Pat O'Keeffe

Pat O'Keeffe (17 March 1883 – 16 August 1960, spelled by many sources as Pat O'Keefe), was a professional English boxer who became the British champion in both the welterweight and middleweight weight classes. His professional career spanned the years between 1902 and 1918. In 1914 he made an unsuccessful bid for the European heavyweight belt, losing to Georges Carpentier.^[1] Between 1907 and 1910 he left Britain and continued his boxing career in the United States, and then Australia. On the outbreak of World War I he joined the British Army to work as a Physical Training Instructor (PTI) and Recruiting Sergeant for the 1st Surrey Rifles.^[2] He won the Lonsdale Belt outright when he defeated Bandsman Blake at the National Sporting Club (N.S.C) on 28 January 1918, becoming British Middleweight Champion.^[3]

Pat O'Keeffe
Statistics
Weight(s)	Welterweight, Middleweight, heavyweight.
Height	5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)
Nationality	British
Born	(1883-03-17)17 March 1883 Bromley-by-Bow, England
Died	16 August 1960(1960-08-16) (aged 77) Harrow, Middlesex, England
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	123
Wins	89
Wins by KO	36
Losses	25
Draws	7
No contests	2

O'Keeffe died on 16 August 1960 at the Mount Vernon Hospital in Middlesex, aged 77.

Professional boxing

Early career: 1902-1907

One of O'Keeffe's earliest recorded fights was against Jack Palmer.^[4] O'Keeffe defeated him on two occasions over six rounds during 1902.^[5] In 1903, at the age of twenty, he beat Jack Kingsland in a match fought at the Olympia centre in London to win the title of Welterweight Champion of England.^[6]

In 1906, having fought many of the top contenders for the British Middleweight Title, O'Keeffe was elected to contest the championship. He won the title beating Mike Crawley in a fight that lasted fifteen rounds.^[7]

One month later, O'Keeffe defended the title against Charlie Allum and knocked him out in the sixth round.^[8] O'Keeffe lost the belt in his next bout to Tom Thomas at the National Sporting Club (N.S.C.) by a narrow points margin.^[9]

A year later in Paris, O'Keeffe defeated Allum again by knock out and won £200. This bout was billed the French Middleweight Championship.^[10] O'Keeffe never defended the claim.

International career: 1907-1910

After losing the British Middleweight Championship title, O'Keeffe travelled the world and fought all over the United States and Australia.

In 1907, he fought World Middleweight Champion Billy Papke and World Welterweight Champion Henry Lewis with just over a month's rest between bouts. The match in Philadelphia with Papke was very hard-fought, ending in a draw.^[11] He lost his bout with Henry Lewis in Boston, Massachusetts by decision. His next fight was against Willie Lewis originally scheduled for 19 December 1907, but the police placed an injunction on the venue in New York .^[12] The fight went ahead on 23 December 1907. W.Lewis is said to have entered O'Keeffe's dressing room just before the fight, berating his apparent belly, quipping that he might kill him if he punched him there.^[13] O'Keeffe lost by knock out.^[14] Despite not winning a bout in the US, O'Keeffe was upbeat and in February 1908, he returned to England. He placed a message in the Sporting Life, declaring "he is here for business", in a wide-ranging article that revealed he contracted malaria in the US. The article claimed that anyone who wanted to challenge the statement need only send money to the Sporting Life, with correspondence addressed to O'Keeffe and it would receive his immediate attention.^[15]

Answering O'Keeffe's message in the Sporting Life, fellow Canning Town boxer Steve Smith took on O'Keeffe at the Wonderland Francais, Paris, the match ended in a draw.^[16] Less than two weeks later at the same venue, he was disqualified for a low blow in the fourth round against Jeff Thorne.^[17]

 

A signed photo of Pat O'Keeffe, c. 1908, in Australia.^[18]

Later that year, O'Keeffe toured Australia with Tommy Burns, the World Heavyweight Champion. At 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) Burns is the shortest boxer ever to hold the title^[19] which he won in 1906.^[20] He also managed to successfully defend it eleven times against all claimants until he met with Jack Johnson on Boxing Day in 1908.

While in Australia, O'Keeffe and Burns trained together and used to invite the public to watch these exhibitions of their skills.^[21]

O'Keeffe fought a number of contests in Australia, mostly against heavier opponents, winning two, drawing one and losing three.^[22]

Late career: 1911–1918

He did not fight again in England until 1911, when he fought Eddie McGoorty, losing on points over fifteen rounds.^[23] McGoorty went on to become world champion in 1915.^[24] After this loss O'Keeffe won his next five fights between 1911 and 1913. His next defeat was a points decision against Private Jim Harris^[25] which he reversed over twenty rounds two months later,^[26] after defeating Frank Mantell twice in seven days.^[27]

On 4 August 1913 he challenged Bombardier Billy Wells for the British Heavyweight Championship. He was a tall heavyweight who was almost three stones heavier than O'Keeffe, but it took fifteen rounds before Wells succeeded in knocking him out.^[28]

O'Keeffe's next bout was against the young prodigy Georges Carpentier. The match was billed as the Heavyweight Championship of Europe although both men were under the light heavyweight weight limit. He was knocked out in two rounds by the man who, at the time, appeared capable of beating all of Europe's boxers in quick succession.^[29] O'Keeffe gave a simple no-nonsense reason for his defeat to the Sheffield Daily Telegraph: "He was too big and strong for me."^[30]

His next fight was against Henry Reeve for the British Middleweight Championship on 2 February 1914. O'Keeffe won on points over twenty rounds.^[31] Later Reeve moved up to the light heavyweight division and won the British championship in 1916 against Dick Smith.^[32]

 

O'Keeffe (L) vs Simpson (R) 27 April 1914

O'Keeffe successfully defended his middleweight title two months later against Nichol Simpson.^[33] In May of the same year he earned a second notch on his belt by defeating Jim Sullivan^[34] who had himself held the belt in 1910 when he beat an old adversary of O'Keeffe's, Tom Thomas. O'Keeffe earned £650 for winning this fight.

A year later in March 1915, he fought and knocked out the heavyweight, Joe Beckett in eight rounds.^[35] Following this O'Keeffe had a return fight with Jim Sullivan. Although it was billed as being for the British Middleweight Title, the fight was not endorsed by the N.S.C; therefore, the Lonsdale Belt was not at stake on this occasion. The two met again on 21 February 1916. Jimmy Wilde, the former Flyweight champion, described the fight as the most punishing he had ever seen.^[36] Both men fought as though their lives depended on it. The ring and spectators sitting nearby were splashed with blood by the end of the battle and it can be seen from photographs of the event that Sullivan's white shorts were dark with blood by the end of twenty rounds when O'Keeffe gained the decision.^[37] Two months later he fought Bandsman Blake and knocked him out in the thirteenth round.^[38] Blake had a fine record at this stage having lost to only one man to date in his five-year professional career, Bombardier Billy Wells.^[39]

 

Sullivan (L) vs O'Keeffe (R) – Sullivan's white shorts dark with blood 21 February 1916

Just three months later, on 22 May 1916, O'Keeffe was at the N.S.C to fight Bandsman Blake again. The £500 match went the full 20 rounds. "The contest was not a good one" according to the Sheffield Independent.^[40] In the 12th round, the referee gave both fighters a last warning that he would order them out of the ring if they did not alter their methods. The paper reported that blame for this messy fight lay squarely with Blake, citing his constant clinching and holding, which was employed to avoid the infighting quality of O'Keeffe. Blake won the fight on points, a verdict "received by a crowded house with something almost akin to amazement", the Sheffield Independent states.^[40]

Thus, O'Keeffe lost both the Championship and his Lonsdale Belt. Following this fight, both O'Keeffe and Blake were posted to France and the return fight demanded by the fans could not take place until their return.

On the 28 January 1918, O'Keeffe fought his last professional fight, defeating Blake to win the Lonsdale Belt outright along with an N.S.C Pension.^[41]

In an article two days later, the Sportsman reported on the tributes being paid to O'Keeffe at the N.S.C. "No more popular ring victor in recent years has been seen than Sergt Pat O'Keeffe", it begins. Arthur Frederick Bettinson, one of the founding members of the Club remarked on O'Keeffe's exploits, remembering his name on the belt in both 1914 and 1918 and congratulated him as a sportsman and a man. O'Keeffe replied to these tributes modestly, saying that securing the Lonsdale Belt as his own was one of his key ambitions in his career. He would now concentrate on charity and family he said. O'Keeffe retired from professional boxing having made many lifelong friends.^[42]

Military service during World War I

 

O'Keeffe puts on a punch ball exhibition for the 1st Surrey Rifles during World War I

.

At the start of 1915, O'Keeffe joined the 1st Surrey Rifles. He was a Physical Training Instructor and Recruiting Sergeant.

This is an excerpt from an Article about O'Keeffe's recruiting skill:

... He was recently crossing London Bridge in company with his Sergeant-Major when from the other direction came a husky, healthy youth pushing milk cart. Said the Sergeant-Major to the Corporal There's a likely-looking recruit for you, Pat; try him." O'Keeffe approached his victim, prodded him in the chest with his little stick, and said: "Say, don't you want to serve your King?" Yus," answered the youth. " How many quarts will he want? ** The Bulletin does not complete the story, but prefer to believe that Pat gained another recruit that day, for the soft answer is no good against an Irishman ...

— He wanted to serve, Star Green 'un Via British Newspaper Archive 17 July 1915^[43]

He found Army life at the Regiment's home at Camberwell suited his boxing training well. With good, plain food, strict routine and drill, plenty of sparring partners, and ample space to train, he thrived in a friendly atmosphere where he was very popular with the men.^[44]

O'Keeffe and other boxer-turned-soldiers planned activities to help boost the morale of injured troops. One such time was an organised boat trip down the Thames.^[45]

Retirement

O'Keeffe remained a public figure for many years. He took a seat on the inaugural British Boxing Board of Control with fellow ex- champion boxers Billy Wells and Jim Driscoll.^[46] He participated in charity events, such as boxing an Aston Villa footballer player,^[47] refereed amateur tournaments and took part in charity exhibition matches, most notably with his old rival Bombardier Billy Wells.^[48] These exhibitions could some times get heated, with O'Keeffe said to have once shouted "Stop it Billy! - I'm not the Kaiser!".^[49] O'Keeffe was a regular star spectator at big bouts.^[50][51] He also had his own boxing column in the Daily Herald for a while^[52]

O'Keeffe carried on working. He was engaged in the licensing business, was a Publican^[53] and was involved in bookmaking. The French and British armies employed him as a boxing instructor in 1925.^[54]

In March 1938, the N.S.C. moved into new premises in Piccadilly and held a banquet to honour the occasion. There were hosts of fighters presented including many of the old timers, Jimmy Wilde, Billy Wells, Teddy Baldock, Pedlar Palmer, Tancy Lee, Johnny Basham and O'Keeffe.^[55]

O’Keeffe died 16 August 1960 at the Mount Vernon Hospital in Middlesex, aged 77.^[56]

Professional boxing record

O'Keeffe's professional boxing record can be summarised as follows:^[57]

123 fights	89 wins	25 losses
By knockout	36	9
By decision	52	15
By disqualification	1	1
Draws	7
No contests	2

Notable bouts
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes^[57]
Win	77-24-7	Bandsman Jack Blake	KO	2(20)	1918-01-28	NSC, Covent garden, London	Regains British Middleweight title
loss	75-23-7	Bandsman Jack Blake	PTS	20	1916-05-22	NSC, Covent garden, London	Loses British Middleweight title
win	60-23-7	Harry Reeve	PTS	20	1914-02-23	NSC, Covent garden, London	Wins British Middleweight title
loss	60-22-7	Georges Carpentier	KO	2(20)	1914-01-19	Eldorado-Casino, Nice	European Heavyweight title attempt
loss	59-20-7	Bombardier Billy Wells	KO	15(20)	1914-08-04	The Ring, Blackfriars Road, Southwark, London	British Heavyweight title attempt
loss	48-14-6	Ed Williams	KO	15(20)	1908-10-26	Cyclorama, Melbourne	Australian Middleweight title attempt
Draw	48-11-4	Billy Papke	PTS	6	1907-11-09	National A.C., Philadelphia	Papke later went on to become World Middleweight Champion
win	28-10-4	Mike Crawley	PTS	15	1906-03-19	NSC, Covent garden, London	Wins British Middleweight title
win	6-1-0	Jack Kingsland	PTS	20	1903-01-02	Olympia, Kensington, London	Wins British Welterweight Title

See also

• List of British middleweight boxing champions
• List of British welterweight boxing champions
• Lonsdale Belt

References

1. "NEWBURY MEETING". Sheffield Evening Telegraph. 20 January 1914. Retrieved 8 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
2. "Rifleman Pat O'Keeffe". Daily Mirror. 26 October 1914. Retrieved 12 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
3. "VETERAN'S LONSDALE BELT". The Sportsman. 29 January 1918. Retrieved 8 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
4. "TRAMPING TO BRIGHTON". Sporting Life. 3 November 1902. Retrieved 12 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "THE SPORTSMAN THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13,1902". The Sportsman. 13 November 1902. Retrieved 12 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Pat O'Keeffe vs Jack Kingsland". BoxRec.
7. "15 round contest". Sporting Life. 20 March 1906. Retrieved 11 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "O'Keeffe defeats Allum". The Sportsman. 24 April 1906. Retrieved 10 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "closing night of the season". Sporting Life. 29 May 1906. Retrieved 12 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
10. "Boxing Items". Sporting Life. 2 March 1907. Retrieved 10 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
11. "Ten Rounds Contest". Sporting Life. 12 November 1907. Retrieved 13 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
12. "Pat O'Keeffe's farewell matches". The Sportsman. 4 January 1908. Retrieved 11 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
13. Corri, Eugene (2013). "IX". Refereeing 1000 Fights - Reminiscences of Boxing. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1447486565.
14. "Pat O'Keeffe knocked out". Sporting Life. 9 January 1908. Retrieved 11 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
15. "return of Pat O'Keeffe". Sporting Life. 3 February 1908. Retrieved 14 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
16. "Contests in Paris". The Sportsman. 1 April 1908. Retrieved 14 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
17. "Contests In Paris". Sporting Life. 13 April 1908. Retrieved 14 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
18. "Portrait of Pat O'Keeffe, English middleweight boxer who fought in Australia". NLA. 1908. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
19. "Ranking the heavyweight champions: No. 23 Tommy Burns". Boxing Monthly. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
20. "Canada history: feb 23, 1906". RCI. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
21. "Tommy Burns J World's Champion". Cornubian and Redruth Times. 27 August 1908. Retrieved 14 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
22. "Pat O'Keeffe Bout record". BoxRec. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
23. "Boxing: Eddie McGoorty vs Pat O'Keeffe". Dublin Daily Express. 11 April 1911. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
24. "Eddie McGoorty Defeated". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 2 August 1915. Retrieved 11 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
25. "Sporting Paragraphs". Nottingham Evening Post. 11 February 1911. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
26. "Sporting Paragraphs". Nottingham Evening Post. 3 May 1913. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
27. "AMERICAN CHAMPION BOXER MAKES POOR APPEARANCE! IN LONDON, AND IS EASILY BEATEN BY PAT O'KEEFFE". Dundee Courier. 16 April 1913. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
28. "Another Victory For Wells". Dundee Courier. 5 August 1913. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
29. "CARPENTIERS LATEST VICTORY". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 21 January 1914. Retrieved 9 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
30. "O'Keeffe's opinion of Carpentier". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 24 January 1914. Retrieved 28 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
31. "Pat O'Keeffe defeats Harry Reeve on points". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 24 February 1914. Retrieved 9 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
32. "Boxing Championship". Portsmouth Evening News. 31 October 1916. Retrieved 9 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
33. "Pat O'Keeffe beats Nicol Simpson on points". Daily Mirror. 28 April 1914. Retrieved 11 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
34. "MIDDLE-WEIGHT BELT". Sheffield Evening Telegraph. 26 May 1914. Retrieved 9 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
35. "victory for Pat O'Keeffe". Dundee Courier. 5 March 1915. Retrieved 11 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
36. "BOXING. VICTORY FOR WELLS O'KEEFFE". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 22 February 1916. Retrieved 8 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
37. "BOXING CHAMPIONS". Lancashire Evening Post. 22 February 1916. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
38. "PAT O'KEEFFE WINS". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 11 May 1915. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
39. "Wells Interviewed". Liverpool Evening Express. 4 March 1914. Retrieved 11 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
40. "Hard luck on Pat O'Keeffe". Sheffield Independent. 23 May 1916. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
41. "Veterans Lonsdale Belt". the Sportsman. 29 January 1918. Retrieved 1 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
42. "The Lonsdale Belt Presentation to Pat O'Keeffe". The Sportsman. 30 January 1918. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
43. "He wanted to serve". Star Green 'un. 17 July 1915. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
44. "All this weeks news from the boxing rings". The people. 2 May 1915. Retrieved 27 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
45. "Wounded soldiers entertained on the river". Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News. 7 August 1915. Retrieved 27 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
46. Harding, John (2016). "7". Lonsdale's Belt: Boxing's Most Coveted Prize. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-1785312540.
47. "Footballer and Boxer". Star Green 'un. 9 March 1918. Retrieved 27 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
48. "Wells and O'Keeffe's boxing contest at the Market Halls". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. 17 September 1927. Retrieved 27 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
49. Corri, Eugene (1915). Thirty years a boxing referee. the New York Public Library: Longmans, Green & Co. p. 189.
50. "Palmer, O'Keeffe and summers". The Sportsman. 19 November 1924. Retrieved 27 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
51. "Pat O'Keeffe, ex middleweight champion; Pat Condon and others will be present". Bedfordshire Times and Independent. 11 April 1924. Retrieved 27 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
52. "Boxing by Pat O'Keeffe". Daily Herald. 15 September 1919. Retrieved 27 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
53. "Pat as a Publican". Illustrated Police News. 26 August 1915. Retrieved 28 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
54. "Pat O'Keeffe to teach two armies Boxing". Nottingham Journal. 9 October 1925. Retrieved 27 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
55. "Danahar--Champion Within a Year: Certain Defeat turned into Glorious Victory over Cameron". Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News. 8 April 1938. Retrieved 8 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
56. "Pat O'Keefe dead". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 17 August 1960. Retrieved 7 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
57. "Pat O'Keeffe". boxrec.com. from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.

General references

• Lee, Tony (2009). All in My Corner: A tribute to some forgotten Welsh boxing heroes. Ammanford: TL Associates. ISBN 978-0-9564456-0-5.
• Corri, Eugene (2013). Refereeing 1000 Fights - Reminiscences of Boxing. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1447486565.
• Waltzer, Jim (2011). The Battle of the Century: Dempsey, Carpentier, and the Birth of Modern Promotion. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0313382444.
• Dartnell, Fred (1924). "Seconds Out!": Chats about Boxers, Their Trainers and Patrons. T. W. Laurie, Limited.
• Diegle, C.R. (1924). Ring Battles of Centuries. University of Minnesota: Tom Andrews Record Book Company.
• Harding, John (1994). Lonsdale's Belt: The Story of Boxing's Greatest Prize. Robson. ISBN 0860518469.
• Guards, Irish (2000). Irish Guards: The First Hundred Years 1900-2000. the University of Michigan: Spellmount. ISBN 1862270694.
• Parker, percy Livingstone (1925). Daily Mail Year Book. the University of Michigan: Associated Newspapers Groups, Limited.
• Country Life, Volume 46. Princeton University. 1919.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Strieble, Dan (2008). Fight Pictures: A History of Boxing and Early Cinema. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520940581.
• Horrall, Andrew (2001). Popular Culture in London C.1890-1918: The Transformation of Entertainment. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0719057833.
• Roberts, James B (2006). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall of Fame Official Record Book. McBooks Press. ISBN 1590131215.
• Harding, John (2016). Lonsdale's Belt: Boxing's Most Coveted Prize. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-1785312540.
• Anon (2013). Clashes of the Boxing Greats - Accounts of the Contests at the Beginning of the 20th Century - Boxers Included are James Corbett, John L. Sullivan, Jack Johnson, James J. Jefferies, Georges Carpentier and many more. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1473380554.
• W., Buchanan-Taylor (1947). What Do You Know about Boxing?. Pennsylvania State University: Cranton Heath.
• Carpenter, Harry (1965). Masters of boxing. the University of California: A.S. Barnes.
• Mullan, Harry (1987). Great Book of Boxing. Crescent Books. ISBN 0517629534.
• Arnold, Peter (1989). The illustrated encyclopedia of world boxing. Pennsylvania State University: Golden Press.

Video

• Pat O'Keeffe vs Billy Wells-British Army exhibition match-1916 From British Pathe
• Soldier Boxer Corpl Pat O'keefe To Fight Sullivan (1914-1918) From British Pathe

External links

• Boxing record for Pat O'Keeffe from BoxRec (registration required)

Achievements
Earns Lonsdale Belt outright	British Middleweight Champion 28 January 1918 – retires	Vacant Title next held by Ted "Kid" Lewis