What Is the Longest Boxing Match in History?

The longest boxing match in recorded history lasted 7 hours and 19 minutes. It wasn’t fought in a modern ring with gloves and round limits-it happened in 1893, under bare-knuckle rules, in New Orleans. The fighters were Andy Bowen and Jack Burke. They went 110 rounds before the fight was called a draw, with both men too exhausted to continue. No one had ever fought that long before-and no one has since.

How Did a Boxing Match Last That Long?

Back then, boxing had no time limits. Rounds lasted until one fighter was knocked down. There was no 10-second count. If a boxer stayed on his feet after being hit, the fight kept going. Referees didn’t step in to protect fighters unless someone was clearly in danger. And even then, they often waited until both men collapsed from exhaustion.

Andy Bowen and Jack Burke were both lightweight fighters, around 135 pounds. They had fought before, but this was their third meeting. The stakes were high: $2,000 prize money (about $70,000 today) and bragging rights in a city where boxing was a major spectacle. The crowd showed up early, bringing food, drinks, and blankets. They expected a long fight-but no one expected 110 rounds.

The first 20 rounds were fast and technical. Both men traded sharp punches. By round 30, their fists were bloody, their faces swollen. By round 50, they were moving slower, leaning on each other between blows. By round 80, spectators were crying. Some had left. Others stayed, silent, watching two men refuse to quit.

No Rounds, No Rest, No Rules

Modern boxing has 12 three-minute rounds with a minute rest in between. Back in 1893, there was no such thing as a round timer. The only rule was: keep fighting until you can’t. No gloves. No padding. Just raw knuckles and leather straps wrapped around the hands. Fighters trained by hitting tree trunks and sandbags for hours. They didn’t worry about hand fractures-they just wrapped them tighter and kept going.

Medical staff were present, but they didn’t have the tools we do today. No CT scans. No hydration stations. No oxygen masks. Just whiskey, cold rags, and encouragement. When Bowen went down for the 107th time, he tried to rise. He couldn’t. Burke did the same after the 109th knockdown. The referee finally stepped in at 7 hours and 19 minutes. Neither man had won. Neither could continue.

Why Did They Keep Going?

It wasn’t just about money. It was about honor. In that era, boxing wasn’t just a sport-it was a test of character. Quitting meant being called a coward. Winning meant being remembered. Both men knew they’d be talked about for years. And they were.

After the fight, Bowen and Burke were carried out on stretchers. They spent the next week in bed. Bowen lost 17 pounds. Burke lost 20. Their hands were permanently damaged. But they never regretted it. Years later, Burke said, “I’d do it again if I had the chance. Not for the money-for the pride.”

What Changed After That Fight?

The fight shocked the public. Newspapers called it “a barbaric spectacle.” Reformers pushed for rules. Within five years, the Marquess of Queensberry Rules became standard across the U.S. and U.K. Those rules introduced:

• Three-minute rounds
• One-minute rest periods
• Gloves (minimum 8 ounces)
• A 10-second count for knockdowns
• A limit of 20 rounds (later reduced to 15, then 12)

By 1900, fights over 40 rounds were banned in most places. The 110-round match became a relic-a warning of what boxing could become without limits.

Is There a Modern Equivalent?

No. Not even close.

The longest professional boxing match under modern rules was 14 rounds-between Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano in 1946. It lasted 2 hours and 47 minutes. Zale won by knockout in the 14th. Even the toughest title fights today rarely go past 12 rounds. Fighters train for speed, endurance, and recovery-not survival.

Today’s athletes wear heart monitors, use GPS tracking, and follow nutrition plans designed by scientists. They rest between rounds with ice baths, massage therapists, and hydration drinks. They’re not just fighting opponents-they’re fighting the clock, the rules, and their own biology.

Why Does This Still Matter?

That 110-round fight isn’t just a curiosity. It’s a mirror. It shows how far boxing has come-and how much we’ve lost.

Modern boxing is safer. Cleaner. More regulated. But it’s also less raw. Less real. The old fighters didn’t have science on their side. They had grit. They had pride. They had nothing but their will to keep standing.

Today, we celebrate knockouts and highlight reels. But the longest match reminds us that boxing was once about endurance. About outlasting pain. About refusing to fall-even when your body begged you to.

That fight didn’t just break records. It changed the sport forever. And it still stands as the ultimate test of human toughness.

Could It Happen Again?

Not under any legal sanction. Boxing commissions around the world now enforce strict round limits. Even in underground or amateur fights, no one is allowed to go beyond 10 rounds without medical clearance. The idea of a 7-hour fight is unthinkable today-not because fighters are weaker, but because we value their lives more.

Some people still train in bare-knuckle clubs, mostly for sport and tradition. But even those matches are capped at 5 rounds. The 110-round battle remains a ghost from a time when the ring was a place of raw survival-not entertainment.