John C. Heenan
American boxer (1834–1873)
- Born
- 2 May 1834, Troy
- Died
- 28 October 1873, Green River
- Citizenship
- United States
- Sport
- boxing
- Occupation
- boxer
- Nickname
- the Benicia Boy
John Camel Heenan (May 2, 1834 – October 28, 1873), also known as the Benicia Boy, was an American bare-knuckle prize fighter. Though highly regarded, he had only three formal fights in his career, losing two and drawing one.
Heenan is best remembered for his second contest, when he traveled to England to fight British champion Tom Sayers. The bout ended in chaos when spectators broke into the ring and the police intervened. The referee finally called a draw. The Benicia Boy came home to a hero's welcome, but later returned to England, where he had just one more fight, losing controversially to new British champion Tom King. Heenan died at Green River Station, Wyoming Territory in October 1873, and is buried at St Agnes Cemetery in Menands, near Albany, New York.
Awards and honours
- International Boxing Hall of Fame 2002
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q3181160 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.