John Daniel Needham (May 20, 1867 – September 12, 1922) was an American boxer. Of Irish descent, he was based in

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

and started his pro boxing career by challenging

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

bare-knuckle champion Tommy Danforth to a fight. The fight agreement stipulated that Needham needed to knock his opponent out to win the fight, so the fight was awarded to Danforth even though Needham was better than him through 8 rounds. Needham would become the lightweight champion of the Northwest in 1888 and he would controversially lose a bout for the lightweight championship of America. Around 1889, he made the jump to

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

. One of his first fights in his new weight class is one of the longest boxing matches ever recorded, a 100 round fight against Patsy Kerrigan. The fight was declared a draw, with both men being in the brink of death. The following year, Needham would challenge

Tommy Ryan Tommy Ryan (born Joseph Youngs; March 31, 1870 – August 3, 1948) was an American-Canadian World Welterweight and World Middleweight boxing champion who fought from 1887 to 1907. His simultaneously holding records in both weight classes ...

for the welterweight world title. But he would end up losing after 76 rounds, in another one of the sport's longest matches. Needham moved to Alaska during the Klondike gold rush. He spent the final years of his life in the St. Peter State Hospital, before dying of throat cancer in 1922. He was inducted to the

Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame The Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame is a commemorative organization with plans to create a museum. It celebrates the history of boxing in the state of Minnesota by honoring individuals whose achievements within the sport are noteworthy. History Thou ...

in 2013.

References

Lightweight boxers Welterweight boxers American male boxers 1867 births 1922 deaths People of the Klondike Gold Rush {{US-boxing-bio-stub