Jimmy McLarnin

Jimmy McLarnin
Statistics
Real name	James McLarnin
Nickname(s)	Baby Face[1] Beltin' Celt Dublin Dynamiter Dublin Destroyer Murderous Mick The Belfast Spider The Jew Killer[1] The Jew Beater Hebrew Scourge[1] The Irish Lullaby[citation needed]
Weight(s)	Flyweight to welterweight
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Reach	67 in (170 cm)
Nationality	Irish
Born	(1907-12-19)19 December 1907 Hillsborough, County Down, Ireland
Died	28 October 2004(2004-10-28) (aged 96) Richland, Washington, US
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	69
Wins	55
Wins by KO	21
Losses	11
Draws	3

James Archibald McLarnin (19 December 1907 – 28 October 2004) was an Irish-Canadian professional boxer who became a two-time welterweight world champion and an International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee.^[2] McLarnin has been referred to as the greatest Irish boxer of all time. BoxRec ranks McLarnin as the 11th best pound-for-pound fighter of all-time, the second best Canadian boxer of all time after Sam Langford, and the third greatest welterweight of all time.^[3][4]

Background[]

There was often confusion over McLarnin's exact place of birth and his date of birth. McLarnin himself was unsure as to the exact location and at various times claimed to be born in Inchicore, Dublin or the Lisburn Road in Belfast. Adding to the confusion he went by nicknames the Dublin Destroyer and Belfast Spider. It was Irish boxing historian Patrick Myler who later unearthed McLarnin's birth certificate which showed that McLarnin was born in Hillsborough, County Down, Ireland in 1907.^[5][6]

McLarnin's father, Sam McLarnin, a Methodist from Dublin, was described as 'a typical Dublin Irishman' and traveled throughout Britain and Ireland for work. He later married Mary Ferris from Belfast and they settled in County Down before being drawn into Belfast. When McLarnin was three years of age the whole family emigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada via Liverpool. The McLarnins started out as a wheat farmers, but years later, following a particularly harsh winter, the family moved to Vancouver where they opened a second-hand clothes store in Vancouver's east end.^[5][6][7][8]

McLarnin was a prodigious athlete, his main sports were football, baseball and boxing and was considered a model of propriety by Rev. A.E. Roberts at the Methodist mission in Vancouver. He took up boxing at the age of 10 after getting into a fight defending his newspaper-selling pitch. Former professional boxer Charles "Pop" Foster recognized McLarnin's talent at the age of 13. He constructed a makeshift gym for McLarnin to train in, sure that he would one day be the champion of the world. The two of them would remain close, and when Foster died, he left everything he had to McLarnin.^[7][8]

Boxing career[]

Following a successful start to his career in Vancouver, McLarnin's grew aggrieved at the low pay he was receiving for bouts and decided to move south. "We had to go to the United States to make our money. We owe Vancouver nothing" said McLarnin.^[7]

Foster took McLarnin to San Francisco, where his youthful appearance made it difficult to get a fight until he lied about his age. It is for this reason that McLarnin was known as the "Baby-faced Assassin". Despite his youthful appearance, McLarnin had incredible power with both fists, his right being particularly feared. However, like many similar fighters McLarnin suffered several hand injuries throughout his career. Towards the end of his career McLarnin was forced to become more of a scientific boxer to reduce further injuries to his hands.^[9]

McLarnin lost his first title shot on 21 May 1928 in New York against world lightweight champion Sammy Mandell. However, he did go on to beat him twice in the following two years. It would be five years before McLarnin would next get a title shot, during which time he knocked out gifted Jewish fighters Al Singer, Ruby Goldstein, and Sid Terris.^[10]

McLarnin's second title shot came against welterweight champion Young Corbett III. McLarnin won by knockout after only 2 minutes 37 seconds. Following his title success, McLarnin fought an epic three-fight series with Barney Ross. The first fight, on 28 May 1934, was won by Ross, but McLarnin regained his title in their next match four months later. In the deciding fight on 28 May 1935, McLarnin lost his title for the final time in a narrow decision.

McLarnin retired in November 1936 still at the top of his game, having won his last two fights against all-time greats Tony Canzoneri and Lou Ambers. His record was 54 wins, 11 losses, and 3 draws in 68 contests. In 1996 Ring Magazine voted McLarnin the fifth-greatest welterweight of all time.

Life after boxing[]

McLarnin never returned to the ring despite large incentives for him to do so.^[11] Unlike many boxers, McLarnin invested his money wisely and retired a wealthy man. He opened an electrical goods store, and also did some acting, golfing, and lecturing.^[11]

In 1937, he appeared with boxers Maxie Rosenbloom, James J. Jeffries, Jack Dempsey, and Jackie Fields, in MGM's Big City, a film involving rough competition between two rival taxi companies.^[12]

In 1938, he appeared in a background gymnasium scene for the successful 1938, MGM boxing movie, The Crowd Roars with boxers Abe "The Newsboy" Hollandersky, Joe Glick, Maxie Rosenbloom, Jack Roper, and Tommy Herman.^[13]

In 1946, he appeared in Monogram Pictures' boxing movie, Joe Palooka, Champ, with cameos by real boxing greats Joe Louis, Henry Armstrong, Ceferino Garcia, and Manuel Ortiz. Heavyweight Jack Roper appeared as the character Waldo. The simple plot involved young boxer Joe and his girl resisting mob influence while Joe trains to fight the champ.^[14]

Death[]

McLarnin died on 28 October 2004 at the age of 96 in Richland, Washington.^[15] He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Professional boxing record[]

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Age	Location	Notes
69	Win	55–11–3	Lou Ambers	UD	10	Nov 20, 1936	28 years, 337 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
68	Win	54–11–3	Tony Canzoneri	UD	10	Oct 5, 1936	28 years, 291 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
67	Loss	53–11–3	Tony Canzoneri	UD	10	May 8, 1936	28 years, 141 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
66	Loss	53–10–3	Barney Ross	UD	15	May 28, 1935	27 years, 160 days	Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.	Lost NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight title
65	Win	53–9–3	Barney Ross	SD	15	Sep 17, 1934	26 years, 272 days	Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S.	Won NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
64	Loss	52–9–3	Barney Ross	SD	15	May 28, 1934	26 years, 160 days	Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S.	Lost NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
63	Win	52–8–3	Young Corbett III	TKO	1 (10)	May 29, 1933	25 years, 161 days	Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Won NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
62	Win	51–8–3	Sammy Fuller	TKO	8 (10)	Dec 16, 1932	24 years, 363 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
61	Win	50–8–3	Benny Leonard	TKO	6 (10)	Oct 7, 1932	24 years, 293 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
60	Loss	49–8–3	Lou Brouillard	SD	10	Aug 4, 1932	24 years, 229 days	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S.
59	Win	49–7–3	Billy Petrolle	UD	10	Aug 20, 1931	23 years, 244 days	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S.
58	Win	48–7–3	Billy Petrolle	UD	10	Mar 27, 1931	23 years, 98 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
57	Loss	47–7–3	Billy Petrolle	UD	10	Nov 21, 1930	22 years, 337 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
56	Win	47–6–3	Al Singer	KO	3 (10)	Sep 11, 1930	22 years, 266 days	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S.
55	Win	46–6–3	Jack Thompson	UD	10	Mar 28, 1930	22 years, 99 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
54	Win	45–6–3	Sammy Mandell	UD	10	Mar 1, 1930	22 years, 72 days	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
53	Win	44–6–3	Ruby Goldstein	KO	2 (10)	Dec 13, 1929	21 years, 359 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
52	Win	43–6–3	Sammy Mandell	UD	10	Nov 4, 1929	21 years, 320 days	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
51	Win	42–6–3	Sergeant Sammy Baker	KO	1 (10)	Oct 9, 1929	21 years, 294 days	New York Coliseum, Bronx, New York, U.S.
50	Win	41–6–3	Ray Miller	UD	10	Mar 22, 1929	21 years, 93 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
49	Win	40–6–3	Joe Glick	KO	2 (10)	Mar 1, 1929	21 years, 72 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
48	Win	39–6–3	Joe Glick	UD	10	Jan 11, 1929	21 years, 23 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
47	Loss	38–6–3	Ray Miller	RTD	7 (10)	Nov 30, 1928	20 years, 347 days	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, , Michigan, U.S.
46	Win	38–5–3	Stanislaus Loayza	KO	4 (10)	Aug 2, 1928	20 years, 227 days	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, , Michigan, U.S.
45	Win	37–5–3	Phil McGraw	TKO	1 (10)	Jun 21, 1928	20 years, 185 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
44	Loss	36–5–3	Sammy Mandell	UD	15	May 21, 1928	20 years, 154 days	Polo Grounds, New York City, New York, U.S.	For NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring lightweight titles
43	Win	36–4–3	Sid Terris	KO	1 (10)	Feb 24, 1928	20 years, 67 days	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
42	Win	35–4–3	Billy Wallace	PTS	10	Nov 23, 1927	19 years, 339 days	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, , Michigan, U.S.
41	Win	34–4–3	Louis Kaplan	KO	8 (10)	Oct 18, 1927	19 years, 303 days	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, , Illinois, U.S.
40	Win	33–4–3	Don Long	KO	3 (10)	Sep 23, 1927	19 years, 278 days	San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California, U.S.
39	Win	32–4–3	Charlie McBride	KO	2 (10)	Sep 9, 1927	19 years, 264 days	San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California, U.S.
38	Win	31–4–3	Lope Tenorio	PTS	10	Jun 24, 1927	19 years, 187 days	Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S.
37	Win	30–4–3	Johnny Lamar	PTS	10	May 27, 1927	19 years, 159 days	Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S.
36	Win	29–4–3	Freeman Black	KO	2 (10)	May 6, 1927	19 years, 138 days	San Diego Coliseum, San Diego, California, U.S.
35	Win	28–4–3	Tommy Cello	PTS	10	Apr 5, 1927	19 years, 107 days	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
34	Draw	27–4–3	Tommy Cello	PTS	10	Feb 22, 1927	19 years, 65 days	Recreation Park, San Francisco, California, U.S.
33	Loss	27–4–2	Doc Snell	PTS	10	Oct 15, 1926	18 years, 300 days	Legion Stadium, Hollywood, California, U.S.
32	Win	27–3–2	Joe Glick	PTS	10	Sep 7, 1926	18 years, 262 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
31	Loss	26–3–2	Johnny Farr	PTS	10	Mar 17, 1926	18 years, 88 days	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
30	Win	26–2–2	Joey Sangor	KO	3 (10)	Mar 3, 1926	18 years, 74 days	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
29	Loss	25–2–2	Bud Taylor	PTS	10	Jan 12, 1926	18 years, 24 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
28	Win	25–1–2	Bud Taylor	DQ	2 (10)	Dec 8, 1925	17 years, 354 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
27	Win	24–1–2	Jackie Fields	KO	2 (10)	Nov 12, 1925	17 years, 328 days	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
26	Win	23–1–2	Pancho Villa	PTS	10	Jul 4, 1925	17 years, 197 days	Oaks Park, Emeryville, California, U.S.
25	Loss	22–1–2	Bud Taylor	PTS	10	Jun 2, 1925	17 years, 165 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
24	Win	22–0–2	Eddie Spec Ramies	KO	6 (6)	Apr 18, 1925	17 years, 120 days	Recreation Park, San Francisco, California, U.S.
23	Win	21–0–2	Young Farrell	PTS	6	Apr 11, 1925	17 years, 113 days	Lyceum A.C., Los Angeles, California, U.S.
22	Win	20–0–2	Teddy Silva	PTS	10	Mar 24, 1925	17 years, 95 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
21	Win	19–0–2	Fidel LaBarba	PTS	10	Jan 13, 1925	17 years, 25 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.	Won Pacific Coast flyweight title
20	Draw	18–0–2	Memphis Pal Moore	PTS	4	Dec 9, 1924	16 years, 356 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
19	Draw	18–0–1	Fidel LaBarba	PTS	4	Nov 11, 1924	16 years, 328 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
18	Win	18–0	Fidel LaBarba	PTS	4	Oct 28, 1924	16 years, 314 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
17	Win	17–0	Young Nationalista	PTS	4	Oct 14, 1924	16 years, 300 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
16	Win	16–0	Frankie Dolan	PTS	4	Oct 7, 1924	16 years, 293 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
15	Win	15–0	Benny Diaz	PTS	4	Sep 30, 1924	16 years, 286 days	Vernon Arena, Vernon, California, U.S.
14	Win	14–0	Mickey Gill	MD	10	Aug 15, 1924	16 years, 240 days	Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
13	Win	13–0	Abe Gordon	KO	2 (4)	May 14, 1924	16 years, 147 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Jimmy Griffiths	PTS	4	May 2, 1924	16 years, 135 days	L-st Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Jockey Joe Dillon	PTS	4	Apr 30, 1924	16 years, 133 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Johnny Jockey Lightner	PTS	4	Apr 24, 1924	16 years, 127 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Frankie Grandetta	PTS	4	Apr 9, 1924	16 years, 112 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Jimmy Griffiths	PTS	4	Apr 4, 1924	16 years, 107 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Sammy Lee	PTS	4	Mar 26, 1924	16 years, 98 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Frankie Sands	PTS	4	Mar 19, 1924	16 years, 91 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Joe Conde	TKO	3 (4)	Mar 5, 1924	16 years, 77 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Eddie Collins	TKO	3 (4)	Feb 22, 1924	16 years, 65 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Frankie Sands	PTS	4	Feb 13, 1924	16 years, 56 days	Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Mickey Gill	MD	7	Dec 28, 1923	16 years, 9 days	Hastings Gym, Vancouver, British Columbia
1	Win	1–0	Young Fry	KO	1 (6)	Dec 19, 1923	16 years, 0 days	Hasting Gym, Vancouver, British Columbia

See also[]

• List of welterweight boxing champions

References[]

External links[]

• Boxing record for Jimmy McLarnin from BoxRec
• Jimmy McLarnin at Find a Grave

• https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine%27s_Annual_Ratings:_Welterweight--1930s
• https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1933
• https://titlehistories.com/boxing/na/usa/ny/nysac-wl.html