BIFFS, BROKEN BONES AND BOREDOM
AS darkness fell on the evening of April 6 1893, thousands of fight fans descended on the famed Olympic Club in New Orleans for a spot of fistic entertainment. They didn’t know it but they were about to see, or in some cases sleep through, an historic event.
The night would prove to be a memorable occasion in the annals of boxing, one which would enter folklore. The sport’s longest ever bout was set to unfold before those in attendance – an epic encounter generally recorded as lasting a bum-numbing 110 rounds spread over seven hours and 19 minutes. And after all that there wouldn’t even be a winner.
The protagonists in this mauling marathon were hometown scrapper Andy Bowen and “Young” Jack Burke, also known as “Texas” Jack because he hailed from the Lone Star State. At stake was the “Light Weight Championship of the South” plus a purse of $2,500, of which $500 would be trousered by the loser. Articles of Agreement signed nearly three months earlier stipulated that it was to be a fight to the finish with three-minute rounds, one-minute breaks and five-ounce gloves under Marquess of Queensberry Rules, each man to weigh in ringside at no more than 133lbs.
The set-to had been eagerly anticipated. By 8.30pm on fight night the roads leading to the club, where admission fees ranged from
