Kid McCoy

[Rosco3387]

This guy is yet another fighter suffering from "Charley Burley/ McCallum syndrome:" he is hardly mentioned yet, one day he will be the equivalent of the name dropped at the local ****tail party... You know by those who want to sound smart?

While the guy, Norman Selby, did not invent the expression "the real McCoy" he did invent a punch... or more accurately he predated the movement of the hand on the jab and hook... and was quite succesful with his corkscrew punch. using copious amounts of friction tape and small gloves his corkscrew could cut a man's face and really attack the jaw efficiently. In one of my favorite books a British trainer from the mid eighteen hundreds describes McCoy's corkscrew blow as aiding and abetting local dentists everywhere!

More to the point, the guy was a fighter with possible ATG credability. As a light heavy he was considered for a time prior to Tunney, as the best light heavy, by Ring magazine, and as a middleweight he Ko'ed Ryan, who definitely was an ATG. He also beat fighters like Choynski, Twin Sullivan, Philadelphia jack Obrien, draw& win with Tommy Ryan, win over Maher... the guy's record and comp was ATG level plus. he won 76 times officially with only 6 or 7 losses.

McCoy was a scientific fighter... legend has it that watching a cat swing its paw gave McCoy the inspiration for his CorkScrewPunch... McCoy was a character and managed to fight up to heavyweight where he lost to Corbett... and this may have been Corbett's best win although McCoy was smaller, fighting at around 160ish.

While we do not have much record of McCoy, always a problem... to have a record of 76 and 7 with 59 KO's... against the competition he faced was ATG level greatness IMO.

[Willow The Wisp]

I beleive you're onto something there. Kid McCoy was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991, the 2nd year it was opened.

[Rosco3387]

I beleive you're onto something there. Kid McCoy was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991, the 2nd year it was opened.

A real character! Im gonna invent a new metric here based on the Corkscrew kid: Any fighter that was married more times than they lost in the ring, is an auto ATG! Kid McCoy (ready for this?) MARRIED 10 Times, LOST 7 (or 6 depending) Times. Possibly murdered his last wife... Jeez a real barn burner

[Dr. Z]

The tricky McCoy was a boxing talent. Too bad there is no film of him in his prime in the ring, at least I don't know of any. One story is McCoy found himself facing a barefoot opponent so he threw tacks on the ring mat in between rounds. He was a cruel SOB, but he was also a hall of fame fighter. He had very good / swift moment and he had quite a bag of tricks such as the corkscrew punch. He could punch hard for his size. He once conned a man playing sick for a month than beat the daylights out of his opponent in the boxing match when his opponent under estimated him.

A man vs McCoy better protect himself at all times, literally and figurative!

[Rosco3387]

An interesting aspect of McCoy is the "Kung Fuish" legend of his succesful technique. The story has many variations: usually with the protoganist having been soundly beaten, sitting down feeling sorry for oneself when noticing something like a mantis, or a crab lol... then adapting the characteristics to enter the fray once again. With McCoy this was a little different, but same form: He notices a cat and the rest is history!

[Ivich]

This guy is yet another fighter suffering from "Charley Burley/ McCallum syndrome:" he is hardly mentioned yet, one day he will be the equivalent of the name dropped at the local ****tail party... You know by those who want to sound smart?

While the guy, Norman Selby, did not invent the expression "the real McCoy" he did invent a punch... or more accurately he predated the movement of the hand on the jab and hook... and was quite succesful with his corkscrew punch. using copious amounts of friction tape and small gloves his corkscrew could cut a man's face and really attack the jaw efficiently. In one of my favorite books a British trainer from the mid eighteen hundreds describes McCoy's corkscrew blow as aiding and abetting local dentists everywhere!

More to the point, the guy was a fighter with possible ATG credability. As a light heavy he was considered for a time prior to Tunney, as the best light heavy, by Ring magazine, and as a middleweight he Ko'ed Ryan, who definitely was an ATG. He also beat fighters like Choynski, Twin Sullivan, Philadelphia jack Obrien, draw& win with Tommy Ryan, win over Maher... the guy's record and comp was ATG level plus. he won 76 times officially with only 6 or 7 losses.

McCoy was a scientific fighter... legend has it that watching a cat swing its paw gave McCoy the inspiration for his CorkScrewPunch... McCoy was a character and managed to fight up to heavyweight where he lost to Corbett... and this may have been Corbett's best win although McCoy was smaller, fighting at around 160ish.

While we do not have much record of McCoy, always a problem... to have a record of 76 and 7 with 59 KO's... against the competition he faced was ATG level greatness IMO.

McCoy has wins over?
Maher x 2
Russell
Ferguson
Creedon x2
Bonner x 2
O Donnell
Goddard
Ruhlin
Ryan
Choynski x2
Smith
Stift
That guarantees him a place in the Pugilistic Pantheon.imo.