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James Curran Barry (March 7, 1870 – April 4, 1943) was an American boxer who held the world bantamweight championship from 1894 to 1899. Commonly referred to as "The Little Tiger", Barry retired undefeated with a record of 59–0–10, the most wins of any undefeated world boxing champion. He was inducted into The Ring magazine Hall of Fame in 2000. Career He was born on Goose Island, on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, on March 7, 1870, to Garrett and Mary Barry. He learned to box in rough schoolboy bouts, but trained for the profession in earnest by 13 when he began taking lessons at McGurn's Handball Courts in Chicago. He soon came under the tutelage of former featherweight title claimant Harry Gilmore who was impressed with his two handed power and knowledge of fundamentals. An exceptional trainer, Gilmore also had future bantamweight champion Harry Forbes as a disciple during this period. When Barry's father died in 1885, Gilmore started him on his amateur career at 15. In 1891 Barry knocked out Jack Larson, who had more experience and a weight advantage of ten pounds (4.5 kg). Not long after his win, Barry came under the management of Charles "Parson" Davies, who was hoping to mold his protege into the new bantamweight champion. Barry turned professional with Davies' assistance by 1890, and fought extensively in that year and the next, though many of his bouts were exhibitions. World bantam champion, 100-102 lb. In his most significant early bout, Barry knocked out the 20-year old London boxer Jack Levy in 17 rounds to win the 100-pound (45 kg) World Championship on December 5, 1893, in Roby, Indiana, though the win may not have yet been fully sanctioned by the United States. The recognized bantamweight limit at least at a later point in time, was 105 pounds (48 kg), making his win not an official bantamweight title in all record books, though it did meet the criteria for the 100-pound (45 kg) bantamweight limit used at the time. Showing his championship form, on February 6, 1894, the blond Chicagoan faced future Irish bantamweight champion Joe McGrath at Chicago's Empire Theatre, knocking him down in less than a minute into the first round. Starting with a straight left, and a short right hook to the jaw, he put McGrath down hard in the first round. After rising unsteadily, McGrath was knocked down twice more by Barry, before time was called for the first round, with McGrath barely being able to walk to his corner. The second was tame, but near the end of the third Barry again went at McGrath, forcing him to clinch before the round ended, and a technical knockout was called when the police intervened. Several boxing historians consider Barry's first ascent to the USA Bantamweight World championship for the 102-pound (46 kg) class to have come after his defeat of Jimmy Gorman on June 2, 1894, at the Olympic Club New Orleans, Louisiana. After five rounds, it was evident that Barry would win the contest and take the $1,000 prize on route to a convincing 11th-round knockout before a large crowd. The win was made more significant as it was sanctioned both as a United States and World championship. Bantamweight 105 lb title The following year, he cemented his claim to the world bantamweight crown (the weight limit at the time ranged from 100 to 112 pounds or 45 to 51 kg) when former bantamweight champion George Dixon moved up to the featherweight class. The bantamweight division in America at the time was sometimes referred to as "paperweight" and was not officially established. Barry's best-known fight became his 28th-round knockout of Sicilian boxer Casper Leon before a seasoned crowd of 250 on September 15, 1894, in Lemont, Illinois, for total stakes of $4,000. Leon would become Barry's greatest rival and his most frequent opponent. In the 20th round, Barry, though he had received punishment to his eyes in previous rounds, landed a strong blow to Leon's jaw, and the direction of the fight shifted. From the 21st through 28th rounds, Barry knocked Leon down repeatedly, until the 28th when a final blow to Leon's jaw caused the knockout. Barry, though he took home $800, was severely punished in the lengthy contest. According to one source, as the weigh-in was early, the men may have fought at several pounds above the weight limit. Barry faced Casper Leon a second time on March 30, 1895, for both the USA and World 105 lb championship, and retained the title with a 14-round draw. The Chicago Tribune wrote that Barry was leading the match, when in the 14th round, after connecting with a series of blows, he landed a left which put Leon on the mat, causing four police officers to end the fight before Leon could be counted out or knocked down again. Barry defeated Jimmy Anthony, a onetime holder of the Australian welterweight championship, on April 23, 1897, winning a 20-round bout in San Francisco. Barry clearly dominated the 12th through 17th rounds. In the 19th, Barry landed strong counters to the jaw of Anthony, who had received a series of punishing blows to his eyes in several rounds of the fight. Barry dominated the 20th, repeatedly striking Anthony's eyes and jaw, and when the round ended the referee gave the decision to Barry on points. Barry took home $1,500 of the $2,000 purse. The fighters fought at 115 pounds (52 kg), and though a few contemporary sources consider the fight for the bantamweight title, their weights exceeded the weight limit at the time. Barry countered Anthony's blows frequently with a straight left to the eye, and generally landed nearly twice as many blows when mixing in close quarters, dominating the infighting. Bantamweight 110 lb title On December 6, 1897, Barry scored a 20th-round knockout with a crushing right to the jaw against English champion Walter Croot in London, giving him claim to the vacant 110-pound (50 kg) World championship. Barry had taken a lead in the scoring through the 20th round, but Croot had nearly evened the contest by the 19th when Barry landed a series of blows, taking the fight to Croot, continuing until the 20th, when he scored the knockout with a left to the head and a right to the jaw. Several accounts maintain that Barry was told in the late rounds he would not win the title without a knockout. Croot never regained consciousness and died the following day from a brain injury. Charged with manslaughter, Barry was exonerated when it was determined that Croot had died from a fractured skull sustained when his head hit the unpadded floor, made of wood. The unfortunate incident led to reform in the creation of padded canvas ring surfaces. Barry was distraught over Croot's death. The Chicagoan temporarily considered retirement, but though he returned to boxing when he arrived in the United States, he did not fight with the same ferocity. Barry fought ten times after the Croot tragedy and failed to score a single knockout. On May 30, 1898, Barry fought a 20-round draw against Caspe.... Discover the Anthony Mastro popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Anthony Mastro books.