Longest bare knuckle boxing matches fights

James Kelly and Jack Smith (6 hours 15 minutes) , near Melbourne, Australia, Oct. 19, 1856. Mike Madden and Bill Hays, 185 rounds (6 hours 3 minutes), at Edenbridge, England, July 17, 1849. Madden and Jack Grant, 140 rounds (5 hours 45 minutes), Woking, England, Dec. 12, 1848. Con Orem, blacksmith, and Hugh O’Neil, miner, fought 175 rounds (about 5 hours 30 minutes), Virginia City, Mont., for “lightweight championship” and $100 side bet. Referee called it a draw, after stopping fight, which for time and rounds is American record for bare knuckles.

J. Fitzpatrick and James O’Neil, Berwick, Me., Dec. 4, 1860 (4 hours 20 minutes).

(Note: In bare-knuckle fighting, the number of rounds was never consequential. The time length of the fight was the important thing because, under London Prize Ring Rules, a round ended when a man fell or was knocked or thrown to the ground. Some rounds lasted many minutes, others only a second or two.)