Jack Hurley (December 9, 1897 – November 16, 1972) was an American

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

promoter. Working in boxing for over 50 years, he was well known and appreciated both in the sport and by journalists, although he never managed a champion.(18 November 1972)
Jack Hurley Dies; Boxing Manager
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''(14 June 1954)
Sport: The Talker
''TIME'' Hurley grew up in

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

. After serving in France during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he tried boxing, but found he was better suited for managing and promoting fighters. Starting in 1922 he had success managing lightweight

Billy Petrolle William Michael Petrolle (January 10, 1905 – May 14, 1983) was a world lightweight boxing title contender. Boxing ran in the Petrolle family as his brothers Pete and Frank also shared his occupation.

. After Petrolle retired, he became a promoter in Chicago. By the late 1940s he was back to managing, including Harry "Kid" Matthews. Hurley later moved on to Seattle, where he spent the last 20 years of his career. He managed

Boone Kirkman Daniel Victor "Boone" Kirkman (born February 6, 1945) is a former amateur and professional heavyweight boxer. He compiled a 36-6 career record, with 26 knockouts, having limited success against the top fighters of the era he met in the ring - b ...

among other fighters in Seattle. In 1957 he promoted the title world heavyweight title fight between

Pete Rademacher Thomas Peter Rademacher (November 20, 1928 – June 4, 2020) was an American heavyweight boxer. A gold medalist at the 1956 Olympics, he became the only person to challenge for the world heavyweight championship in his first professional bo ...

, in his first professional match, against

Floyd Patterson Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in hi ...

. It being the first ever fight between an amateur and a world champion drew attention and controversy.Burns, Bill (12 September 1968)
Boxing's Hurley Last of a Vanishing Breed
''

Valley News The ''Valley News'' (and ''Sunday Valley News'') is a seven-day morning daily newspaper based in Lebanon, New Hampshire, covering the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont, in the United States. Although the newspaper's offices are ...

''(2 September 1957)
Sport: Money-Back Guarantee?
''TIME''Smith, Craig (5 February 1994)
Patterson Recalls 1957 Frightful Fight In Seattle -- Ex-Champ Admits Taking Rademacher Too Lightly
''

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington s ...

'' Hurley was known for being honest in a sport where "a certain amount of dishonesty is not only expected but also demanded." Olsen, Jack (15 May 1961)
Don't Call Me Honest
''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

Condon, David (19 November 1972)
In the Wake of the News
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' In Seattle he was called ""the conscience of Seattle." Writer

Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American newspaperman and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To N ...

said Jack Hurley was one of only two honest prize-fighter managers he had known, "and I forget the name of the other." Boxing historian John Ochs published a three-volume biography of Hurley in 2017.This One is Jack Hurley
International Boxing Research Organization, Retrieved 18 November 2022

References

1897 births 1972 deaths American boxing promoters Boxing promoters People from Fargo, North Dakota {{US-boxing-bio-stub