Born: John Lawrence Sullivan
Heavyweight Champion 1882-92
John L. Sullivan was an extraordinarily popular figure in the late nineteenth century, a living hero whose prowess in the ring brought him lasting fame. Sullivan remains well known even today, over one hundred years after his last fight. Born to Irish immigrant parents in the town of Roxbury, neighboring Boston, Sullivan apparently inherited his solid physique-he was 5'10" tall and weighed 190 pounds-from his mother, who equaled her grown sons stature. Sullivan's father, although an aggressive scrapper himself, was barely 5'3".
The Boxing Register