Packey McFarland
Name: Packey McFarland
Alias: Patrick McFarland
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Died: 1936-09-22 (Age:47)
Height: 170cm
Reach: 175cm
Referee: Record
Pro Boxer: Record
Manager: Emil Thierry
Packey McFarland is generally considered to be one of the greatest fighters to never win, or even fight for, a world title.
Boxing historian Tracy Callis wrote: "Packey McFarland was a fast and clever boxer with exceptional skills. He possessed an educated left jab, stiff punches, fast feet, and a savvy of boxing that always kept him a step ahead of his opponent. Packey was one of the greatest fighters to ever hail from Chicago."
Callis and Herbert Goldman, former editor of The Ring Record Book and Encyclopedia, both rated McFarland as the seventh greatest lightweight of all time.
In his book The 100 Greatest Boxers of All Time, Bert Sugar listed McFarland as the 32nd greatest fighter of all time.
McFarland boxed as a lightweight and welterweight from 1904 to 1915. According to BoxRec, he had 113 fights. He won 50 by knockout, 36 by newspaper decision, and 20 by judges' decision. Six of his bouts were draws, one by newspaper decision and five by judges' decision. He lost only one bout in his career. On July 13, 1904, 16-year-old McFarland lost to a fighter named Dusty Miller. Some report the result as a fifth-round knockout, while others claim it was a newspaper decision.
The list of outstanding fighters McFarland defeated include Benny Yanger, Freddie Welsh, Jimmy Britt, Phil Brock, Leach Cross, Cyclone Johnny Thompson, Jack Goodman, Jack Britton, Tommy Kilbane, Young Ahearn, Tommy Devlin, and Mike Gibbons.
McFarland's final bout took place when he was 26 years old. On September 11, 1915, he was awarded a ten-round newspaper decision win against Mike Gibbons in Brooklyn, New York.
Although he never fought for a world title, McFarland made a lot of money. In April 1912, it was reported that he had earned $200,000 since becoming a professional boxer eight years earlier. He made $110,000 from boxing matches and $90,000 from theatrical appearances.
After retiring from boxing, McFarland became a very wealthy man in the contracting and brewing business and served for a time as director of the Joliet National Bank.
McFarland remained close to boxing. He tutored a young Barney Ross and was appointed to the Illinois Athletic Commission by Governor Henry Horner on January 27, 1933.
On September 22, 1936, McFarland died at his home in Joliet, Illinois, of a streptococcus infection which had attacked his heart. He had been ill for two months.
He was survived by a widow, three daughters and a son.
On June 7, 1992, McFarland was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York.
Exhibition Bouts
- 1909-09-10: EX 4 Eddie Sentry, Wheaton, IL (reported but not confirmed)
- 1910-02-25: EX 6 Eddie McGoorty, London, ENG
- 1911-02-21: EX 4 Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Philadelphia, PA
- 1911-11-03: EX 3 Emmett "Kid" Wagner, Wilkes-Barre, PA (BoxRec reports it as "NWS 3" and some sources report "ND 8" on 1911-11-01)
- 1913-04-16: EX 4 Maurice Sayers, Milwaukee, WI
- 1918-04-26: EX 4 Mike Gibbons, Camp Dodge, IA
External Links
- The Evening Standard (Ogden, Utah) April 30, 1912: Packey Has The Wealth: His Boxing Bouts Have Brought Him $200,000 in Eight Years; See also: [1]
- The Tacoma Times (Tacoma, Washington) August 1, 1912: Face and Fists That Challenge Wolgast;
- Cyber Boxing Zone: Patrick "Packey" McFarland
- Tracy Callis article: Packey McFarland ... "The Champ That Never Was"
- Mike Casey article: Genius From The Chicago Stockyards: Packey McFarland