Mike O'Dowd: Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Class of 1958

St. Paul native was world middleweight champion for three years

October 17, 2019 at 7:41PM
January 29, 1957 Boxing fans who recall the twenties and those who love greatness went back over the years today, talking about Mike O’Dowd, the famous St. Paul “Harp,” who succumbed to heart trouble yesterday in Vets hospital. The 62-year-old Mike was the last of the Hudson “graduates.” He was preceded in death by Billy Miske and Mike Gibbons, July 28, 1957
Star Tribune file Mike O’Dowd, shown in 1957, was the World Middleweight boxing champion for three years. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Mike O'Dowd, from St. Paul, was one of the toughest and most aggressive boxers of his time.

In a 10-year professional career that spanned from 1913 to 1923, O'Dowd had a 93-17-1 record. He won 39 fights by knockout.

He held the World Middleweight Championship from 1917 to 1920.

He was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014.

MIKE O'DOWD

Class: 1958.

Sport: Boxing.

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Joel Rippel

News Assistant

Joel Rippel writes about sports for the Star Tribune.

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