bare knuckle boxing hall of fame

In the heyday of bare knuckle boxing the reigning champ was John L. Sullivan. But the great John L. liked to eat drink and be merry and was woefully out of shape. His trainer William Muldoon brought him to the sleepy little town of Belfast in the Southern Tier of Western New York for intensive training and conditioning. His program worked and in 1889, Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain in the last bare Knuckle Boxing Championship of the World. The barns were sealed and remained so for 120 years when they were once again opened to the public. You can tour the barns and see the equipment used by Sullivan and Muldoon in their training sessions during the annual International Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend held in July each year. Or you can make an appointment for a private tour. Very interesting slice of history, even if you're not a huge boxing fan.