In 1889 he had fought Jake Kilrain, a man with a great reputation, of about the same age, weight, and height. This had been a bare-knuckle affair and had lasted for seventy-five rounds, which occupied two hours and a quarter. On that occasion Sullivan was in magnificent fettle, and very often disdained to rest between the rounds, standing against the ropes in his corner and chatting with his seconds. This fight also took place at or near New Orleans, and as the month was July, it was insufferably hot. Indeed it is a wonder that both men were not touched by the sun. The actual place for the encounter was kept secret, as the police were out to stop it. Indeed they chased the combatants all over the country afterwards. Now Kilrain prided himself on his wrestling and ended the first round by throwing Sullivan with great force to the boards. But to his great astonishment thereafter Sullivan turned the tables on him at that game, and threw him, at various periods of the fight, no less than eleven times. But it was as a smashing hitter that Sullivan had made his name, and it was by terrific hits that he wore Kilrain down. In the third round Sullivan’s seconds claimed a foul because they believed his man had hit him below the belt, but this was not allowed by the referee. A few rounds later Kilrain drew first blood by a splitting blow upon the ear, which resulted in making Sullivan coldly furious, and in the next round, the seventh, he knocked Kilrain down with a blow on the jaw which would certainly have ended a glove-fight. After that Kilrain fell at every possible opportunity, sometimes from a light hit, sometimes without being hit at all. He fought very foully, stamping on Sullivan’s foot with his spiked shoes. Indeed, the insteps of both of them were severely scored by spikes at the end. It was not an exhilarating encounter. During a great deal of it there was next to no fighting at all. Kilrain kept away and dropped to avoid punishment. His blows, such as they were, became feeble. He was badly beaten. In the forty-fourth round Sullivan was sick, and Kilrain immediately asked him if he would give in. “I don’t want to hit you in that condition,” he added. To which audacious observation Sullivan replied: “You’re crazy. I’ve got you licked.” The “temporary indisposition” did Sullivan a lot of good as a matter of fact, and he fought all the better afterwards. In the seventieth round Kilrain seized Sullivan by the legs and tried to throw him. It was a palpable foul, but then the whole battle was foul so far as he was concerned; and the referee was grossly to blame for allowing such a display to proceed. In the end Charley Mitchell, Kilrain’s chief second, went over to Sullivan’s corner and asked him if he’d give Kilrain a present if he gave in. “Of course I will,” said Sullivan: and he was declared the winner. He was very little marked, but Kilrain was both disfigured and exhausted.