Fight:432122

Mervine Thompson 208 lbs beat Pat Killen 193 lbs by DQ in round 4

• Date: 1886-04-20
• Location: Cleveland Crib Club, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
• Referee: Frank Brunnell

CLEVELAND, April 21. -- Mervine Thompson, of this city, and Pat Killen, of Philadelphia, fought a battle of three rounds in the barn of a road house three miles outside the city limits last night, and Thompson won on the decision of the referee, because Killen drew his gloves and refused to fight at the order of that official. The fight was for a purse of $500, made up by the Cleveland Cribb Club. (The Daily Era, Apr 22, 1886)

Killen had Thompson down several times and nearly out, but grew discontented with the referee giving repeated slow counts to help the local favorite Thompson, and threw off his gloves in disgust crying misconduct on behalf of the referee. The crowd agreed and rushed the ring to which the referee awarded the fight to Thompson. By all accounts, it was not a close fight, with Killen pummeling Thompson thoroughly. The verdict was such a farce, that even the newspapers of the day when recanting or summarizing Killen's record, virtually all list his fight with Thompson as a victory for Killen.