Yet Another Illegal Prize Fight in Pelham in 1887

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During the 19th century and early 20th century, Pelham was an important center for illegal prize fights.  The tiny little town was adjacent to New York City and, at the time, lacked a large, modern police force.  Additionally, the population of the town was small and vast portions of the town were unimproved, unpopulated, and desolate.  Yet, transportation to and from New York City was easy via two rail lines:  the main New Haven Line to Pelhamville and the New Haven Branch Line to Bartow Station and Pelham Manor.  Additionally, steamships and all sorts of marine traffic served the area via the East River and Long Island Sound.  Thus, Pelham was the perfect place for crowds to gather and bet on quietly-arranged illegal prize fights -- and then to disperse quickly before police authorities arrived.

I have written about illegal prize fighting in Pelham on numerous occasions.  For examples, see:  

Wed., Jan. 20, 2016:  Another Exciting Account of 1884 Pelham Prize Fight Between Jim Murray of New York and Tom Henry of England.

Wed., Nov. 04, 2015:  The Famous Nineteenth Century Prize Fighter Yankee Sullivan Fought in Pelham in 1842.

Thu., Jul. 10, 2014:  Illegal Prize Fight in Pelham in 1902.  

Wed., Feb. 12, 2014:  Pelham Was the Scene of Illegal Prize Fights During the Early Days of the "Sweet Science" of Boxing. 

Wed., Mar. 23, 2005:  Prize Fighting At Pelham Bridge in 1884. 

Tue., Oct. 04, 2005:  Front Page of the May 12, 1902 Issue of The Pelham Republican (describing the fight between Joe Gleacher and Joe Kerwin held in the spring of 1902; Gleacher was found in Mt. Vernon after the fight and was arrested, although Kerwin apparently escaped to Philadelphia before his arrest).

On May 3, 1887, yet another illegal prize fight was held in the Town of Pelham.  The fight was particularly fierce and brutal.  Newspapers throughout the United States reported the results of the hotly-contested battle.  It was a lightweight bout fought between experienced fighter Mike Breslin, a 19-year-old fighter who weighed 126 pounds and stood five feet six and one-half inches and 29-year-old newcomer "Hughey" Regan, fighting in his first prize fight, who weighed 132 pounds and stood five feet seven inches.

The precise location of the fight is unclear.  News accounts noted that it was fought in the dining room of an unidentified hotel "near Pelham Heights" in "West Chester County," New York.  The tiny little village of Pelham (known informally as "Pelham Heights") had not yet been incorporated and, indeed, was not yet even in development.  At about the time of the prize fight, however, Benjamin Fairchild was considering development of the area into a village site.  See Mon., Oct. 05, 2015:  A Brief History of the Founding of Pelham Heights, Once the Village of Pelham.  It is possible, therefore, that the area was referenced informally as "Pelham Heights" even as early as 1887.

Moreover, there was a hotel at Pelham Heights at one time.  It is likely that it existed in 1887, but that is not yet established with certainty.  It is certain that the hotel existed in 1893 when it was shown on a map published by Julius Bien & Co. as the "J.P. MARQUAND HOTEL" in Pelham Heights (see map detail below).  The question that cannot be answered with certainty now, however, is whether the hotel existed six years prior to that date and was the site of the Breslin-Regan prize fight on May 3, 1887.  We can only speculate for now.

Detail from 1893 Julius Bien & Co. Map Showing Area of

"PELHAM HEIGHTS" with "J. P. MARQUAND HOTEL"

Reflected in Lower Left of the Map Detail.  Source:  Bien,

Julius R., "Towns of Westchester and Pelham [with] Villages

of Westchester and Unionport [with] Village of Pelhamville" in

Atlas of Westchester County, New York, Prepared Under the

Direction of Joseph R. Bien, E.M., Civil and Topographical

Engineer from Original Surveys and Official Records, p. 3

(NY, NY:  Julius Bien & Co., 1893).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge. 

In any event, at daybreak on May 3, 1887, the two fighters, their handlers and, presumably, ever-present spectators gathered in the dining room of a local hotel near Pelham Heights for the illegal prize fight.  The fighters wore thin, un-padded kid gloves with the fingers cut off.  Each offered a $300 prize to the winner.  The fight was held under the Queensbury rules.

Poor newcomer Hughey Regan was outmatched from the start.  Breslin, according to one account, "did most of the fighting" and chased Regan all over the dining room.  In the first round, Breslin landed many "heavy blows" and knocked Regan down three times.  In the second round, Breslin knocked his opponent down twice and, once again, "drove him all over the room."  The fight ended in the third round.  According to one detailed account:

"The third round was almost a repetition of the first two.  Breslin drove his opponent all around the ring, getting in some heavy blows and finally landing a stinger on Regan's jaw, which sent him down in  heap senseless and bleeding.  He was unable to recover in the ten seconds allowed before calling time, and the fight was awarded to Breslin.  The latter received little or no punishment."

A Bare-Knuckled Prize Fight, Circa 1880's, Like Many

Prize Fights Held in Pelham. The Regan-Breslin Fight

on May 3, 1887, However, was Held with "Kid Gloves

with the Fingers Cut Off" Under the Queensbury Rules.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

Below is the text of a series of newspaper articles, among many, many such articles, that appeared in newspapers throughout the United States after the Regan - Breslin prize fight in Pelham on May 3, 1887.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"KNOCKED OUT IN THREE ROUNDS.
-----
'Hughey' Regan's Unsuccessful Debut in the Pugilistic Arena.
-----

'Hughey' Regan and Mike Breslin, both of New York, fought a prize fight at daybreak this morning for a purse of $300.  Queensbury rules governed.  The men wore kid gloves with the fingers cut off.  The fight took place in the dining room of a hotel near Pelham Heights, Westchester County.  Regan is 29 years old and weighed 132 pounds.  He stands 5 feet 7 inches in height.  It was his first fight and he was clearly overmatched.  Breslin, who is but 19 years old, has figured in several encounters.  He was decidedly the better man and did most of the fighting.  He weighed 126 pounds, and stood 5 feet 6 1/2 inches in height.

In the first round Breslin rushed in and knocked Regan down three times in success with heavy blows.  Breslin in the second round again floored Regan twice and drove him all over the room.  Breslin gained first blood in the first round.  The third round was almost a repetition of the first two.  Breslin drove his opponent all around the ring, getting in some heavy blows and finally landing a stinger on Regan's jaw, which sent him down in  heap senseless and bleeding.  He was unable to recover in the ten seconds allowed before calling time, and the fight was awarded to Breslin.  The latter received little or no punishment."

Source:  KNOCKED OUT IN THREE ROUNDS -- "Hughey" Regan's Unsuccessful Debut in the Pugilistic Arena, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 3, 1887, p. 6, col. 5 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link.).  See also KNOCKED OUT IN THREE ROUNDS -- Hughey Regan and Mike Breslin Engage in aan Early Morning Fight, The Stark County Democrat [Canton, OH], May 5, 1887, Vol. 53, No. 50, p. 1, col. 2 (essentially the same text); A One-Sided Prize Fight of Short Duration, The Decatur Herald [Decatur, IL], May 4, 1887, Vol. VII, No. 182, p. 1, col. 2 (essentially the same text; NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link.).  

"Knocked Out in Four Rounds.

NEW YORK, May 3. -- A fierce prize-fight took place early this morning in a hotel at Pelham Heights.  The contestants were Hughy Reagan of this city, who is 29 years old, weighs 132 pounds, and Mike Breslin, 19 years, 126 pounds.  The terms were to a finish, Queensberry [sic] rules, with skin-tight gloves, for $300.  Reagan was knocked senseless in the fourth round, and the purse was given to Breslin."

Source:  Knocked Out in Four Rounds, St. Louis Post-Dispatch [St. Louis, MO], May 3, 1887, p. 8, col. 4 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  See also A KNOCK OUT -- Light Weights Have a Mill Near New York, The Wichita Beacon [Wichita, KS], May 3, 1887, Vol. 8, No. 32, p. 1, col. 4 (essentially the same text; NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link); Prize Fight, Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser [Alexandria, VA], May 3, 1887, p. 2, col. 5 (essentially the same text; NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

"A Fierce Prize Fight.

NEW YORK, May 3. -- A fierce prize fight took place early this morning in a hotel at Pelham Heights, West Chester county, between Hughy Regan, aged 29, and Mike Breslin, aged 19, for three hundred dollars.  Regan was knocked senseless in the fourth round and the fight given to Breslin."

Source:  A Fierce Prize Fight, The Evening Leader [Wilkes-Barre, PA], May 3, 1887, No. 2355, p. 1, col. 1 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

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