Al Thiel

Name: Al Thiel
Alias: New Al McCoy; Al McCoy
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Pro Boxer: Record

Al Thiel seems to have had most of his early fights (1911 or 1912 to 1914) in Brooklyn, and perhaps also Staten Island and northern New Jersey, this period in his professional career not having yet been traced. Eventually he fell under the management of the former manager of Al McCoy (evidently Jack Dougherty); this is the Al McCoy who gained a claim to the middleweight title by knocking out George Chip. McCoy and Dougherty had parted with considerable acrimony.

At the instigation of Dougherty, Thiel changed his name legally to Al McCoy in Brooklyn, NY, in 1914, to serve as an act of revenge for Dougherty against the real Al McCoy. Thiel now became known variously as New Al McCoy, Young Al McCoy, Al McCoy of Brooklyn, and just Al McCoy, and was often confused with the other, better known fighter. Many sportswriters did not know the difference between the two men, and confusion reigned. Researchers have found it very difficult to separate the fights of the two men in the period 1914-17. The fights listed in the linked record all appear to belong to the original Al Thiel, but the matter is under constant review.