Jimmy McLarnin
The baby-faced Vancouver puncher who fought 15 world champions
- Born
- December 19, 1907, Hillsborough, County Down, Ireland
- Died
- October 28, 2004 (aged 96)
- Nationality
Canada
Ireland- Height
- 168 cm (5′6″)
- Reach
- 170 cm (5′7″)
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Style
- Hard-hitting boxer-puncher
- Weight
- Flyweight, Bantamweight, Lightweight, Welterweight
- Active
- 1923–1936
The record
Professional; Wikipedia infobox figure (69 bouts). IBHOF lists 62-11-3, 1 ND (20 KO) in 77 bouts record
The story
immy McLarnin was born in County Down, Ireland, and his family emigrated to Canada when he was a small child, farming in Saskatchewan before settling in Vancouver. He took up boxing after a fight over his newspaper-selling spot, and former pro Charles 'Pop' Foster became his trainer and manager. Turning pro at 16, he took his boyish face to California, beat flyweight champion Pancho Villa in a non-title fight in 1925 and went on to face world champions from seven weight classes. He stopped Benny Leonard in 1932 and knocked out Young Corbett III in 2 minutes 37 seconds in 1933 to become world welterweight champion. His three 15-round fights with Barney Ross drew huge crowds; he won one of them. He retired a wealthy man in 1936, aged 28.
- Undisputed world welterweight champion (2 reigns, 1933–1935)
- Pacific Coast flyweight champion
- International Boxing Hall of Fame (1991)
- Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1955)
- The Ring's No. 5 welterweight of all time (1996)
Defining fights
- 1932WINvs Benny Leonard (TKO 6, Madison Square Garden)
- 1933WINvs Young Corbett III (TKO 1 in 2:37, won world welterweight title)
- 1934WINvs Barney Ross (SD 15, regained world welterweight title)
- 1935LOSSvs Barney Ross (UD 15, lost world welterweight title)
- 1936WINvs Lou Ambers (UD 10, last fight)
McLarnin's right hand was the punch opponents feared, but when hand injuries piled up he won by boxing instead. Make the right a threat rather than your whole plan: spar rounds where it only comes after a jab or feint, and learn to win rounds on footwork alone.
