[5] To this end Sullivan enrolled at Boston College circa 1875 but after only a few months he turned to playing baseball professionally, earning the substantial sum of $30 to $40 a week for his efforts.

There is some controversy among boxing historians over whether Sullivan had sparred with black boxer James Young at Schieffelin Hall in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1882.

Depending on the modern authority, Sullivan was first considered world heavyweight champion either in 1885 when he defeated Dominick McCaffrey in Ohio, in 1888 when he fought Charley Mitchell in France, or in 1889 when he knocked out Jake Kilrain in round 75 of a scheduled 80-round bout.

Arguably, the real first World Heavyweight champion was Jem Mace, who defeated Tom Allen in 1870 at Kenner, Louisiana, but strong anti-British sentiment within the mostly Irish American boxing community of the time chose to disregard him.

He was confined to jail for a few days and later fined by the local magistrate,[citation needed] because bare-knuckled boxing was illegal in France at the time.

Swathed in bandages, Sullivan was helped to evade the law and taken across the English Channel to spend the next few weeks convalescing in Liverpool.

Newspapers carried extensive pre-fight coverage which included reporting on the fighters' training and speculating on where the bout would take place.

[citation needed] On July 4, 1889, one Kentucky newspaper stated: "The Sullivan-Kilrain prize fight which is to take place in Louisiana on next Monday is now the most talked-about event in sporting circles.

[10] On July 8, 1889, an estimated 3,000 spectators boarded special trains for the secret location, which turned out to be Richburg, a town just south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

[14] In 1895 Sullivan and Paddy Ryan joined the touring company of the musical The Wicklow Postman, and presented exhibition boxing matches prior to performances of the play.

Sullivan retired to Abington, Massachusetts, but appeared in several exhibitions over the next 12 years, including a three-rounder against Tom Sharkey and a final two-rounder against Jim McCormick in 1905 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He continued his various careers outside boxing such as being a stage actor, speaker, celebrity baseball umpire, sports reporter, and bar owner.

[16] The effects of prize fighting along with his being overweight and unhealthy after a long life of overindulging in food and alcohol took its toll on the boxer.

The priest of Sullivan's church had brought Kelly, an orphan, to the front of the parish and encouraged anyone with the means to care for the boy to do so.

The barn where Sullivan trained still stands in the small town of Belfast, New York, and is now the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame.

[19] Sullivan and Corbett's landmark 1892 fight is depicted in the 1942 Warner Brothers biopic Gentleman Jim, a fictionalized account of their relationship.

Ward Bond portrayed Sullivan alternately as a fiery peacock of a heavyweight champion and, after his title loss, as a sweet, sentimental good sport.

Sixteen years later, actor Roy Jenson played Sullivan in the 1958 episode, "The Gambler and the Lady", of the syndicated television anthology series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews.

In the story line, Sullivan in his tour of local communities across the country fights an exposition match against Buck Jarrico (Hal Baylor).

When the prize money designated to refurbish the school goes missing, both the teacher, Ruth Stewart (Kathleen Case), and the gambler, Brad Forrester (Mark Dana), are falsely accused based on appearances.