Bill Brennan

Bill Brennan (June 23, 1893 – June 15, 1924) was an American boxer who fought and lost to World Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey in a well attended title fight that ended in a twelfth-round knockout on December 14, 1920, in Madison Square Garden. He lost to Dempsey for the first time in a non-title fight on February 5, 1918, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in a sixth-round technical knockout.

He began fighting under the name Bill Shanks, close to his actual name, and knocked out 11 of his first 12 opponents, fighting in the Midwest and then the New York City area. He had a strong punch and a very good knockout percentage. Brennan's manager was Leo P. Flynn and his trainers included Dia Dollings and Frank Cline.

Early life and career Brennan was born on June 23, 1893, in Louisville, Kentucky. Though many sources of his time stated he was born in County Mayo, Ireland or Chicago, these are fabrications he perpetuated to bolster the myth of his Irish ancestry. He was, in fact, of Scots-Irish, English, Irish, and German ancestry. He did live in the Chicago area during his early boxing career before moving to Manhattan where the boxing was more lucrative, and there were still plenty of Irish fans who would flock to see who they assumed was a native son.

Between May 1913 through May 1916 Brennan started professional boxing primarily in the New York area. With a powerful punch, he won an impressive 11 of his first fifteen fights by knockout losing only once in his first bout in Wisconsin. Brennan worked as a bartender between fights, earning him the nickname "Battling Bill the Bartender".

According to one source, Brennan achieved a third-round knockout of Jack Cameron in 1914, and two ten-round newspaper decisions from Marty Cutler on April 13 and July 2, 1914, in Aurora, Illinois. Cutler fought some talented opposition in his career including Jack Johnson, Sam Langford, and Jack Dillon, though his record was poor.

Highlights of early career knockouts and wins, 1916 On January 22, 1916, he knocked out 6' 1" heavyweight George Rodel in the seventh round at the Clermont Rink in Brooklyn. On March 20, 1916, Brennan knocked out Brooklyn-born Italian boxer Al Benedict in the second round at the Military Athletic Club in Brooklyn, New York. In their July 20 bout, Brennan was described as being on the aggressive throughout and carrying the fight the entire way. On March 30, 1920, Brennan won a ten-round newspaper decision from the Chicago Tribune over Devere in Chicago, Illinois. The battle was hard-fought, with Devere cut over the left eye in the seventh, and showing fatigue by the finish.

On July 3, 1917, Brennan knocked out Soldier Jones in a second-round technical knockout at the Grande Alle Rink in Quebec City, Quebec.

Bouts with Battling Levinsky, 1917–18

Brennan fought 1916–20 World Light Heavyweight Champion Battling Levinsky three times in 1917, on October 2 and 23 at the Armory in Boston, to a twelve-round draw and a twelve-round points decision. He had a rare loss to Levinsky on November 27, 1917, in a twelve-round points decision in Boston, before a twelve-round pre-agreed draw on points at the Grand Opera House in Boston on January 5, 1918. The spectators would not have been pleased had they known the draw was pre-arranged.

On April 23, 1920, Brennan knocked out Walter "Farmer" Lodge, also known as "Soldier" Lodge in the third round at the Moose Club in Detroit, Michigan. Brennan was dropped for a count of four in the first round which excited the audience. Lodge was described as being 6' 4", one of Brennan's few opponents who would have had a reach advantage. In a subsequent round Lodge was down and out for "a full ten minutes".

Bouts with future Hall of Famer Billy Miske, 1919–21 Brennan fought future Hall of Famer Billy Miske twice in 1919, once on June 28 in Oklahoma to a fifteen-round loss on points, and on April 28 at Cardinal Field in St. Louis to an eight-round newspaper decision draw. Finally in the twelfth round, however, Brennan was doubled over by a right hook below the heart, and then floored by a subsequent left hook to his right side. Dempsey was never one to miss an opportunity to finish an opponent, and the left hook that put Brennan down for the count was the best punch in his arsenal. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that Dempsey "was forced to his utmost to hold off a courageous, determined fighter who gave almost as good as he received." Dempsey's most noticeable injuries were a split left ear and a lighter blow to the mouth which both bled at times during the bout. Famed sportswriter Grantland Rice wrote that Dempsey's ear looked like "a cross between a veal cutlet and a bloodly sponge", as Brennan had targeted it in the fight. The challenger received around $35,000 for the bout, though Dempsey took home substantially more. However, the New York Times reminded their audience the bout was "one of the most vicious and closely-contested fights in history." and it occurred before a sellout crowd of nearly 17,000 There were no knockdowns in the bout which some critics considered tame. On July 4, 1922, he fought a twelve-round, no-decision bout with Martin in Ashland, Kentucky. Brennan showed greater speed than Martin, and had an advantage throughout the bout.

On March 31, 1921, a few sources have Brennan losing to talented Black boxer Jeff Clark in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Clark would fight some of the greatest Black boxers of his era including Kid Norfolk, Sam McVea, Harry Wills, and Sam Langford. Clark had taken the Panamanian Heavyweight Title in Panama City, Panama, defeating Kid Norfolk on May 16, 1915, and had taken the Mexican Heavyweight title earlier. Johnson was said to have exhibited exceptional boxing prowess and form in his win over Brennan. Brennan was so overwhelmed with the attack of Johnson, he was unable to wage an effective offensive against his opponent.

Brennan fought Luis Ángel Firpo only once, on March 12, 1923, at Madison Square Garden, losing badly in an important twelfth-round knockout. He was felled by a right behind the ear, and was treated for a concussion that evening, but considered out of danger. The telling blow to his head was preceded by a flurry of crushing right and left uppercuts from Firpo. Brennan was not released from the hospital till around March 21, and it was intimated at the time that he or his handlers were considering his permanent retirement from the ring. Oddly considering the brutal outcome of the fight, Firpo and Brennan met two weeks later on March 26, and made a short film of their boxing encounter for an Argentine movie company, where the film was widely shown.

His last well publicized bout was with Billy Miske on November 7, 1923. Brennan was reportedly out of shape and looking somewhat heavy. He was staggered by a left to the mouth from Miske in the third round and subsequently knocked down. In the fourth, a hard right to the jaw put Brennan down for the count.

Survived by a wife and child, he was only 30 years old at the time of his death. On June 18, after 5,000 attended his Memorial service at New York's St. Rose de Lima Catholic Church, his funeral was held.