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When this fight was made, it was to unite an undisputed lightweight world champion. Jack McAuliffe was the current USA lightweight champion and Carney was the current British Lightweight kingpin. Carney's reputation was as a mean-spirited mauler who was there to wear you down. He had previously participated in bare-knuckle matches.
The bout was originally scheduled for May of 1887, but was postponed due to McAuliffe's failure to come up with the money for the stake. It was re-scheduled for October of that year--but, due to an illness, McAuliffe got an additional six weeks until the bout. It finally took place in November.
For the first ten rounds of the bout, McAuliffe dominated Carney with his obvious advantage of boxing skill. Carney, though losing, was also applying his fight plan of wearing down the champion since this was a fight to the finish. When the 20th round arose, McAuliffe was showing signs of fatigue, although his defense and boxing skills were still making it very difficult for Carney. In the 26th, the ruthless Carney headbutted McAuliffe in the midsection and knocked him over. McAuliffe's handlers jumped into the ring and for a moment it looked as if a riot would break out, but the action was finally restored. In the 60th, McAuliffe looked very unsteady and nearly exhausted; Carney had done an effective job of wearing him down. But McAuliffe, in the 62nd, produced one of his last brilliant fighting surges by dropping Carney with a right hand. In the 70th, Carney dropped McAuliffe with a shot that nearly finished the bout.
McAuliffe's supporters jumped into the ring and delayed time for their fallen and nearly beaten fighter. Action was resumed however. Again in the 74th McAuliffe was dropped hard and once again his supporters jumped into the ring.
Referee Stevenson had seen enough of this wild battle, and called it a draw to prevent a serious riot that would probably result in arrests, since prize-fighting was illegal in this jurisdiction. Both Carney and McAuliffe were ready to continue and both had legitimate cases that they should have won.
Carney's position was that McAuliffe couldn't last three more rounds with him and was too weary to put forward much of a fight if it were to be resumed. McAuliffe believed that Carney had fouled him throughout the bout, and had kneed him, even bit him. Both arguments appeared true but the environment was too unpredictable and dangerous to host this fight much longer. So one of the most controversial fights in boxing history went into the books as a 74-round draw.
(by Nat Fleischer)
*Carney claimed the title in Britain and Europe
