Bill Brennan (boxer)

Bill Brennan
Statistics
Real name	Wilhelm Schenck
Nickname(s)	K.O. Bill Brennan
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Nationality	United States
Born	(1893-06-23)June 23, 1893 County Mayo, Ireland
Died	June 15, 1924(1924-06-15) (aged 30) New York City
Boxing record
Total fights	126
Wins	74
Wins by KO	68
Losses	10
Draws	42
No contests	0

Bill Brennan (June 23, 1893 – June 15, 1924) was an American boxer who fought and lost to World Heavy Weight Champion Jack Dempsey in a well attended title fight that ended in a twelfth round knockout on December 14, 1920 in Madison Square Garden. He lost to Dempsey for the first time in a non-title fight on February 5, 1918 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a sixth round technical knockout. He first began fighting under the name Bill Shanks and knocked out 11 of his first 12 opponents, fighting first in the midwest and then the New York City area. He had a strong punch and an exceptional knockout percentage. Brennan's manager was the great Leo P. Flynn and his trainer was Dia Dollings.^[1][2]

Early life and career

Brennan was born on June 23, 1893 in County Mayo, Ireland, though some sources state he was born in Chicago. He was of German ancestry. He lived in the Chicago area during his early boxing career before moving to Manhattan where the boxing was more lucrative.^[3]

Between May 1913 through May 1916 Brennan started professional boxing primarily in the New York area. With a powerful punch he won an impressive 11 of his first fifteen fights by knockout losing only once in his first bout in Wisconsin.

On January 22, 1916, he knocked out 6' 1" heavyweight George Rodel in the seventh round at the Clermont Rink in Brooklyn. On May 4, 1916, he TKO'd Rodel in the third round at the same location. On March 20, 1916, Brennan knocked out Brooklyn-born Italian boxer Al Benedict in the second round at the Military Athletic Club in Brooklyn, New York.^[1]

On May 1, 1916, he achieved a second round knockout of 6 foot, Buffalo native George "One Round" Davis, a competent heavyweight, in Rochester, New York.^[1]

On May 16, 1916, Brennan achieved a sixth round technical knockout of Al Williams at the Pioneer Sporting Club in New York City.^[1]

On May 23, 1916, he knocked out Tony Ross in the eighth round. Ross would meet some of the greatest heavyweights of his day, including a title bout with Black boxing great Jack Johnson on June 30, 1919.^[1]

On July 1, 1916, he knocked out Alfred "Soldier" Kearns in the eighth round at the Averne Athletic Club in Queens, New York.^[1]

On July 15, 1916, he defeated Joe Cox in a ten round newspaper decision of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle at the Broadway Arena in Brooklyn, New York. He beat Cox again on January 29, 1917 at Rochester, New York in a ten round newspaper decision of the Rochester Herald.^[1]

On July 21, 1916, he knocked out Jack Hubbard in the third round at the Flower City Athletic Club in Rochester, New York. He knocked out Hubbard in the second round on January 6, 1917 at the Broadway Sports Club in Brooklyn, New York.^[1]

On October 26, 1916, he knocked out Tim Logan in a second round TKO at the Manhattan Casino in New York City.^[1]

On November 1, 1917, Brennan first defeated Joe Bonds at the Unity Cycle Club in Lawrence, Massachusetts in a second round knockout.^[1] On April 28 1917, he defeated Bonds again at the Broadway Sporting Club in Brooklyn, New York in a ten round newspaper decision.^[1] On December 20, 1918, Brennan achieved a newspaper decision third round TKO against Bonds by the Syracuse Herald at the Arena in Syracuse, New York.^[1]

Bouts with Battling Levinsky, 1917–18

Brennan fought Battling Levinsky three times in 1917, on October 2 and 23 at the Armory in Boston, to a twelve round draw and a twelve round points decision. He had a rare loss to Levinsky on November 27, 1917 in a twelve round points decision in Boston, before a twelve round pre-agreed draw on points at the Grand Opera House in Boston on January 5, 1918. The spectators would not have been pleased had they known the draw was pre-arranged.^[1] Levinsky held the World Light Heavyweight Championship at the time, though none of his bouts with Brennan were title matches.^[1]

On December 1, 1919, Brennan knocked out five foot eleven inch Irish boxer Tom "Bearcat" McMahon in the second of fifteen rounds at Heinemann Park in New Orleans. The New Orleans Times-Picayune suspected McMahon may have had such a difficult time in the first round that he chose to take the count in the second rather than face any more rounds with Brennan.^[1] Brennan fought a ten round newspaper decision draw with McMahon in LaSalle, Illinois on June 18, 1918. On November 5, 1917, Brennan won a ten round newspaper decision of the Rochester Herald in Rochester, New York. McMahon was a good, though not great boxer from Brennan's era. ^[1]

Bouts with World Middleweight Champion Harry Greb

Brennan fought Harry Greb four times in 1919, losing three bouts by newspaper decisions, and one on points. The two first met on February 10, 1919 at the Arena in Syracuse, New York with Greb winning in a ten round newspaper decision. The Syracuse Herald gave Greb every one of the ten rounds. As was typical of Greb's style, he took the lead and attacked Brennan with a flurry of lefts and rights to both head and body in the first few rounds. Brennan fought solidly back for the first four rounds, but then tired and Greb took over. The first two rounds were slow, the next four were give and take, but the final four were dominated by Greb. On March 17, 1919, Greb won by newspaper decision again in a ten round bout in Duquesne Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Greb won again with a "quickness, speed, and busy style" that were too much for Brennan, though Brennan fought back and did not resort to a defensive shell. Brennan landed his best punch in round ten, which only seemed to rile Greb, and make him more aggressive. On July 4, 1919, Greb met Brennan at Convention Hall in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Greb won the bout in a fifteen round points decision. The Tulsa World wrote that Greb won seven rounds, Brennan winning only the fourth round, with seven rounds even. Once again, Greb won the final rounds as Brennan tired.

Bouts with Bily Miske, 1919–21

Brennan fought Billy Miske twice in 1919, once on June 28 in Oklahoma to a fifteen round loss on points, and on April 28 at Cardinal Field in St. Louis to an eight round newspaper decision draw.^[1] He lost to Miske again on June 8, 1921 at the Auditorium in St. Paul on a ten round newspaper decision. According to the Decatur Daily Review, Miske took five rounds, Brennan two, and three were even even. Miske, who also faced Dempsey in his career, would later be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Heavyweight Championship bout with Jack Dempsey, December 1920

Brennan first lost to Dempsey in a non-title fight on February 25, 1918 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a sixth round technical knockout. He was down five times in the bout, suffering at the hands of Dempsey. Four of the knockdowns came in the second round. The referee stopped the bout to prevent a knockout of Brennan.^[2][4]

Appearing to be in better condition than he was in their first meeting, for the first nine rounds of the Dempsey title fight in December 1920, Brennan held his own against the Champion. Brennan even stunned Dempsey with a right uppercut to the jaw in the second round before a substantial crowd of 14,000.^[5] Finally in the twelfth round, however, Brennan was doubled over by a right hook below the heart, and then floored by a subsequent left hook to his right side. Dempsey was never one to miss an opportunity to finish an opponent, and the left hook that put Brennan down for the count was the best punch in his arsenal. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that Dempsey "was forced to his utmost to hold off a courageous, determined fighter who gave almost as good as he received." Dempsey's only noticeable injuries were a split left ear and a lighter blow to the mouth which both bled at times during the bout. Brennan received around $35,0000 for the bout. More fans would have attended the bout had they known the fight would last twelve rounds, and that Brennan would hold off Dempsey as long as he did. One source noted that Dempsey was "Brennan's master in every stage".^[6][7][8]

On March 31, 1921, a few sources have Brennan losing to talented Black boxer Jeff Clark in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Clark would fight some of the greatest Black boxers of his era including Kid Norfolk, Sam McVea, Harry Wills, and Sam Langford. Clark had taken the Panamanian Heavyweight Title in Panama City, Panama, defeating Kid Norfolk on May 16, 1915 and had taken the Mexican Heavyweight title earlier.^[9]

On May 16, 1922, he knocked out Jim Tracey in an eighth round TKO at New York's prestigous Madison Square Garden. In his career, Tracey would attempt the Mexican Heavyweight Title in July 1923.^[1]

Difficult losses to Floyd Johnson and Louis Firpo, January – March 1923

On January 12, 1923, he lost decisively to talented heavyweight Floyd Johnson of Iowa in a fifteen round points decision at Madison Square Garden. Johnson was described as being the aggressor and both out fighting and outboxing Brennan throughout the bout. Brennan, who was a ring twenty-nine at the time of the bout to Johnson's twenty-three was in serious distress in the twelfth and fifteenth rounds. In the twelfth, Brennan received a series of lefts and rights to the head. In the fifteenth, Brennan took a number of additional blows to the head which forced him to clinch at times. Johnson fought several of the most talented boxers of his era including heavyweights Jack Johnson, Jack Sharkey, and Kid Norfolk.^[10] Johnson was said to have exhibited exceptional boxing prowess and form in his win over Brennan. Brennan was so overwhelmed with the attack of Johnson, he was unable to wage an effective offensive against his opponent.^[11]

Brennan fought Louis Firpo only once, on March 12, 1923 at Madison Square Garden, losing badly in an important twelfth round knockout. He was felled by a right behind the ear, and was treated for a concussion that evening, but considered out of danger. The blow was preceded by a flurry of crushing right and left uppercuts from Firpo.^[12] Brennan was not released from the hospital till around March 21, and it was intimated at the time that he or his handlers were considering his permanent retirement from the ring. ^[13] Oddly, Firpo and Brennan met around March 26, and made a short film of their boxing encounter for an Argentine movie company, where the film was shown.^[14]

His last well publicized bout was with Billy Miske on November 7, 1923. Brennan was reportedly out of shape and looking somewhat heavy. He was staggered by a left to the mouth from Miske in the third round and subsequently knocked down. In the fourth, a hard right to the jaw put Brennan down for the count. ^[1] It is quite reasonable to assume he should have retired after the injuries he sustained from the Firpo fight eight months earlier.

Death by gang shooting in 1924

On June 15, 1924, Brennan was shot to death by two "street thugs" in New York City. After Brennan opened a bar on 171st Street in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, some rough looking men informed him that he was buying the wrong mob's beer. Brennan threw them out of his bar. He was later summoned outside by another man with whom he was unfamiliar and a gunman standing nearby pulled his gun, and shot him to death. He was only thirty years old.^[9][7] He was survived by a wife and one child.^[15]

See also

• List of bare-knuckle boxers

References

External links

• Professional boxing record for Bill Brennan from BoxRec
• Brennan's Record at Cyber Boxing Zone