Billy Miske

Billy Miske
Born	William Arthur Miske (1894-04-12)April 12, 1894 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	January 1, 1924(1924-01-01) (aged 29)
Nationality	American
Other names	The St. Paul Thunderbolt
Statistics
Weight(s)	Light Heavyweight Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m)
Reach	76 in (193 cm)
Boxing record
Total fights	105
Wins	74
Wins by KO	34
Losses	13
Draws	16

Billy Miske, alias The Saint Paul Thunderbolt (April 12, 1894 – January 1, 1924), was a professional boxer from Saint Paul, Minnesota.^[1] During his tenure as a pugilist he had multiple-bout series with a plethora of all-time greats including Harry Greb, Jack Dempsey, Jack Dillon, Tommy Gibbons, Bill Brennan and Battling Levinsky, among others. Despite a career shortened by illness and an early death, statistical website BoxRec still lists Miske as the No. 26 ranked heavyweight of all time.^[2]

An American of German descent, Miske stood at 6'0" and over the course of his career weighed between 158 and 190 lbs. He was managed by John Pearl "J.P" Smith (1913–18) and Jack Reddy (1918–23).

Miske was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He began his career as a middleweight. During his career, he competed successfully as a light-heavyweight and heavyweight, defeating many well-known fighters. On September 6, 1920, Miske lost to Jack Dempsey in the third round of a fight to decide the World Heavyweight Boxing title. It was the first heavyweight title match to be broadcast on radio, and it was the only time Billy Miske was ever knocked out.

Miske fought his last bout against Bill Brennan, whom he met on November 7, 1923. At this point in his life, Miske knew he did not have much time left before his kidneys gave out (doctors had told him he had only months to live because of his Bright's Disease). Due to his family's economic situation, however, Miske decided he had to step into the ring one more time.^[3][4] His health prevented him from training for the fight. Amazingly, though, Miske knocked Brennan out in the fourth round.^[5] Miske died in St. Paul, Minnesota of kidney failure less than 2 months later on January 1, 1924. ^[6][7]

Miske's enduring legacy is that of an underappreciated fighter. It is argued that Miske deserved, but never received, title matches against Jack Dillon, Battling Levinsky and Georges Carpentier. His three recorded losses are against Hall of Famers Jack Dempsey, Kid Norfolk and Tommy Gibbons, while his list of defeated opponents boasts some of the most storied names in boxing history. Miske's final professional record was 72-15-14 with 33 wins by knockout.^[8] On December 8, 2009, it was announced that Miske would be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010. On September 28, 2012 Miske was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame.

Result	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes[9]
Loss	Tommy Gibbons	UD	10	1922-12-15	Saint Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Win	Tommy Gibbons	DQ	10 (15)	1922-10-13	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss	Jack Dempsey	KO	3 (10)	1920-09-06	Floyd Fitzsimmons Arena, Benton Harbor, Michigan	For World Heavyweight Title.
Loss	Battling Levinsky	NWS	12	1919-07-03	Rossford Arena, Rossford, Ohio	Newspaper Decision
Draw	Tommy Gibbons	NWS	10	1919-06-19	Nicollet Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota	Newspaper Decision
Loss	Kid Norfolk	NWS	10	1919-06-09	Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Newspaper Decision
Loss	Harry Greb	NWS	10	1919-03-31	Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Newspaper Decision
Loss	Jack Dempsey	NWS	6	1918-11-28	Olympia A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Newspaper Decision
Loss	Harry Greb	NWS	10	1918-09-21	Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Newspaper Decision
Win	Gunboat Smith	NWS	8	1918-07-12	International League Ballpark, Jersey City, New Jersey	Newspaper Decision
Draw	Jack Dempsey	NWS	10	1918-05-03	Saint Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota	Newspaper Decision
Win	Gunboat Smith	PTS	10	1918-04-12	Atlanta Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia
Win	Jack Dillon	NWS	10	1917-11-13	Broadway Auditorium, Brooklyn, New York	Newspaper Decision
Loss	Kid Norfolk	PTS	12	1917-10-16	Arena (Armory A.A.), Boston, Massachusetts
Loss	Battling Levinsky	NWS	10	1917-02-27	Saint Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota	Newspaper Decision
Win	Jack Dillon	NWS	10	1917-01-16	Broadway Auditorium, Brooklyn, New York	Newspaper Decision
Win	Jack Dillon	NWS	10	1916-12-19	Broadway Auditorium, Brooklyn, New York	Newspaper Decision
Win	Battling Levinsky	NWS	10	1916-10-30	Clermont Avenue Rink, Brooklyn, New York	Newspaper Decision
Win	Battling Levinsky	NWS	10	1916-10-12	Clermont Avenue Rink, Brooklyn, New York	Newspaper Decision
Loss	Jack Dillon	NWS	10	1916-04-14	Saint Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota	Newspaper Decision
Win	Jack Dillon	NWS	10	1916-01-28	Opera House, Superior, Wisconsin	Newspaper Decision
Loss	Tommy Gibbons	NWS	10	1915-07-12	Saint Paul Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota	Newspaper Decision
Win	Mike O'Dowd	NWS	10	1915-04-06	Hudson Arena, Superior, Wisconsin	Newspaper Decision
Draw	Harry Greb	NWS	6	1915-01-12	Fairmont A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Newspaper Decision
Loss	Tommy Gibbons	NWS	10	1914-03-24	Hudson Arena, Superior, Wisconsin	Newspaper Decision
NC	Mike O'Dowd	ND	10	1913-07-06	Saint Paul, Minnesota

• Rick Reilly Sports Illustrated Article
• International Boxing Hall of Fame's article about Billy Miske
• 1955 Newspaper Article
• His Daughters page
• Article at CyberBoxingZone Journal
• Boxing record for Billy Miske from BoxRec (registration required)
• 1924 Newspaper Article
• 1952 Newspaper Article
• Amazing Sports Stories - "Billy Miske: Dead Man Fighting"
• Biography: 'Billy Miske: The St. Paul Thunderbolt' by Clay Moyle
• Novel: 'The Final Round' by Gary W. Allison