least revised with corrections and additions. The book also contains many photographs from the period and attempts by the use of contemporaneous newspaper reports to accurately portray the man and his times.
Re: New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
About the Author
Matt Donnellon was born in 1957, lives in Ireland and is employed a storemanager in the motor trade. He is married to Mary Steede, from Kilbannon, the birthplace of Peter Maher, and they have six children. The three girls are Grainne, Niamh and Tara while the boys, Shane, Niall and Brian all were boxers and all three were Connaught (West Ireland) champions.
Matt is an Irish Amature Boxing Association (IABA) judge and also coach with his local Kilmaine Boxing Club, County Mayo. He is also a long time member of the International Boxing Research Organization, IBRO.
Matt Donnellon was born in 1957, lives in Ireland and is employed a storemanager in the motor trade. He is married to Mary Steede, from Kilbannon, the birthplace of Peter Maher, and they have six children. The three girls are Grainne, Niamh and Tara while the boys, Shane, Niall and Brian all were boxers and all three were Connaught (West Ireland) champions.
Matt is an Irish Amature Boxing Association (IABA) judge and also coach with his local Kilmaine Boxing Club, County Mayo. He is also a long time member of the International Boxing Research Organization, IBRO.
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Ambling Alp
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Re: New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
Too bad the other thread got to the point that it was locked. Anyway, I think it's great that a book about Maher has been written.
If you have read donnellon's posts in the past, you can tell he is knowledgable and makes a lot of good points.
If you have read donnellon's posts in the past, you can tell he is knowledgable and makes a lot of good points.
Re: New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
Joe Gans praised Maher's punching power.
Re: New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
Maher scored 21 FIRST-ROUND knockouts.
The mark of a puncher.
The mark of a puncher.
Re: New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
PETER MAHER WITH MICKEY WALKER (1931)
Re: New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
In 1928 Corbett was asked about his opinion on Dempsey as a puncher. He described him as a great hitter but went on to say "The greatest hitter I ever saw was Peter Maher".
Considering he fought Sullivan, Choynski, Fitz and Jeffries this is noteworthy praise indeed.
Considering he fought Sullivan, Choynski, Fitz and Jeffries this is noteworthy praise indeed.
Re: New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
Joe Gans said, "I don't know of any heavyweight who can strike as hard a blow as Maher."donnellon wrote:In 1928 Corbett was asked about his opinion on Dempsey as a puncher. He described him as a great hitter but went on to say "The greatest hitter I ever saw was Peter Maher".
Considering he fought Sullivan, Choynski, Fitz and Jeffries this is noteworthy praise indeed.
Gans was well aware of Jeffries and Fitz (who was the fighter he admired most) as hitters.
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pound per pound
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Maher
Maher was the Ernie Shavers of his day. Big right hand.
Re: New book on Peter Maher by Matt Donnellon
Peter Maher biographer Matt Donnellon wrote on an earlier thread:
Maher was one of the unluckiest, forgotten and underated fighters of all-time. As an amateur he lost to a touring Peter Jackson and from then to the turn of the century had hundreds of fights losing only to Goddard and Fitz.
He avenged the Goddard defeat and also beat Ruhlin, a faded Godfrey, Slavin, a peak Choynski, generally had the better of a peak Sharkey in their draw, bested Hall, McAuliffe and a slew of second tier contenders like O'Donnell, Klondike, Craig, CC Smith,Stockings Conroy, the Giant Dunkhorst and even at the tail-end of his career he was beating the likes of Russel and Jeffords. He could have defeated Munroe had he wanted to.
Even in this late period Philadelphia Jack O'Brien wouldn't engage Maher without a promise that Peter wouldn't deliver the ko. He dropped the great Jeff Clarke when 10 years past his best.
Note the black fighters on his resume, add in Butler, Stevenson etc and you have a fighter who dodged no man or color. If there had been ratings in his day he would have held a position in the top 5 from 1891-02 with just the occasional drop-downs to the lower reaches of the top 10.
He could box a bit, ko with either hand, punch in combinations, was quick of hand and foot but not of mind. Often described as glass-chinned he was only ko'd in his first thirteen years by Fitz and a fluky Goddard punch. I have a book at the printers on Maher which should be available in about a month, the title "The Irish Champion".
Maher was one of the unluckiest, forgotten and underated fighters of all-time. As an amateur he lost to a touring Peter Jackson and from then to the turn of the century had hundreds of fights losing only to Goddard and Fitz.
He avenged the Goddard defeat and also beat Ruhlin, a faded Godfrey, Slavin, a peak Choynski, generally had the better of a peak Sharkey in their draw, bested Hall, McAuliffe and a slew of second tier contenders like O'Donnell, Klondike, Craig, CC Smith,Stockings Conroy, the Giant Dunkhorst and even at the tail-end of his career he was beating the likes of Russel and Jeffords. He could have defeated Munroe had he wanted to.
Even in this late period Philadelphia Jack O'Brien wouldn't engage Maher without a promise that Peter wouldn't deliver the ko. He dropped the great Jeff Clarke when 10 years past his best.
Note the black fighters on his resume, add in Butler, Stevenson etc and you have a fighter who dodged no man or color. If there had been ratings in his day he would have held a position in the top 5 from 1891-02 with just the occasional drop-downs to the lower reaches of the top 10.
He could box a bit, ko with either hand, punch in combinations, was quick of hand and foot but not of mind. Often described as glass-chinned he was only ko'd in his first thirteen years by Fitz and a fluky Goddard punch. I have a book at the printers on Maher which should be available in about a month, the title "The Irish Champion".