Thomas Heeney ( born Thomas Heeney ; May 18, 1898 , Gisborne - June 15, 1984 , Miami ) - New Zealand and American boxer , representative of the heavy weight category. He performed on a professional level in the period 1920-1933, owned the New Zealand champion title, was a contender for the world heavyweight title, but lost to the current champion Gene Tanni .
 Tom Heaney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| general information | |
| Nickname | The Hard Rock from Down Under |
| Citizenship |  New Zealand  USA |
| Date of Birth | May 18, 1898 |
| Place of Birth | Gisborne , New Zealand |
| Date of death | June 15, 1984 (86 years old) |
| Place of death | Miami , USA |
| Weight category | Heavy |
| Rack | Left side |
| Growth | 179 cm |
| Arm span | 183 cm |
| Professional career | |
| First fight | February 12, 1920 |
| The last battle | March 27, 1933 |
| Number of battles | 68 |
| Number of wins | 37 |
| KOs | 15 |
| Defeat | 22 |
| No one's | eight |
Content
Biography
Tom Heaney was born May 18, 1898 in the city of Gisborne on the North Island . Before becoming a famous athlete, for many years he worked as a plumber in New Zealand [1] . He was known as a good swimmer, so in 1918 he was awarded the bronze medal of the Royal Humanitarian Society for saving two women drowning in the sea (he also tried to save a third, but did not have time) [2] .
He learned the basics of boxing from his father and older brother Jack, who several times became the champion of New Zealand among amateurs in the middle and welterweight categories. On a professional level, Tom made his debut in 1920, soon won the heavyweight title of the country. Later he performed in Australia, where he also won the national title, went to the rings of England and South Africa. At the same time, he gained some fame as a rugby player [3] .
In 1926 he moved permanently to the United States, defeated several strong American boxers and in the world ranking of heavyweights rose to fourth position. Two years later, he met in the ring with former world champion Jack Sharkey , their twelve-round standoff ended in a separate decision. Then he won on points by Jack Delaney and won the right to challenge the world title, which at that time belonged to Gene Tunney . The title fight between them took place in July 1928 at the Yankee Stadium in New York - the boxers exchanged blows for eleven rounds, as a result of which Tanny defeated by technical knockout and retained the championship belt.
A week after an unsuccessful title fight, Heaney married an American Marion Dunn and received American citizenship. Subsequently, he repeatedly entered the ring, remained an active professional boxer until 1933, having spent a total of about 70 fights.
Having completed his sports career, he became the owner of a bar in Miami , Florida . He participated in the Second World War , served in the civil engineering corps of the US Navy. He was on friendly terms with the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway , often went fishing with him [1] .
His wife Marion died in 1980. He died a little later on June 15, 1984 at the age of 86. They had no children.
In 1996, Tom Heaney was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 McMillan, NA C. Heeney, Thomas 1898–1984. Date of treatment April 4, 2011.
- ↑ Mackay, Joseph Angus. " Tom Heeney's Bid For World Crown " in Historic Poverty Bay and the East Coast, NI, NZ , 1949.
- ↑ " Expatriates - biographies ", An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand , edited by AH McLintock, originally published in 1966. Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand , updated 18 September 2007
Literature
- From Poverty Bay to Broadway: The story of Tom Heeney by Lydia Monin (2008)
- Kiwis With Gloves On by Brian F O'Brien, published 1960, Reed.
Links
- Tom Heaney - professional boxing statistics for BoxRec