WHY SULLIVAN IS AN INTRIGUING AND IMPORTANT FIGURE

To understand where boxing is today, we must understand from where it came.John L. Sullivan was the first gloved heavyweight champion, the fighter that made gloved boxing popular. He helped legitimize Queensberry rules boxing,which is the foundation of boxing as we know it today. He took what was then a fringe sport and made it an immensely popular mainstream sport that generated big revenues. In order to do this, he had to be a phenomenon, the likes of which the world had never seen.

Sullivan was such a huge star that he transcended cultural barriers. He was the first American sports hero. He is certainly an Irish legend because he was the first Irish American to gain worldwide recognition, respect, and the riches that being the world