Jim Driscoll
| Jim Driscoll | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | James Driscoll |
| Nickname(s) | Peerless/Jem Driscoll |
| Rated at | Featherweight |
| Height | 5 ft 4.5 in (164 cm) |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Born |
15 December 1880 Cardiff, Wales |
| Died | 30 January 1925 |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 77 |
| Wins | 58 |
| Wins by KO | 39 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 6 |
| No contests | 4 |
James "Jim" Driscoll commonly known as Peerless Jim (15 December 1880 – 30 January 1925) was a Welsh boxer who learned his trade in the boxing ring and used it to fight his way out of poverty. Driscoll was British featherweight champion and won the coveted Lonsdale belt in 1910. He is a member of the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame, the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Driscoll was born in Cardiff in 1880 to Cornelius and Elizabeth, and was brought up on Ellen Street in the Newtown region of the town. Driscoll's parents were both Irish, and both Catholicism and the local St Paul's Church would be key in his life. Driscoll never forgot his roots; he was a faithful supporter of his church, remained close to his community, and had great affection for the Nazareth House Orphanage, for whom he once gave up the chance of becoming Featherweight Champion of the World.
Driscoll's father died in a goods yard accident before Driscoll was one. His mother was forced to accept parish relief to bring up her four children, and soon the family moved into a boarding house with another five people in 3 Ellen Street. Elizabeth was forced to take a job shovelling vegetables and fish from the hulls of ships at Cardiff Docks. Growing up in poverty, Driscoll took employment while still a boy, becoming a printer's devil for the Evening Express in St. Mary Street in Cardiff.
Driscoll was an apprentice with the Western Mail printing works, when he began boxing in the fairground booths of south Wales. He fought on the boxing booths of South Wales for a number of years and had somewhere in the region of 600 fights before turning professional in 1901, and by the end of the year he had secured twelve wins without defeat. The following year, of the seven recorded fights, he only failed to win once, a draw with Harry Mansfield in Cardiff. Between 1903 and 1904 Driscoll continued fighting, mainly in Wales, but on 22 February 1904 he fought his first match at the National Sporting Club in London, a points decision win over Boss Edwards. That year he also suffered his first defeat in a return bout against Mansfield, losing by points in a ten-round clash.
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