Origin point of the Lightheavyweight Title.

[Benny The Kid]

It's obvious wiki is way off on this...it has 1902 Jack Root.

I researched this It appears Choynski was the first champion.

Box rec first mention is Aug 1889 Choynski vs Australian Jim Ryan for vacant title.

They reference Choynski & Tut Ryan in the previous year for the title in 1897 speaking as if it exist (lightheavy title) in newspapers. But Scaling further back, Jan 1895 they reference Choynski as Lightheavy Champion (unofficial) Via win over Godfrey.

In Aug 1896 They have wall to wall coverage of a Lightheavyweight Championship match with Jim Hall (a much bigger name than Tut Ryan) coming soon. This is from Jan paper before Jan 20th bout with Jim Hall in 1897. "Manager Jim Kennedy has instituted a new weight class for pugilists at the empire club. He bills that choynski and Hall do battle for the lightheavyweight championship decided at his hall his lightheavyweight idea is all right." The paper definitely recognized this as the lightheavyweight championship bout as it was hyped all the fall of the previous year in fall of 1896.

By later in 1897 the champion moniker wasn't staying with him choynski in the newspapers & Fall 1897 it refers to match with Tut Ryan next year in 1898 For lightheavyweight title. Bout took place in Aug 1889 not 1898 quite the delay...

Also another quote from paper Oct 1897 " Little or nothing has been heard from Lightheavy since Choynski put out Godfrey in 1894 in Boston. Immediately after that performance Choynski was often referred to as the title holder of lightheavyweight"

No fight exists on Box rec of Choyski vs Godfrey in 1894 but I have a list of incorrection's on Boxrec So I don't doubt it happened. Newspaper could be misremembering 1892 bout. But they say bout in Boston, Godfrey bout in 92 was in coney island in brooklyn.

So take what you want from this info but I would guess that first "official" title match was the Choysnski vs Hall Jan 1896. It just wasn't widely accepted much also states its "instituting a new weight class" it states it's for the Lightheavyweight title, the next Option would be Choynski vs Godfrey in 1894 if that happened or 1892.

Zero doubt though that Choynski was the first lightheavyweight champion. What year is a mystery..

Anyone have some thought's on this? It appears obvious Jack Root was the first champion.

Has anyone ever heard of Choynski vs Godfrey for the first lightheavyweight of the championship?

If that's the case the the title would trace all the way back to 1894 or 1892 Depending on If Choynski actually faced Godfrey a second time..


Oct 1897 " Little or nothing has been heard from Lightheavy since Choynski put out Godfrey in 1894 in Boston. Immediately after that performance Choynski was often referred to as the title holder of lightheavyweight"

That line is a mystery to me it's directly out of the newspaper. The year & location is off from the 1892 bout so did they actually fight again?

I need some help here..

[Ambling Alp II]

Wow, thus is a lot to chew on. There are so many things that seem strange from the newspaper articles that you have found.
I have always heard that the Root-McCoy fight in 1903 was the first light heavyweight title fight. Of course, a fight could be billed for one in the 1880s or 1890s and was not recognized by many and became forgotton.
Have read about Choynski quite a bit and have never heard it mentioned about him being the light heavyweight champ. Weird.

It also mentions in one article in October of 1897 that much has been heard from Choynski since 1894. That is strange because he had major fights in that time i.e. Jeffries, Sharkey and McCoy.

Wondering if Root-McCoy in 1903 was really for a vacant title also is always referred to as.

Sorry that I don't have many answers here.

[Benny The Kid]

Well in the mid 1890's they refer to the weight division of Lightheavy weight 160-175lbs. Heavyweight was 175lbs & up.
So I would venture to guess that no way does it take to past 1900 to actually crown someone.

8-29- 1899 Promoted by newspaperman Lou Houseman as for the Vacant World Light-Heavyweight title, inaugural bout.
1899-08-29 160 Australian Jim Ryan 162 18 16 11 Auditorium for fistic carnival, Dubuque W-PTS 20/20


This information while might be semi accurate is false events predate this with the exact same circumstances.

If only promoting it as makes it a fact...then
1896-01-20 161 Jim Hall 160 Is being promoted again as the inaugural bout. Both fighters are in the Lightheavyweight limits. This was talked about for half the year as the inaugural championship prior to happening. The day before the bout it's described as the lightheavyweight championship.

But several instances they refer to to origin point as Godfrey vs Choynski. As i typed here.

There's almost no way it's being recognized as a division & it takes 10 years 1892 to 1902 for a champion to be crowned. That much is not realistic.

In 1895 for sure the lightheavyweight division has an established weight limit. There's almost no way it takes until 1899 for a champion to be crowned.

I'll research the Godfrey vs Choynski 1892 & see if there are any references to it being a championship bout.

What makes this super strange is Tom Sharkey's first title shot would have been the next Bout after Choynski won the Lightheavyweight title from Jim Hall

1896-04-16 Tom Sharkey

No where in newspaper do they describe this as Lightheavyweight Title defense. As I'm saying the title didn't stick upon it's first maiden bout. They instead Describe Choynski as pacific coast Heavyweight title holder...

But later in the year 1896 the reference Choynski as the lightheavyweight champion. In another newspaper.

I would bet there is info on this in the the book The fistic carnival as that is right in the description. Auditorium for fistic carnival