James J. Jeffries vs. Hank Griffin

Hank Griffin lost to James J Jeffries by KO in round 14

• Date: 1896-12-01
• Location: Los Angeles, California, USA

In James J. Jeffries' autobiography, Jeffries claimed that this was his first bout. Jeffries, who also claimed his famous crouching stance originated in this bout, took a terrible drubbing before a left to the body put his opponent down for the count.

Source: My Life & Battles by James J. Jeffries

• Based on contemporary newspaper articles there is some reason to believe that if this fight actually took place, it was strictly an amateur bout. It was common in those days for a champion to have fought his first fight against some mythical bogeyman.