"LOCKPORT"JIMMY DUFFY
LIGHTWEIGHT-WELTERWEIGHT
1908-1921

Born June 12, 1889, in Lockport, New York. Duffy fought as a Lightweight and Welterweight from the years 1908 thru 1921 and compiled a documented record of 172 total bouts losing only 22 as compiled by Paul Zabala (International Boxing Research Organization) but he is estimated to have well over 200 bouts. Many of which were early "smokers" or unrecord ed bouts due to poor record keeping in that time.

Although he twice defeated lightweight champ Freddie Welsh and once won over welterweight champ Jack Britton, they were no-decision bouts. Jimmy could never get anything but non-title fights until he fought the great Benny Leonard in 1919,

This being well past Jimmy's prime and was KO'd in two rounds.

When Jimmy fought the great Packy McFarland in Buffalo, October 25, 1912, (a bout in which Jimmy was not expect- ed to last more than three rounds) he forced the issue so that he completely baffled McFarland, opened a cut over his eye and gave him a swollen cheek. So furious was Duffy's attack that McFarland never could get set for his potent kayo punch. The battle went the ten round distance and was ruled ND-W for McFarland even though Duffy came out without a scratch. Jimmy rated Packy McFarland over Benny Leonard, "Kayo" Brennan, Leach Cross, Jack Britton, Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, Johnny Dundee, and "Knock-out" Brown as the best man he ever fought.

One of Duffy's most staggering upsets was registered over Knock-out Brown, a protege of Dumb Dan Morgan. Brown earned his nickname by scoring 17 straight knockouts in his first 17 fights. He was at the height of his career when he met Duffy on July 3, 1912, in Buffalo. Duffy gave him one of the worst setbacks of his career, cutting him up so badly that he had to be kept in Buffalo for a week before returning to New York.

Two years later, November 19, 1914, at the Broadway Auditorium in Buffalo N.Y. before a record breaking crowd, (gate totals brought in between $15,000 and $18,000), Jimmy Duffy proved conclusively that he was a real contender for the lightweight championship after a 10 round ND-W over the lightweight champion, Freddy Welsh. In one of Duffy's toughest fights he nearly stopped the British champion in the early part of the sixth round staggering Welsh with a solid left to the jaw. This was the second fight and second win over Welsh this year, with an earlier 8 round ND-W on February 26, in St. Louis, MO

Duffy's main weapons were his clever style of boxing, a lightning like deadly left hand, and a right cross, forever moving in, crowding his foe and forcing the fight. He fought his entire career with a partially crippled right arm. Jimmy broke his right elbow when he was six years old and it was never set. When Jimmy went into the Army in World War 1, the doctors revealed his secret during his physical. After that, opponents could avoid that right cross and Jimmy wasn't the same fighter that he had been.

Following his ring retirement in 1921 after being KO'd by Rocky Kansas in the first round Jimmy became a Sheriffs deputy, a position he held for 27 years on consecutive 3-year appointments. The "Duke of Lockport" Jimmy Duffy, as he was known, put boxing on the map in the western New York and will always be a champion to the people of Lockport, New York.

Tonight, we are very proud to honor "Lockport" Jimmy Duffy for his achievements and contributions to the sport of box. ing by inducting him into Ring # 44's Boxing Hall of Fame.