Alf Greenfield
Name: Alf Greenfield
Hometown: Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
Birthplace: Northampton, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Died: 1895-07-10 (Age:42)
Height: 175cm
Pro Boxer: Record
- Exact date of birth in 1853 (England) unknown.
Career Overview
Alf Greenfield was a British fighter of the late nineteenth century. Though small in stature, he fought some of the best heavyweights of the era, including Jack Burke, John L. Sullivan, and Jake Kilrain.
Early Career
Greenfield was born in Northhampton, England, but spent his early adult years in Birmingham. He stood 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed around 162 pounds. On June 29, 1883, with very little ring experience behind him, he bested undefeated Jack Burke in Manchester to win a tournament organized by the popular former bare-knuckle champion Jem Mace.
The win over Burke brought the attention of Richard Kyle Fox, publisher of the National Police Gazette, the most popular sporting magazine in America. Fox brought Greenfield to the U.S. in 1884 and began organizing a bout with the world heavyweight champion John Sullivan. However, Fox, Greenfield, Sullivan, and Sullivan's manager were all arrested for organizing an illegal prize fight. On November 17, a judge ruled that the fight could go on, as long as both fighters promised not to knock each other out.
The bout took place on November 18 (source: John L. Sullivan and His America). It was held at Madison Square Garden, before a crowd of 7,000. The first round of the match showed little action, with Greenfield landing the few telling blows. Sullivan came on in the second, attacking ferociously, while Greenfield resorted to holding. Pinned in a corner, Greenfield suffered a cut above his left eye, prompting Clubber Williams, Chief of Police, to step in and end the affair. Announcer Billy Williams declared Sullivan the winner.
Both fighters were arrested immediately after the bout and taken to the police station. Both men were charged with participating in a prize fight and were released on bail, pending trial. On December 12, a jury found both men not guilty and they were released. The pair fought a rematch on January 12, 1885 in Boston, with Sullivan winning after four rounds. Greenfield subsequently became popular in England, where he returned. When Sullivan came through England a few months later, Greenfield was one of his sparring/exhibition partners.
Later Career
Somewhere between 1884 and 1886, the date not specifically known, Greenfield engaged in a bout with up-and-coming bare-knuckle fighter Jake Kilrain, who was undefeated at the time. Kilrain won, though the details of the fight are not known. He fought yet another undefeated fighter, Jem Smith, the future champion of England, in 1886. When fans broke into the ring during the thirteenth round, the fight was declared a draw.
Greenfield's last bout was against Tug Wilson, himself a former Sullivan opponent. Suffering a broken arm in the bout, Greenfield could not continue and the bout was declared a draw in the twenty-eighth round.
His last years were spent in a lunatic asylum in Birmingham, where he died, July 10, 1895.
Sources
Isenberg, Michael T. John L. Sullivan and His America
Images
- Mechanics Delight Boxing Card
