Tom Sullivan (boxer) - Boxing Career

Boxing Career

At the age of twenty, Tom started his career as a professional boxer. He was considered by many a local celebrity in South Boston. On March 17, 1942 Tommy had his first professional boxing match against Johnny Lawless in Portland, Maine. During this match Lawless retired in his corner after the second round, due to a laceration over his eye that he received from Sullivan. On June 9, 1942 he fought Dave Hoblitzel in Portland, Maine. The bout with Hoblitzel was the boxing match that brought up allegations of corruption. Although Thomas was never put under scrutiny for corruption during his professional boxing career, investigative journalist Howie Carr referred to him as a "pug ugly prizefighter". On March 18, 1946 he fought against Jimmy Fields in Boston, Massachusetts. Fields fought the fight against Sullivan under the ring moniker "John Henry Eskew". Before a large crowd totaling 10,817, Eskew dropped Sullivan for a count of two in the second round. Following his loss, an angry Sullivan continued on and gave Eskew a brutal beating over the next two rounds. He left Fields draped over the ropes in the fourth round and won by a technical knockout. On October 14, 1946 he fought George Kochan at the Mechanics Building in Boston. During the fight he was knocked down twice before coming back to stop Kochan. This was considered "a savage slugging match." On December 14, 1946 Tommy was matched up against Al Priest in Boston. This was the largest gate ever attracted at an indoor boxing match in Boston up to that time. 13,250 spectators attended the sport, the ring accumulated $59,944 in total. On July 15, 1946 Tommy fought Anthony Jones. The referee stopped the fight with Jones reeling about the ring helplessly. Jones was winning at the end of the sixth round, but Sullivan dropped him a 9-count in round seven, and launched a "hurricane attack" in the eighth which caused the fight to be stopped. On June 2, 1947 he fought against Coley Welch. He successfully knocked down Welch twice in the third round and one in the seventh round. His last professional fight was on January 21, 1949 against Johnny Carter in Worcester, Massachusetts.

He fought with an orthodox stance and boxed 143 rounds over the span of his short career winning twenty of them with fourteen knock outs and two losses. Thomas was considered by many to be one of the more successful boxers that came out of Boston during that time period, more than Edward G. Connors, Anthony Veranis, Rocco DiSiglio and Americo Sacramone.