On the outbreak of World War I he joined the British Army to work as a Physical Training Instructor (PTI) and Recruiting Sergeant for the 1st Surrey Rifles.

[2] He won the Lonsdale Belt outright when he defeated Bandsman Blake at the National Sporting Club (N.S.C) on 28 January 1918, becoming British Middleweight Champion.

[5] In 1903, at the age of twenty, he beat Jack Kingsland in a match fought at the Olympia centre in London to win the title of Welterweight Champion of England.

After losing the British Middleweight Championship title, O'Keeffe travelled the world and fought all over the United States and Australia.

His next fight was against Willie Lewis originally scheduled for 19 December 1907, but the police placed an injunction on the venue in New York .

He placed a message in the Sporting Life, declaring "he is here for business", in a wide-ranging article that revealed he contracted malaria in the US.

The article claimed that anyone who wanted to challenge the statement need only send money to the Sporting Life, with correspondence addressed to O'Keeffe and it would receive his immediate attention.

[20] He also managed to successfully defend it eleven times against all claimants until he met with Jack Johnson on Boxing Day in 1908.

He was knocked out in two rounds by the man who, at the time, appeared capable of beating all of Europe's boxers in quick succession.

[29] O'Keeffe gave a simple no-nonsense reason for his defeat to the Sheffield Daily Telegraph: "He was too big and strong for me.

[38] Blake had a fine record at this stage having lost to only one man to date in his five-year professional career, Bombardier Billy Wells.

The paper reported that blame for this messy fight lay squarely with Blake, citing his constant clinching and holding, which was employed to avoid the infighting quality of O'Keeffe.

Blake won the fight on points, a verdict "received by a crowded house with something almost akin to amazement", the Sheffield Independent states.

On 28 January 1918, O'Keeffe fought his last professional fight, defeating Blake to win the Lonsdale Belt outright along with an N.S.C Pension.

Arthur Frederick Bettinson, one of the founding members of the Club remarked on O'Keeffe's exploits, remembering his name on the belt in both 1914 and 1918 and congratulated him as a sportsman and a man.

He was recently crossing London Bridge in company with his Sergeant-Major when from the other direction came a husky, healthy youth pushing milk cart.

** The Bulletin does not complete the story, but prefer to believe that Pat gained another recruit that day, for the soft answer is no good against an Irishman ...He found Army life at the Regiment's home at Camberwell suited his boxing training well.

With good, plain food, strict routine and drill, plenty of sparring partners, and ample space to train, he thrived in a friendly atmosphere where he was very popular with the men.

He took a seat on the inaugural British Boxing Board of Control with fellow ex- champion boxers Billy Wells and Jim Driscoll.

There were hosts of fighters presented including many of the old timers, Jimmy Wilde, Billy Wells, Teddy Baldock, Pedlar Palmer, Tancy Lee, Johnny Basham and O'Keeffe.