Greetings and Salutations my Thursday Night Friends,
I write this with a massive smile on my face: it has been one fantastic weekend in Milwaukee. The Bucks tied up the playoff series with the Celtics and the Brewers won their sixth straight and look to continue. Yes, in the sporting world Milwaukee definitely made waves throughout the country. On top of all that I had the privilege….nay….the honor to be in attendance last week at Welcome to Thursdays at Victor’s! We had an absolute blast and the turnout was even bigger than I would have expected, with some new faces to go along as well.
I also want to throw a shout out to my friend and your director of social media Matt “Matty Ice” Ruemler on taking the helm last week and writing one fantastic article! Looking to this Thursday I am beyond excited, we don’t just get a Bucks playoff game but a Bucks playoff game during Welcome to Thursdays! This week we travel to a bar with over 120 years of heritage. Junior’s Hook can be identified as a saloon or tavern as far back as 1894. Today it still serves up Milwaukee with great service and amazing drinks. Come on out this Thursday and get loud with us as we hopefully bring the Milwaukee Bucks another victory!
Hanging alone, dusty, and full of history, a pair of boxing gloves are shown proudly at Junior’s Hook. These gloves belong to the bar owner’s father; they are a symbol of a long history of tradition, and one tale in particular that changed the very format of professional fighting. It all started with a pair of broken hands and a can of Old Mil.
It was 1889 and the setting was set for what would be the last bare-knuckle boxing championship ever. John L. Sullivan was to take on Jake Kilrain for as many rounds as were necessary. The story you probably heard was that bare-knuckle boxing stopped because it became illegal basically everywhere. The real story, of course, is much different.
Photo Credit: pinterest.com
You see, Sullivan and Kilrain fought one heck of a fight and actually went 75 rounds before Kilrain’s trainer threw in the towel. Kilrain had broken both his hands and the fight needed to stop. It was a tradition for both fighters to sit after the fight and enjoy an Old Milwaukee as a sign of respect; but in this case, unfortunately, Kilrain was unable to lift the can due to his broken hands. Outraged by this, Kilrain and Sullivan swore off bare-knuckle boxing for the safety of their hands, because no respectable fighter should ever have to drink Old Mil through a straw.
Photo Credit: theboxingmagazine.com
From that day forward, gloves were implemented into the game and ever since, fighters touch their gloves before every fight as a sign of respect, and to give thanks to Sulivan and Kilrain.
I look forward to seeing all of you this Thursday. Cheers!
Your Co-Founder and Friend,
Jeremy Blandin
*Keeping your glass filled and spirits high one Thursday at a time, this is Welcome to Thursdays: a local social group determined to make your Thursdays more fun. Each week, The Squeaky Curd features a (generally) fictitious story of a Milwaukee County bar that we gather at on Thursday evening. Join us Thursday, April 26, 2018 at Junior’s Hook, 1517 S 2nd St (Walker’s Point), at 7:30pm.*