Andy Bowen (May 3, 1867 – December 15, 1894) was an American lightweight boxer best known for fighting the world's longest boxing match, which took place in 1893 against Jack Burke.
Biography Early life Born on May 3, 1867, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Bowen's first fight was in 1887. He was undefeated in his first 14 fights, with 12 wins and two draws. In September 1890, he successfully defended his title against Jimmy Carroll at the Olympic Club in New Orleans (the same club where James J. Corbett would defeat John L. Sullivan for the World Heavyweight Championship two years later).
The longest fight On April 6, 1893, Bowen and Jack Burke fought the longest fight in history. Bowen had originally scheduled the fight with another opponent, however after dropping out of the fight, Jack Burke, who was the latter's trainer, fought the bout instead. The fight took place at the same Olympics Club Bowen had defended his title from Carroll. The fight lasted 110 rounds over seven hours and 19 minutes (each round lasting three minutes). It was reported that the fight went on for so long, that the spectators who stayed to watch the fight had fallen asleep in their seats. It was also recorded that at round 108, with no clear end in sight, referee John Duffy made the decision that if no winner had emerged in the next 2 rounds, the bout would be ruled a "no contest". With both men having become too dazed and tired to come out of their corners, Duffy declared the match a no contest. Burke broke all the bones in both of his hands and was bedridden for six weeks. He had considered retiring after the fight but chose to continue competing. Bowen fought four more times after the fight. The club where the fight took place would burn to the ground four years later.
Last fight and death Bowen's fight against Kid Lavigne was his 27th and last fight. The injury that killed him was inflicted in the 18th round, when Lavigne knocked him down and he hit his head on the wooden canvas. Bowen never regained consciousness and died at 7:00 am the next morning, aged 27. At first Lavigne was arrested for Bowen's death, but was found to be innocent of any wrongdoing following a coroner's inquest. Bowen's death was listed as from hitting his head on the ring floor.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes26Loss15–4–5 George LavigneKO18 (25)Dec 14, 1894 25Draw15–3–5 Jim CarrollRTD25Aug 8, 1894 24Draw15–3–4 Stanton AbbottRTD10May 7, 1894 23Win15–3–3 Jack EverhardtRTD85May 31, 1893 2214–3–3 Jack BurkeNC110 (?)Apr 6, 1893 21Win14–3–3 Joe FieldenKO22 (?)Jan 5, 1893 20Win13–3–3 Johnny EckertKO18 (?)Oct 23, 1892 1912–3–3 Jimmy Murphy8Feb 18, 1892 18Loss12–3–3Austin GibbonsTKO48 (?)Dec 29, 1891 17Draw12–2–3Billy Myer2May 20, 1891 16Draw12–2–2Billy MyerPTS24May 19, 1891 15Loss12–2–1Jim CarrollKO21 (?)Sep 16, 1890 14Win12–1–1Billy MyerPTS28May 22, 1890 13Loss11–1–1Charley JohnsonPTS43 (?)Feb 9, 1890 12Win11–0–1Louis BezenahPTS4Jan 31, 1890 11Win10–0–1 Jimmy McHaleKO2 (?)Dec 22, 1889 10Win9–0–1Tom Ryan3 (5)Aug 4, 1889 9Win8–0–1Joe OliverPTS10June 16, 1889 8Win7–0–1Charles Wilson3 (?)May 19, 1889 7Win6–0–1Mike MurrayPTS10July 1, 1887 6Win5–0–1Skinner NortonPTS2June 1, 1887 5Win4–0–1Jack DoylePTS5May 1, 18874Win3–0–1Frank PentiPTS7Apr 1, 18873Win2–0–1Johnny WilsonPTS3Mar 1, 18872Win1–0–1Mike MurphyPTS2Feb 1, 18871Draw0–0–1Jim Glass10Jan 16, 1887
References
External links boxrec.com http://cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/bowen-andy.htm