Mike Gibbons Summer Cottage Lake Osakis
This photo of the summer cottage on Lake Osakis from where
the Gibbons brothers used to train was recently found and sold to the Hidden
Treasures antique shop in Alexandria. Both Mike and Tommy Gibbons were inducted
into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the 1990s.
The owner of Alexandria's Hidden Treasures antique store recently
received rare pictures of the famed boxing Gibbons brothers from their time in
Osakis.
Hidden Treasures owner Gary McNulty received antique pictures of
boxers Mike and Tommy Gibbons when he was approached by a woman who found the
pictures and brought them to the store. McNulty later sold the pictures on eBay
to a person in Washington for $45.
"I never heard of them, I'm from Illinois," McNulty
said. "Once she gave me this stuff I started to look it up online."
One was a picture of Mike in his boxing attire, and another was
a picture of the Gibbons brothers' summer cottage on Lake Osakis. A ticket stub
for a celebration of Tommy's fight against a world heavyweight champion in the
1920s, Jack Dempsey, was also given to McNulty.
McNulty did not know who the Gibbons brothers were when he first
saw the photos, but after some research he discovered more about their past. He
talked to another antique shop owner and learned that the Gibbons brothers
often trained at a summer cottage on Lake Osakis.
"He said that he actually talked to a man that used to be
his boxing partner," McNulty said. "They actually had a ring in
Osakis, and I guess they used to practice there."
Mike and Tommy Gibbons
The Gibbons brothers were both inducted into the International
Boxing Hall of Fame in the 1990s. Mike Gibbons, a career middleweight fighter,
was born in 1887. His younger brother Tommy, a heavyweight, was born in 1891.
According to his biography on the International Boxing Hall of
Fame website, Mike is considered by many boxing historians to be one of the top
10 middleweights of all time.
When there was no recognized middleweight champion in 1912, Mike
signed to a fight with Eddie McGoorty with the winner to be declared champion.
The heavier McGoorty was favored by far, so Mike fought the match to keep him
from winning. Mike backpedaled constantly and displayed great footwork, but did
not really fight.
McGoorty was declared the decision by the newspapers, but he did
not gain general acclaim as the titleholder. Mike told a reporter that he was
determined to prove that he was not the underdog in the match.
Mike also squared off in a 1916 fight against Hall of Famer Jack
Dillon. For 10 rounds he gave Dillon a good fight, and ringside viewers of the
fight said Mike won every round.
Boxer Mike Gibbons poses for a photo while dressed in his boxing attire from the early 1900s.
Tommy was only knocked out once in his career, and had 47 career
knockouts himself.
Tommy also had his fair share of champion caliber fights in his
career.
According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, one of the
most notable fights in his career took place against Dempsey in 1923.
Tommy put up a good fight against Dempsey, slipping away from
many punches that would have landed against less-accomplished fighters. But
Dempsey was able to land some solid shots in the fight
Boxer Mike Gibbons poses for a photo while dressed in his boxing attire from the early 1900s.
After retiring, he sold insurance and served four terms as the
sheriff of St. Paul.
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