A Champion in Town

John L. Sullivan, widely accepted as the first world heavyweight boxing champion, was the first global sporting superstar and the first man to earn $1 million through sport. He was better known in Britain than was any US President. In 1887 and 1888, Sullivan made an exhibition tour of Britain and Europe and included Sheffield on his itinerary. His appearance in the city was the catalyst for the birth of organised boxing in the city after it had been a prize-fighting backwater for over 150 years.