The Boxing Record of Jim Coffey
The Roscommon Giant
a.k.a. The Dublin Giant
Supplied courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organisation
BORN : Jan 27, 1890, Co. Roscommon, Ireland
DIED : Dec 20, 1959, Dublin, Ireland
HEIGHT : 6′3″
WEIGHT : 210 lbs
MANAGER : Billy Gibson
WINS : 32
NO-DECISION : 20
LOSSES : 5
EXHIBITION : 4
Click Here for an explanation of boxing verdicts and "No Decision"s
The following tables detail Jim Coffey's boxing record from 1912 to 1921
1912
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Jan 26 | Nick Muller | New Polo AC, New York | W 6 |
Mar 1 | Al Benedict | New Polo AC, New York | KO 8 |
Mar 15 | Alfred “Soldier” Kearns | New Polo AC, New York | LK 1 |
Apr 29 | Larry Williams | Olympic AC, New York | KO 2 |
May 13 | “Soldier” Delaney | Olypmic AC, New York | ND 10 |
Aug 21 | Jack Rowan | St. Nicholas Rink, New York | KO 4 |
Aug 24 | Tim Logan | KO 6 | |
Fred McKay | KO 5 | ||
Sep 10 | “Soldier” Delaney | Some sources report Sep 23 | KO 3 |
Oct 26 | Dan Daily | National AC, Philadelphia | ND 6 |
Nov 23 | Ray Simmons | ND 10 | |
Billy Ryan | KO 1 |
1913
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Jan 1 | Ray Simmons | New York | KO 2 |
Jan 9 | Arthur Pelkey | Philadelphia | ND 6 |
Jan 25 | Dan Daily | National AC, Philadelphia | ND 6 |
Feb 12 | Ned Carpenter | Fairmont AC, Bronx | KO 1 |
Feb 26 | Jack McFarland | Fairmont AC, Bronx | KO 5 |
Mar 26 | George “Boer” Rodel | Fairmont AC, Bronx | TK 9 |
Apr 29 | Whitey Allen | Fairmont AC, Bronx | KO 1 |
May 23 | “Fireman” Jim Flynn | Madison Square Garden | ND 10 |
Dec 22 | "Battling" Levinsky | Madison Square Garden | ND 10 |
1914
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Jan 2 | "Battling" Levinsky | National AC, Philapelphia | ND 6 |
Jan 17 | Jack Lester | Fairmont AC, Bronx | KO 5 |
Feb 19 | Tony Ross | Empire AC, New York | KO 6 |
Mar 9 | "Battling" Levinsky | Madison Square Garden | ND 10 |
Mar 28 | Jack Connors | Fairmont AC, Bronx | KO 1 |
Apr 18 | Tom Kennedy | New York | ND 10 |
Apr 24 | “Fireman” Jim Flynn | Stadium AC, New York | KO 4 |
May 11 | Alfred “Soldier” Kearns | Philadelphia | KO 1 |
May 25 | Dan Daily | Olympia AC, Philadelphia | ND 6 |
Oct 7 | Terry Kellar | Stadium AC, New York | TK 9 |
Oct 26 | Charles Weinart | Olympia AC, Philadelphia | ND 6 |
Dec 15 | Ed “Gunboat” Smith | Madison Square Garden | ND 10 |
1915
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Feb 18 | Jack “Twin” Sullivan | Fairmont AC, Bronx | KO 5 |
Feb 26 | Bill Ryan | New York | KO 2 |
Mar 4 | Arthur Pelkey | Fairmont AC, New York | KO 3 |
Mar 27 | “Soldier” Delaney | Queensboro AC, Long Island | KO 2 |
Mar 30 | George “One-Round” Davis | Fairmont AC, New York | ND 10 |
Apr 7 | Carl Morris | St. Nicholas Arena, New York | ND 10 |
May 5 | Al Reich | Madison Square Garden | KO 3 |
May 31 | “Fireman” Jim Flynn | Brighton Beach AC, Brooklyn | KO 9 |
Sep 15 | Jack Reed | Montreal, Quebec | KO 3 |
Sep 20 | Jack Driscoll | New Bedford, Massachusetts | KO 4 |
Oct 19 | Frank Moran | Madison Square Garden | LK 3 |
Nov 29 | Ed “Gunboat” Smith | Madison Square Garden | KO 4 |
1916
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Jan 7 | Frank Moran | Madison Square Garden | LK 9 |
Jan 28 | Lou Bodie | Arena, Syracuse, NY | KO 5 |
Apr 13 | “Denver” Jack Geyer | New York | KO 5 |
Sep 23 | Ed “Gunboat” Smith | National AC, Philadelphia | ND 6 |
1917
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Feb 8 | Bob Devere | Brooklyn | ND 10 |
Mar 7 | Sam Nolan | New York | KO 3 |
Mar 15 | Joe Cox | Clermont Rink, Brooklyn | KO 3 |
Mar 27 | Terry Kellar | Brooklyn | TK 3 |
Apr 23 | Carl Morris | Manhattan AC | ND 10 |
Sep 3 | Bartley Madden | Fairmont AC, New York | ND 10 |
Sep 11 | “Battling” Levinsky | Armory AA, Boston | ND 12 |
Sep 13 | Joe Bonds | Harlem, New York | KO 3 |
Nov 9 | Bill Brennan | Harlem, New York | ND 10 |
Nov 23 | Bartley Madden | Marieville Gardens, Rhode Island | LK 7 |
1918
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|
May 4 | Harry Greb | New York | EX 3 |
May 24 | “Battling” Levinsky | Madison Square Garden | ND 6 |
Jun 6 | “Battling” Levinsky | Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo | ND 6 |
Aug 10 | Joe Jeanette | New York | EX 3 |
Aug 15 | Joe Bonds | Brooklyn, New York | EX 4 |
Oct 17 | Joe Jeanette | Brooklyn, New York | EX 3 |
Nov 22 | Joe Jeanette | New Haven, Connecticut | ND 4 |
1919
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Feb 12 | “Battling” Levinsky | Armory AA, Boston | L 12 |
Mar 3 | Larry Williams | Armory, Jersey City | W 8 |
Apr 7 | Jack Clifford | Nesbitt Theater, Wilkes-Barre, Penn. | W 10 |
Billy Warren | Castlerea, Ireland | KO 1 |
1921
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Jun 28 | Pat Bolger | Commonwealth SC, New York | W 10 |
Oct 18 | Erminio Spalla | Palace of Joy, Coney Island, New York | W 12 |
Nov 18 | Martin Burke | Tulane Arena, New Orleans | L 15 |
Key to Fight Result Abbreviations
- W : Won
- L : Lost
- KO : Won by knockout
- LK : Lost by knockout
- TK : Won by technical knockout
- LT : Lost by technical knockout
- EX : Exhibition bout
- ND : No-Decision
No Decision Verdicts
Meaning of the "ND" verdict as explained by B. R. Bearden in "The Origins of Boxing Terms and Traditions" :
"The No‐Decision Era ran from approximately 1911 until 1920, though it carried over longer in some cases until referees and judges broke out of the habit. It started with the Frawley Law, passed in 1911. The Law was made in an attempt to stop fixed fights, with the idea that a fix was less likely if the only way to win was by knock out. Of course, fight fans want a clear winner, so the newspapers took over, rendering their own decisions, called “newspaper decisions”. But, from a cross-reference of several papers of the time, it is usually very easy to determine who won a particular fight. Suffice to say, if a Hall of Fame fighter has 40 ND listed, it’s a safe bet that he won 35 or more of them. The Law was changed by the Walker Law in 1920, ending the No‐Decision Era. At times a fighter might have deserved to win and been handed the consolation prize of ND, but to their credit, the “newspaper decisions” almost always told the real story. It is from them that we know just how good Harry Wills (25 ND), Philadelphia Jack O’Brien (57 ND), Benny Leonard (121 ND), Sam Langford (48 ND) and scores of other fighters of that time really were."
In contrast, European title fights which went the distance at that time were still awarded by a majority points decision of three international judges.