Babe Culnan

Thomas Joseph "Babe" Culnan (1897 – November 11, 1962) was an American boxing and wrestling promoter for more than four decades, operating largely out of Newark, New Jersey.

Early life Born in the late 1890s, Thomas Joseph Culnan was raised in Albany, New York, United States.

Career Culnan entered the fight business in his hometown of Albany. He relocated to New Jersey in 1917, around the time the Frawley Law was repealed in New York.

After arriving in Newark, Culnan joined the "National Sportsmen's Club," formed to promote fights in the city, including the Newark Armory, during the "golden twenties." His partners, J. Frank Black, Harry Blaufuss, and Nick Kline, were called the Four Horsemen by the sports editor Francis Albertanti. Babe Culnan served as the matchmaker. He also promoted Firpo's last fight in the country against Charley Weinert, whom he had earlier managed in a bout with Gene Tunney.

Babe Culnan outmaneuvered Tex Rickard to take control of the 1924 Young Stribling–Mike McTigue rematch and hosted it in Newark. He notably matched Jack Dempsey and Harry Wills who signed contracts for a heavyweight title fight in September 1925 that never materialized.

He joined forces with Willie Gilzenberg in 1932. Their first success was taking over management of Red Cochrane and guiding him to the welterweight championship.

In 1938, Culnan, Gilzenberg, and Bill Patterson became partners in the Meadowbrook Bowl Corp. and built Meadowbrook Bowl to supplement their indoor arena at Laurel Garden. Culnan's last championship fight promotion was the 1941 Red Cochrane vs. Fritzie Zivic welterweight bout. He was the only American in Farr's corner when he fought Joe Louis. By 1951, he staged wrestling shows every Friday night at Laurel Garden in the winter and the Meadowbrook Bowl in the summer.

He was named in Charley Rose's "All-Time Greatest" list for promoters in September 1968.