John L. Sullivan vs. George Rooke

John L Sullivan beat George Rooke by KO in round 3

• Date: 1880-06-28
• Location: Howard Athenaeum, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Rooke was a respected, veteran boxer and former claimant to America's bare knuckle middleweight boxing title, while Sullivan was considered an upstart novice at the time. The bout was officially labeled a boxing exhibition under Marquess of Queensberry Rules to please local authorities, but the fighting was serious. Sullivan outweighed his opponent considerably and used his size advantages to score three knockdowns in the opening three minutes. During the third round, believing the action too "realistic," police stopped the match to save Rooke, who may have been drunk, from further punishment.