Kemmick was regarded as the best Welterweight in the world in the 1880's. His remarkable speed and power were legendary in his time. Welterweight Champion of the World Tommy Ryan, twice backed out of facing him for title defenses. He had such difficulty getting fights, that he frequently fought Heavyweights and often fought under the alias of Charles Hearld. He was one of the few boxers in history to retire undefeated, with his health forcing him into an early retirement at the age of 21 due to Tuberculosis, which ultimately claimed his life a few years later. UPDATE: Through a collaboration between George D. Blair and Jake Wegner, Kemmick's remarkable record now appears to be restored.
Kemmick's skills were so far ahead of his time, that newspapers didn't just report on his victories, instead they frequently reported on how he often played with his opponents in efforts to make more money off of side-bets on how long his opponents would last with him. In interviews with the Saint Paul newspapers, he often alluded that he could make more money by allowing a fight to go longer as opposed to knocking out his opponent right away; an almost self-admittance of carrying his opponents in efforts to collect more cash from bets. In his last few years of boxing, while battling Tuberculosis and with greatly deteriorated health, Kemmick still could not be bested in a ring. In 1895 his doctor advised him to leave his Saint Paul home to take a vacation in Denver, Colorado in hopes that the drier air may help his illness, but he died shortly after arriving there.
Kemmick's skills were so far ahead of his time, that newspapers didn't just report on his victories, instead they frequently reported on how he often played with his opponents in efforts to make more money off of side-bets on how long his opponents would last with him. In interviews with the Saint Paul newspapers, he often alluded that he could make more money by allowing a fight to go longer as opposed to knocking out his opponent right away; an almost self-admittance of carrying his opponents in efforts to collect more cash from bets. In his last few years of boxing, while battling Tuberculosis and with greatly deteriorated health, Kemmick still could not be bested in a ring. In 1895 his doctor advised him to leave his Saint Paul home to take a vacation in Denver, Colorado in hopes that the drier air may help his illness, but he died shortly after arriving there.
Kemmick was regarded as the best Welterweight in the world in the 1880's. His remarkable speed and power were legendary in his time. Welterweight Champion of the World Tommy Ryan, twice backed out of facing him for title defenses. He had such difficulty getting fights, that he frequently fought Heavyweights and often fought under the alias of Charles Hearld. He was one of the few boxers in history to retire undefeated, with his health forcing him into an early retirement at the age of 21 due to Tuberculosis, which ultimately claimed his life a few years later. UPDATE: Through a collaboration between George D. Blair and Jake Wegner, Kemmick's remarkable record now appears to be restored.
Kemmick's skills were so far ahead of his time, that newspapers didn't just report on his victories, instead they frequently reported on how he often played with his opponents in efforts to make more money off of side-bets on how long his opponents would last with him. In interviews with the Saint Paul newspapers, he often alluded that he could make more money by allowing a fight to go longer as opposed to knocking out his opponent right away; an almost self-admittance of carrying his opponents in efforts to collect more cash from bets. In his last few years of boxing, while battling Tuberculosis and with greatly deteriorated health, Kemmick still could not be bested in a ring. In 1895 his doctor advised him to leave his Saint Paul home to take a vacation in Denver, Colorado in hopes that the drier air may help his illness, but he died shortly after arriving there.
Kemmick's skills were so far ahead of his time, that newspapers didn't just report on his victories, instead they frequently reported on how he often played with his opponents in efforts to make more money off of side-bets on how long his opponents would last with him. In interviews with the Saint Paul newspapers, he often alluded that he could make more money by allowing a fight to go longer as opposed to knocking out his opponent right away; an almost self-admittance of carrying his opponents in efforts to collect more cash from bets. In his last few years of boxing, while battling Tuberculosis and with greatly deteriorated health, Kemmick still could not be bested in a ring. In 1895 his doctor advised him to leave his Saint Paul home to take a vacation in Denver, Colorado in hopes that the drier air may help his illness, but he died shortly after arriving there.
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