Jack Bonner
(John Bonner)
BORN July 14 1874; Summit Hill, Pennsylvania HEIGHT 5-9 3/4 (Some sources report 5-9) WEIGHT 154-170 lbs MANAGERS Bob Deady
Bonner was one of the better fighters at the turn of the century; He fought most of the top middleweights and light-heavyweights at the time, black or white; He also tangled with some heavyweights; Jack fought Tommy Ryan for the Middleweight Championship in 1898
During his career, Bonner defeated such men as Billy Leedom, Billy Hennessey, "Australian" Billy Smith, Joe Butler, Nick Burley, Abe Ullman, Charlie Goff, Dan Creedon, Dick O'Brien, Dick Moore, Harry Peppers, Billy Hanrahan, "Scaldy" Bill Quinn, and Charles Haghey1892 Owen Ziegler Philadelphia, Pa LK 1 1893 Oct 12 Ray Badgeley KO 16 Nov 17 Fred Warren KO 4 Dec 23 Fred Warren KO 4 1894 Apr 22 Jack Fahey Tamaqua, Pa KO 2 Jul 12 Billy Kelly Mahoney Junction, Pa D 27 -Some sources report "KO 27" Aug 8 Billy Kelly Pottsville, Pa KO 8 Oct 27 Bill Leiser Tamaqua, Pa L 6 -Some sources report "W 6" Nov 6 Billy Martin Lansford, Pa KO 1 -Some sources report "KO 2" 1895 Feb 23 Ray Badgeley Lansford, Pa WF 5 May 16 Ray Badgeley Summit Hill, Pa D 25 Dec 19 "Scaldy" Bill Quinn Lakeside, Pa D 37 -Some sources report "D 36" 1896 Feb 29 Pepper Griffin Pottsville, Pa TK 11 Mar 12 Pepper Griffin Shenandoah, Pa W 10 May 21 Dan Wilhere Philadelphia, Pa D 6 Jul 3 Yock Hayden KO 4 Aug 27 Ray Badgeley Summit Hill, Pa KO 16 -Perhaps, this is the 10/12/93 bout Sep 3 Fred Morris Philadelphia, Pa ND 4 -Some sources report 10/03/96 Oct 10 Fred Morris Philadelphia, Pa ND 4 Oct 17 Mike Dempsey Philadelphia, Pa ND 4 Oct 31 Pepper Griffin Philadelphia, Pa ND 4 Nov 19 Dick Moore Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Nov 26 "Scaldy" Bill Quinn Philadelphia, Pa D 4 -Some sources report "ND 4"; Others "ND 6" Dec 12 "Scaldy" Bill Quinn Philadelphia, Pa W 4 -Some sources report "ND 4" Dec 19 William Smith Philadelphia, Pa TK 2 Dec 26 Abraham "Abe" Ullman Philadelphia, Pa ND 4 1897 Jan 3 Frank Childs Chicago, Il SCH -This bout was scheduled but not held; Police intervened Jan 9 Ed Warner Philadelphia, Pa ND 4 Jan 14 Nick Burley Philadelphia, Pa TK 4 Jan 21 Dick Moore Philadelphia, Pa D 6 Jan 30 Ed Warner Philadelphia, Pa KO 1 Feb 6 Billy Leedom Philadelphia, Pa TK 3 Feb 13 Henry Miller Philadelphia, Pa TK 2 Feb 27 William Clark Philadelphia, Pa KO 1 Mar 23 Dick Moore Athens, Pa D 15 Apr 20 Billy Hennessey Athens, Pa TK 3 -Some sources report "KO 2" at "Philadelphia, Pa" May 31 Charles "Kid" McCoy Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Jun 8 "Australian" Billy Smith Athens, Pa TK 5 -Some sources report "W 6" Jul 26 Harry Peppers Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 -Some sources report "D 15" Aug 7 Ed Smith Tamaqua, Pa TK 2 Aug 31 Harry Peppers Athens, Pa NC 15 -Some sources report "Philadelphia, Pa" Oct 11 "Mysterious" Billy Smith Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Nov 1 Joe Butler Philadelphia, Pa TK 2 -Butler claimed he had Bonner almost out in the first round when the referee stepped in and gave him a chance to recover; In the second round, Bonner had knocked Butler down for three seconds when the referee stopped the bout Nov 13 Joe Butler Philadelphia, Pa WF 2 -Butler claimed that he had knocked Bonner down three times when the referee stepped in and gave him a chance to recover; The police subsequently stopped the bout; Bonner was taken to a hospital Dec 6 "Sailor" Charles Lynch Athens, Pa KO 4 -Some sources report "TK 5" 1898 Jan 15 "Australian" Billy Smith Chicago, Il TK 3 Jan 25 "Woburn" Tom McCarthy Rochester, NY D 19 -Police intervened Feb 1 Nick Burley Wheeling, WV TK 13 Feb 25 Abraham "Abe" Ullman Philadelphia, Pa TK 3 Mar 11 Tommy West Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Apr 16 Ed Gross Philadelphia, Pa KO 4 May 2 Dick O'Brien Athens, Pa D 15 Aug 15 Charlie Goff Coney Island, NY TK 18 Sep 12 Dan Creedon Coney Island, NY TK 2 -Bonner knocked Creedon down; Creedon twisted his ankle in the fall and could not continue Sep 19 Tom Lansing Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Oct 24 Tommy Ryan Coney Island, NY L 20 -Middleweight Championship of the World; Some sources report "L 25" Nov 8 Tommy Ryan Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Dec 13 George Byers New York, NY D 20 -Some sources report 12/19/98 1899 Feb 2 Dick O'Brien Hartford, Ct TK 19 -Some sources report 2/02/98 Feb 28 Tommy West New York, NY LF 8 Mar 25 Jack McCormick Philadelphia, Pa D 6 Apr 8 Charles Stevenson Philadelphia, Pa KO 5 -Some sources report "KO 6" Apr 15 Charles Strong Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 May 13 Dick Moore Pottsville, Pa KO 3 May 19 Frank Childs Chicago, Il D 6 Aug 28 Yank Kenny Coney Island, NY W 25 Nov 13 Jack Finnegan Wheeling, WV D 20 Dec 30 Harry Peppers Philadelphia, Pa KO 2 -Some sources report 1/05/00; Some sources report "KO 1" 1900 Mar 2 Frank Childs Chicago, Il L 6 Mar 17 Frank Childs Chicago, Il D 6 Apr 6 Tommy West New York, NY LT 16 Apr 27 Charles McKeever Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 May 5 "Scaldy" Bill Quinn Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 May 11 Joe Walcott Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Jun 1 Charles "Kid" McCoy New York, NY LT 13 Jul 13 Billy Hanrahan New York, NY LT 21 Oct 1 "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Nov 26 Tommy West Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Nov 30 Jack Butler Philadelphia, Pa KO 1 Dec 10 Rufus Graham Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Dec 12 Jim McCormick Leadville, Co LK 5 1901 Feb 15 Billy Hanrahan Youngstown, Oh W 20 Mar 24 Kid Carter Louisville, Ky D 20 -Some sources report 3/25/01 Apr 15 Lon Beckwith Shamokin, Pa TK 5 May 6 Kid Carter Louisville, Ky L 20 Jun 17 "Scaldy" Bill Quinn Freeland, Pa D 15 Jul 26 Joe Walcott Bridgeport, Ct L 15 Aug 12 "Scaldy" Bill Quinn Mauch Chunk, Pa KO 10 Sep 16 Dick Moore Trenton, NJ KO 2 Oct 14 Al Weinig St. John, NB, Can D 5 -Some sources report "NC 7" 1902 Jan 20 Jack McCormick Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Jan 27 "Young" Peter Jackson Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Mar 25 Kid Carter Louisville, Ky D 20 Apr 16 Charles Haghey Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 -Some sources report "W 6" May 23 "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Jun 16 "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien Paterson, NJ D 6 -This was a "pre-arranged draw" Jun 23 George Cole Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Oct 16 Jim Watts Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 -Some sources report 10/15/02 1903 Mar 3 Morgan Williams Victor, Co D 20 -Some sources report this bout held 3/05/03 Apr 2 Marvin Hart Louisville, Ky LF 4 Jun 24 "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien Mauch Chunk, Pa ND 10 1904 Apr 12 Jim Jeffords Mahanoy City, Pa ND 10 1905 Mar 4 Jack Williams Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Apr 22 Jim Jeffords Allentown, Pa ND 10 Sep 21 Jack Butler Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 1907 Oct 10 Billy Mack Wilkes-Barre, Pa ND 6 -Some sources report "TK 6" Dec 9 Mickey McDonough Wilkes-Barre, Pa KO 4 -Police intervened; Some sources report "LT 5" 1908 Jan 17 Jack Blackburn Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Mar 2 "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Apr 16 Jim Stewart New York, NY LK 5 Sep 21 Jim Stewart Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 1909 Jan 25 Bill Larry Tamaqua, Pa KO 2 Dec 10 Jack Rowan Tamaqua, Pa ND 6 1910 Mar 3 Tom Overby Wilkes-Barre, Pa LK 2 -Some sources report "Nanticoke, Pa" 1911 Feb 22 Gint Hollywood Mauch Chunk, Pa KO 6 *** The Following Bouts Are Reported But Not Confirmed *** 1895 Dec 25 Jimmy O'Donnell L 6 -Did O'Donnell fight this "Jack Bonner" ? 1898 Jan 4 Frank Childs Chicago, Il SCH -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known 1900 Jan 3 Harry Peppers Philadelphia, Pa KO 2 1903 Feb 27 Sammy Meyers Cumberland, ? LK 1 1905 Feb 11 Eddie "Spike" McAvoy Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 -McAvoy fought "Young" Jack Bonner Sep 14 Griff Jones Manayunk, Pa LK 2*** Most Data Was Provided By Luckett Davis And William Schutte ***
Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization
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