Donahue, Hessie (fl. 1892)
Donahue, Hessie (fl. 1892)
American matron who knocked out heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan Born in Worcester, Massachusetts; married to boxing-school owner Charles Converse.
Hessie Donahue made sporting history with a single punch to the jaw of heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan. She was one of only two boxers to ever defeat the champ, the other being Gentleman Jim Corbett. Donahue was the wife of Charles Converse, a boxing-school owner who provided sparring partners for Sullivan. In 1892, when Sullivan invited Converse to go on an exhibition tour of vaudeville theaters with him, Donahue went along. To add spice to the show, Sullivan, after sparring with all comers, would announce that he had been challenged by a woman, and Donahue would go a few rounds with him at the end of each performance. Clad in full prizefighting rig—blouse, skirt, bloomers, long stockings, and boxing gloves—Donahue would climb in the ring and trade a few harmless blows with the champ until the curtain came down. One night the fakery got out of hand when Sullivan accidentally threw an uncontrolled punch to Donahue's face. She, in turn, threw her formidable weight behind a right to his jaw that dropped him to the floor, where he remained unconscious for over a minute. The crowd went wild and the punch was included in the act for the remainder of the tour.