Andy Bowen
A New Orleans pugilist who fought the longest recorded boxing match in history, a brutal seven-hour marathon under gaslight.
1867–1894 (age 27)·American boxer·Birthday: May 3·The Gilded Age
Biography
Andy Bowen's name is forever tethered to a single, almost incomprehensible feat of endurance. A lightweight from New Orleans, he was a competent fighter in an era of bare-knuckle transitions and gloved marathons. His defining moment came on April 6, 1893, against Jack Burke. The fight, scheduled for "finish" rules, began at 9:00 PM and stretched through the night. For 110 rounds across seven hours and nineteen minutes, the men traded blows under the flickering light of gas lamps, their gloves becoming sodden, bloody weights. The contest was finally called a no-decision draw when both men, utterly spent, could no longer answer the bell. This superhuman display of stamina came at a cost. Just over a year later, during another fight, Bowen was knocked out and never regained consciousness, a tragic end that underscored the brutal realities of his sport. His legacy is less about titles won and more about the extreme physical limits one human body can endure.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Andy was born in 1867, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1867
Andy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1867Born
President: Andrew Johnson
1872Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1880Became a teenager
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1883Could drive
President: Chester A. Arthur
1885Could vote
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1888Turned 21
President: Grover Cleveland
1894Died at 27
President: Grover Cleveland
Key Achievements
- Fought in the longest recorded boxing match in history: 110 rounds over 7 hours and 19 minutes against Jack Burke.
- Held the Southern Lightweight title for a period during his fighting career.
- His historic marathon bout directly led to the introduction of time limits and more stringent safety rules in boxing.
- Compiled a professional record that included bouts with other top fighters of the 1890s like Billy Myer.
Did You Know?
The gloves used in his historic fight became so heavy with absorbed sweat and blood they had to be cut off.
The fight was so long that the original referee quit from exhaustion and had to be replaced.
Bowen was known for his exceptional conditioning and was called "The Crescent City Rubber Man."
His tragic death in the ring occurred just 14 months after his historic marathon fight.
The round count of 110 is approximate, as official round-by-round records were not consistently kept.
“I will stand and fight until I cannot raise my arms.”
