Tommy Gibbons
Encyclopedia
Biography
Thomas J. Gibbons (March 22, 1891 in Saint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
– November 19, 1960) was a nearly undefeated heavyweight boxer. The brother of Mike Gibbons
Mike Gibbons
Mike Gibbons was an American boxer from 1908 to 1922. The brother of heavyweight Tommy Gibbons, Mike claimed Middleweight Champion of the World status in 1909 following Stanley Ketchel's murder. Although he never won the title, Gibbons is regarded as one of the all-time best welter and...
, Tommy started boxing professionally in 1911 as a middleweight. Like his brother he was a master scientific boxer who chose to outbox his opponents. In time, he advanced to the Heavyweight class and developed a respectable punch.
His biggest fight came near the end of his career when he met heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
on July 4, 1923 in Shelby
Shelby, Montana
Shelby is a city in and the county seat of Toole County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,216 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shelby is located at ....
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. The local backers and the town of Shelby went broke putting on the fight. The great Dempsey battled through the full fifteen rounds before winning by decision. Dempsey was awarded $200,000, whereas Gibbons received expense money.
Tommy Gibbons record was 56-4-1 with 44 no decisions, and 1 no contest. He scored 48 knockouts, and was stopped only once by Gene Tunney
Gene Tunney
James Joseph "Gene" Tunney was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1926-1928 who defeated Jack Dempsey twice, first in 1926 and then in 1927. Tunney's successful title defense against Dempsey is one of the most famous bouts in boxing history and is known as The Long Count Fight...
on June 5, 1925. The names dotting his record read like boxing's hall of fame. Tommy recorded wins over George Chip
George Chip
George Chip was the Middleweight Champion of the World from 1913 to 1914. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania but was raised in New Castle, Pennsylvania in what is today the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and most of his matches were in the Pittsburgh area...
, Willie Meehan, Billy Miske
Billy Miske
Billy Miske, alias The Saint Paul Thunderbolt , was a professional boxer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. -Professional Boxing Career:...
, Chuck Wiggins, Jack Bloomfield, and Kid Norfolk. Tommy had no decision matches with George "K.O." Brown, Billy Miske
Billy Miske
Billy Miske, alias The Saint Paul Thunderbolt , was a professional boxer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. -Professional Boxing Career:...
, Harry Greb
Harry Greb
Harry Greb was an American boxer. He was World Middleweight boxing Champion from 1923 to 1926 and American Light Heavyweight title holder 1922–1923. He fought a recorded 303 times in his 13 year-career, against the best opposition the talent-rich 1910s & 20s could provide him, frequently squaring...
, Battling Levinsky, Bob Roper, Chuck Wiggins, Georges Carpentier, and others. Only Harry Greb
Harry Greb
Harry Greb was an American boxer. He was World Middleweight boxing Champion from 1923 to 1926 and American Light Heavyweight title holder 1922–1923. He fought a recorded 303 times in his 13 year-career, against the best opposition the talent-rich 1910s & 20s could provide him, frequently squaring...
, Billy Miske
Billy Miske
Billy Miske, alias The Saint Paul Thunderbolt , was a professional boxer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. -Professional Boxing Career:...
, Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
, and Gene Tunney
Gene Tunney
James Joseph "Gene" Tunney was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1926-1928 who defeated Jack Dempsey twice, first in 1926 and then in 1927. Tunney's successful title defense against Dempsey is one of the most famous bouts in boxing history and is known as The Long Count Fight...
were able to score wins over Tommy Gibbons.
Following his retirement, Tommy Gibbons was elected four times as the Sheriff of Ramsey County
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1849. As of 2010, the population was 508,640. Its county seat is St. Paul, which is also Minnesota's state capital. The county is named for Alexander Ramsey , the first governor of the Minnesota Territory...
. He became a member of the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1963, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
in 1993 and the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame
Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame
The Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame is a commemorative organization with plans to create a museum. It celebrates the history of boxing in the state of Minnesota by honoring individuals whose achievements within the sport are noteworthy.-History:...
in 2010.
Occupations
He began work at the Great Northern Railway rail yard for $1.10 a day, of which he was allowed to keep 10 cents. He gave the rest of the money to help his mother and father support the family. He accompanied his brother, Mike to some of his boxing matches. When their father saw that they could earn much more money boxing, than they could ever earn at the rail yard, he allowed them to go into boxing full time. After retiring from boxing at age 34, he sold insurance very successfully and was a member of the $100,000 Club in the 1920*s. His friends convinced him to run for Sheriff of Ramsey County in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, which included the capital city of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. He won for six consecutive four year terms before retiring at the age of 68.
Tommy Gibbons also fought Jimmy Delaney.
Fast Facts
- Owned the Gibbons Brother's Gym with his boxing brother Mike GibbonsMike GibbonsMike Gibbons was an American boxer from 1908 to 1922. The brother of heavyweight Tommy Gibbons, Mike claimed Middleweight Champion of the World status in 1909 following Stanley Ketchel's murder. Although he never won the title, Gibbons is regarded as one of the all-time best welter and...
.
- He started boxing professionally in 1911.
- Boxed 106 fights, losing only 4 and being stopped only once, by Gene TunneyGene TunneyJames Joseph "Gene" Tunney was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1926-1928 who defeated Jack Dempsey twice, first in 1926 and then in 1927. Tunney's successful title defense against Dempsey is one of the most famous bouts in boxing history and is known as The Long Count Fight...
. He retired after the fight.
- Was the first boxer to go the entire fifteen rounds with Dempsey during the World Championship Fight in Shelby, MontanaShelby, MontanaShelby is a city in and the county seat of Toole County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,216 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shelby is located at ....
on July 4, 1923, where he lost the decision.
- Tommy and Helen donated $50,000 to build the Immaculate Conception Church in Osakis, MinnesotaOsakis, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 1,567 people, 661 households, and 405 families residing in the city. The population density was 779.4 people per square mile . There were 760 housing units at an average density of 378.0 per square mile...
from his purse from the Tunney fight.
- Was King Boreas IX in 1946 for the Winter Carnival in Saint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
.
- Was Knighted twice by the Catholic Church for his work for the church. A Knight of St. Gregory and A Knight of St. George.
- Was elected, along with his brother Mike to the *Helms* Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954.
Quotes
"Nailing him was like trying to thread a needle in a high wind."- Jack Dempsey about Tommy Gibbons bout in 1923
"Dempsey could beat anybody he could hit. The only reason that he couldn't do anything with fellows like Tunney or Greb or myself was he couldn't hit us."
- Tom Gibbons in a radio interview in 1949
"For the first and only time, I was more worried about getting hurt by the crowd than by the guy I was fighting. I got a pretty good blast when introduced. The crowd was hollering and raising hell. I looked around for my bodyguard, a colorful New York character named Wild Bill Lyons, who packed two pearl-handled pistols and used to talk a lot about his days in the West. Wild Bill was under the ring, hiding."
- Jack Dempsey about being introduced to the crowd at the Dempsey/Gibbons fight in Shelby, Montana July 4, 1923
"I could have licked him in Shelby if I had been 30, but I was 32. I'll never forget that day. I never got so tired of man in my life."
- Tommy Gibbons discussing his World Championship bout with Jack Dempsey.
"People couldn't seem to understand how I could take so much from Dempsey. They said I was as Iron Man (a name I always wanted to avoid), when really all I did was slip this way and that as the occasion required. Brother Mike was a past master at that. I never saw anyone to equal him at all. He taught it to me."
- Tommy Gibbons from Punches I Have Taken
See also
Jack Dempsey vs. Tommy GibbonsJack Dempsey vs. Tommy Gibbons
The Jack Dempsey vs. Tommy Gibbons fight was a bout for boxing's world heavyweight title. It was held on July 4, 1923, in the town of Shelby, Montana, USA.-Before the fight:...
Boxing in the 1920s
Boxing in the 1920s
Boxing in the 1920s was an exceptionally popular international sport. Many fights during this era, some 20 years away or so from the television era, were social events with many thousands in attendance, both men and women....
International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...