Michael Daley

Who is Michael Daley?

Michael Daley [sometimes Michael Daly] was a boxer from Bangor, Maine who held the lightweight title for New England in the late nineteenth century, and was a claimant for the lightweight title of America in 1893. In 1903, however, Daley was convicted, along with world middle-weight champion George La Blanche of robbing a drunken man in a Bangor hotel and sentenced to two years imprisonment. According to the New York Times Daley was from a 'highly respectable' family.

Daley fought and defeated Marcellus Baker of Boston in 1884. The New England lightweight championship had been bestowed on him by 1887, when the VC Club of Gardiner, Maine awarded him a belt emblazoned with the title after an exhibition fight with another Bangor boxer, James Mehan. In 1889 Daley went fifteen rounds in Boston with another boxer formerly from Bangor, Jack McAuliffe, 'The Napoleon of the Ring', who finished his career undefeated. Daley survived with a technical draw.

In 1892 Daley was undefeated, and by 1893, was claiming the title of lightweight champion of America. But he had to fight for the title that year against Austin Gibbons, at the Crescent City Club in New Orleans.