On 20 March 1879, he fought Abe Hicken bare-knuckle by London Prize Ring Rules, four miles from Warparilla, near Echuca, on the New South Wales side of the River Murray.

[8][3][9][5][10][11] Foley followed his victory over Hicken with a three round win by knockout over Harry Sellars on 1 July 1879 at Redfern in Sydney, though the dates of the bout vary somewhat.

[12] After his victory over Hicken, Foley opened a boxing academy at his White Horse Hotel on George Street, though he likely held matches there earlier.

[2] Former English champion Jem Mace, who trained Foley for his championship bout with Hicken, helped open the school and continued as an instructor.

At his gym at the White Horse, Foley taught, trained and guided the careers of the great boxers Young Griffo, Bob Fitzsimmons, Paddy Slavin, and Peter Jackson as well as the lesser known Dan Creedon and George Dawson.

He was known worldwide for the quality of his boxing training, and acted as a promoter as well at times, helping to mold the career of his most gifted student Bob Fitzsimmons, who would become a champion in three weight classes.

He helped introduce Queensberry Rules at his boxing academy and in the fights held there at his Ironpot Stadium in the back of the White Horse hotel, and he incorporated the scientific, straight-punching methods he learned during his own brilliant career into the techniques he taught his students.

[8] At the advanced age of 39, Foley came out of boxing retirement to fight a gloved battle using the modern Marquess of Queensberry Rules against "Professor" William Miller in Sydney, New South Wales on 28 May 1883 for the championship of Australia.

Around the 40th round, spectators climbed into the ring, and the police were forced to stop the fight, with the referee postponing the ruling or calling a temporary draw til the following day.

[13][1] In 1884, Foley fought exhibitions to large crowds in Melbourne and Sydney with several of his top rated former opponents including both Miller and Hicken and strongly preferred to use gloves.

Since his early days as a building laborer, he was an associate and friend of Edward O'Sullivan, the Sydney Minister of Public Works, as well as a journalist, politician, and labour party member, who held a seat in Parliament for eighteen years.

[20] In addition to his job as demolition contractor, his political contacts put him in consideration for a position as serjeant-at-arms in the Australian parliament, and he later contemplated running for the parliamentary seat for the city of Yass in 1903.