1. Kid McCoy claimed the vacant world middleweight title when he scored an upset victory over Tommy Ryan by 15th-round knockout.
20 Facts About Kid McCoy
1. 2.
Kid McCoy noticed a cat strike at a ball of string and imitated its actions.
3.
Whether true or not, Kid McCoy was known as a fast, "scientific" fighter who would cut his opponents with sharp blows.
4.
Kid McCoy was regarded as a formidable puncher, and was included in Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
5.
Kid McCoy served as a sparring partner for Ryan, and absorbed many beatings at the hands of his employer.
6.
Kid McCoy, who was famed as a trickster, purportedly rubbed flour on his face so as to appear deathly ill.
7.
Whether true or not, Kid McCoy scored an upset win over Ryan in a fight billed for the American and World 154lbs Middleweight Title.
8.
Kid McCoy watched him train and noted the man fought in his bare feet.
9.
Kid McCoy never defended the title, choosing to abandon the crown to enable him to pursue the world heavyweight championship.
10.
Kid McCoy was defeated by Tom Sharkey and Jim Corbett.
11.
Kid McCoy then challenged McCoy to fight, and upon reviving from being knocked out allegedly remarked "Oh my God, that was the real McCoy".
12.
Kid McCoy was married ten times, performed in theater, and went west to California during the birth of the movie industry in Los Angeles.
13.
Kid McCoy appeared in films, including a scene fighting Wallace Reid in the 1922 film, The World's Champion.
14.
The next morning, a reportedly disheveled Kid McCoy robbed and held several people captive at Mrs Mors' antique shop, and shot one man in the leg after he tried to escape.
15.
Kid McCoy forced at least six other men to remove their trousers, and took their money.
16.
Kid McCoy was apprehended and charged with the murder of Mrs Mors.
17.
Kid McCoy claimed Mrs Mors committed suicide, while the prosecution claimed he murdered her for financial gain.
18.
Kid McCoy was sent to San Quentin, but was paroled from prison in 1932.
19.
Kid McCoy took his own life in Detroit on April 18,1940.
20.
Kid McCoy committed suicide at the Hotel Tuller in Detroit by an overdose of sleeping pills, leaving a note behind.