Charles Kemmick
(Charles Kemmic)

BORN   c. May 1870 or May 1872; Minneapolis, Minnesota (Fought out of St. Paul, Minnesota)
DIED August 19 1895 (23 or 25  years old; consumption)
HEIGHT 5-7 1/2
WEIGHT 133-146 lbs

Kemmick was a quick, hard-hitting fighter who possessed "bulldog" tenacity; Most of his opponents were heavier than he was

During his career, Kemmick was Welterweight Champion of the Northwest; He reportedly had a record of 33 fights in which he was unbeaten

Kemmick is rated as the #10 All-Time Minnesota Welterweight by the eminent IBRO Boxing Historian, George Blair; Other IBRO Historians, Jake Wegner and Tracy Callis, rate Kemmick higher, as the #2 All-Time Minnesota Welterweight; He was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011 (click)

Wegner writes (2009) --
Kemmick was regarded as the best Welterweight in the world in the 1880's. His remarkable speed and power were legendary in his time. Welterweight Champion of the World Tommy Ryan, twice backed out of facing him for title defenses. He had such difficulty getting fights, that he frequently fought Heavyweights and often fought under the alias of Charles Hearld and Charlie Kemmic.

His record continues to be the object of much research by historians of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO), as he was one of the few boxers in history to retire undefeated, reportedly having an unbeaten record throughout 33 fights, with his health forcing him into an early retirement at the age of 23 due to tuberculosis, which ultimately claimed his life.

Kemmick's skills were so far ahead of his time, that newspapers didn't just report on his victories, instead they frequently reported on how he often played with his opponents in efforts to make more money off of side-bets on how long his opponents would last with him. In interviews with the Saint Paul newspapers, he often alluded that he could make more money by allowing a fight to go the distance than he could by KO; an almost self-admittance of carrying his opponents to later rounds in efforts to collect more cash from bets. In his last few years of boxing, while battling tuberculosis and with greatly deteriorated skills, Kemmick still could not be bested in a ring. In 1895, his doctor advised him to leave his Saint Paul home to take a vacation in Denver, Colorado in hopes that the drier air may help his illness, but he died shortly after arriving there.

1888
Mar 25 Dick Moore                 St. Paul, Mn                     KO  7
Nov 13 Tom Osborne                St. Paul, Mn                     KO  3
Dec 15 Paddy Nolan                St. Paul, Mn                     KO  2
Dec 18 George Lamar               Minneapolis, Mn                  KO  1

1889
Jan 13 -Kemmick was reported by newspapers to have had several
           battles and was unbeaten
Jan 22 Joe Lamera                 Minneapolis, Mn                  KO  3
          -This was a fast and furious fight
Mar  3 Tom Hanley                 Minneapolis, Mn                  KO  3
          -Police Gazette names this man "Ed Hanley" and
           reports a "W 2" verdict; Some sources report 3/02/89 
Mar  3 Tom Failes                 Minneapolis, Mn                   W 10
          -Police Gazette names this man "Dick Failes" and
           reports a "W 6" verdict; 
           The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
       Ed Moehler                 Minneapolis, Mn                  KO  1
       Paddy Shea                 Ashland, Wi                      KO  2
Jul 16 Frank Morrissey            Ashland, Wi                      KO  1
Aug 16 John Van Heest             Ashland, Wi                      EX  3
Sep 27 Frank Kellar               Ashland, Wi                       D 10
          -Kellar was badly punished; Some sources report 7/21/89
Oct 13 -Kemmick refereed the Danny Needham-Frank Besow bout
           at Ashland, Wi
Oct 15 George Curtis              Ashland, Wi                      KO  2
          -Danny Needham was the referee; Police intervened
           and arrested the fighters and some others; Some
           sources report 1/15/89 vs "John W. Curtis"

1890
Jan  1 Jim Duval                  Denver, Co                       KO  1
Apr  2 Gus Brown                  El Paso, Tx                      KO  2
Apr 22 Davey Crockett             El Paso, Tx                      KO  1
Apr 24 Fred Neilson               El Paso, Tx                      KO  3
Apr 25 Fred Robinson              El Paso, Tx                      KO  3
Jun  1 Tom Standard               El Paso, Tx                      KO  1
Jun  7 Gus Green                  El Paso, Tx                      KO  1
Jun 23 Fred Neilson               Fort Worth, Tx                   KO  1
Jul  3 Paddy Shea                 Fort Worth, Tx                   KO  2
Jul 28 Jim Foster                 San Antonio, Tx                  KO  2
Aug 15 Red Hennessey              Fort Worth, Tx                   KO  3

1891
Feb 18 -Kemmick seconded Danny Needham vs Tommy Ryan at Minneapolis, Mn
Apr 24 Jim Scully                 Minneapolis, Mn                  KO  2
May  4 Charles McManus            Minneapolis, Mn                   W   
May  8 Joe McManus                St. Paul, Mn                     KO  4
Jun  7 John Van Heest             Minneapolis, Mn                 SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Jul 11 Joe Tansey                 Janesville, Wi                   EX   
Jul 21 Jimmy Murphy               St. Paul, Mn                      D 12
Aug    Billy Mahan                San Francisco, Ca               SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Aug 21 Ed Leroy                   Fort Worth, Tx                   KO  1

1892
Feb 26 Hite Peckham               San Francisco, Ca                NC  3
          -There were several suspicious knockdowns;
           The referee declared a "No Contest";
           Some sources report "KO 3"
Apr 25 James Scully               Minneapolis, Mn                  KO  3
          -Some sources report "KO 2" on 4/24/91
May  6 Con Doyle                  Minneapolis, Mn                 SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Jun  6 Jack Wilkes                Minneapolis, Mn                   D 10
 
1893
Jun 18 -The Philadelphia (Pa) Item reported that Kemmick,
           one of the best 142-lb men a few years ago, now
           looks like a wreck, battling with consumption
Sep  9 Jim Sullivan               Coney Island, NY                  D 10
 
1895
Aug 24 -The Philadelphia (Pa) Item reported that Kemmick
           (of St. Paul) died of consumption; He was 25 years
           of age

*** Much Data Was Provided By Jake Wegner ***

*** Photo Was Provided By Bill Schutte ***

Review courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization