Holding the world featherweight boxing championship for more than 11 years, Johnny Kilbane’s name became synonymous with the title. His accepted record of 51–4–7, with 78 no decisions and two no contests (25 victories by way of knockout), put him in elite company with other members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
In October 1917—while still World Featherweight Champion—Johnny Kilbane became a lieutenant in the U.S. Army to serve in World War I. Following his career as fighter, he turned to adjudication and transformed himself into a talented and prolific boxing referee. He did so while juggling other responsibilities such as operating a gym, serving in the Ohio Senate, or acting as Clerk of the Cleveland Municipal Court. As dedicated to public service as he was to pugilism, he gained the respect of his peers and his constituents and was admired for his commitment to family. This is his biography.

Mark Allen Baker, business executive and author of hundreds of articles and more than 25 books, is the only person to serve the International Boxing Hall of Fame as an author, historian, chairperson, sponsor, volunteer and biographer. He was accorded a Lifetime Award of Merit by the State University of New York in 2022, and inducted into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame in 2023.

Mark Allen Baker
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 250
Bibliographic Info: 53 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9398-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5283-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
Introduction: A Champion in Perpetuity 3
One. Birth of a Champion 7
Two. 1910 24
Three. 1911: Some of These Days 35
Four. 1912: The Featherweight Champion of the World 49
Five. 1913: A Second Title Defense 67
Six. 1914: Better by the Dozen 79
Seven. 1915: Staying East 91
Eight. 1916: Another Title Defense 102
Nine. 1917: World War I 113
Ten. 1918 and 1919: Boxing and Bayonets 128
Eleven. 1920: The Roaring Twenties 144
Twelve. 1921: Nothing Left to Prove 155
Thirteen.  1922: Let Me Think About It 166
Fourteen. 1923: One Last Crack 178
Fifteen. 1924 to 1939: A Transition 189
Sixteen. 1940 to 1957: All This and World War II 198
Appendix A: Boxing Record 205
Appendix B: Referee and Judging Record 216
Appendix C: Official Records of Associated Members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame 221
Chapter Notes 223
Bibliography 235
Index 237