Trivia 8-24-15 Who Am I?

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I´m from New York and enlisted in the cavalry. I was made an officer for bravery and became known as Colonel after the war. But this is not what I´m famous for. I started wrestling when I was 15 years old. In 1861, as a young Private, I used the scenery of Fort Lyon, Virginia for a fight lasting three hours. I became one of the earliest recognized American wrestling champions and beltholders at the age of 25.

*hint I fought against a McMahon three times.

credit: @GELongstreet
 
William Muldoon of New York City.

Edit - Good try, but not correct.

Muldoon was from New York, he did serve in the Civil War, and he was a wrestler, but I can find no evidence that he ever served in the cavalry, received a promotion for bravery, was known as "Colonel," or participated in a three-hour bout at Fort Lyon.

Hoosier
 
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http://www.supersport.com/boxing/blogs/ron-jackson/The_one_and_only_William_Muldoon

220px-William_Muldoon1.jpg
What a fascinating man and story!
Trainers are among the most interesting people in boxing. Such as the one who was a world champion wrestler, an accomplished actor, a teenaged drummer in a war and the man who drilled the great John L Sullivan into shape.

William Muldoon also tried to ban smoking at boxing tournaments, introduced skipping as part of boxing training, worked with Kid McCoy and Jack Dempsey and was probably the best-built trainer that ever worked a corner.
His great claim to fame was that he turned an unfit, overweight Sullivan into a fighter who stopped his opponent in the 76th round.
Muldoon was more than a trainer of champions. He was also a philosopher who strongly believed in physical fitness.
“Life is what you make of it,” he once said. “If you live naturally and do not defy the laws of God, you will live to a ripe old age and be able to accomplish that which is expected of all mankind.”
This was how he lived all his life and how he built his body into a perfect physical form. He then taught others to do the same.
Muldoon, born in New York in 1845, joined the Union Army in 1861 to fight in the Civil War. That was when he learnt wrestling – in the camps between battles.
After the war, he made his way to New York and found employment, driving a horse and cart from three o’clock in the morning until three in the afternoon. He was paid $12 a week, which was not bad at the time. He also worked for a while in a grocery warehouse.
He later joined the New York City police force and served them for six years before opening a bar that was frequented by boxers and wrestlers as well as bankers and financiers.
As a young man, Muldoon won acclaim as wrestling champion. He held the professional world title, which he won in 1883, and retired as undefeated Greco-Roman style champion.
Muldoon was willing to take on all-comers, putting his title on the line and even travelling as far as Japan to defend it.
He was also renowned for his acting ability. Critics said he had presence, dignity, repose and all the vocal requirements needed.
He made two short appearances in the first act of the comedy As You Like It and later even managed a musical extravaganza.
In 1887, Muldoon appeared in the role of the Fighting Gaul in Spartacus on Broadway.
After retiring from the ring, he became a highly respected trainer of athletes and opened a physical fitness farm.
When the Walker Law was introduced to legalise boxing in New York State he served as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission.
As a commissioner, he attempted to bar known gamblers from fights and even established a no-smoking rule at boxing.
However, he was opposed to mixed-race bouts and was voted out as chairman when he refused to approve a bout between heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey and the black fighter Harry Wills. However, he remained on the commission as a member until 1929.
Muldoon’s chief claim to fame was possibly his association with boxing and the conditioning of Sullivan for his fight against Jake Kilrain in July 1889. It was held in Richburg, Mississippi, about 165 km from New Orleans.
At that time, bare-knuckle fighting was illegal but the sport was conducted according to the London Prize Ring rules, which allowed for fights to continue until one of the contestants was badly beaten and sometimes maimed for life.
Certain wrestling techniques were permitted, a round lasted until one fighter was knocked down and a fight lasted until one fighter was unable to continue.
Muldoon also worked as trainer for the legendary world heavyweight boxing champion John L Sullivan.
The out-of-condition Sullivan set up camp at Muldoon’s Hygienic Institute in Purchase, New York, where he was soon made to understand that he should listen to the man in charge, Muldoon.
He had Sullivan out of bed at seven every morning. Sullivan had to work out with dumbbells before breakfast. After an hour’s rest, he had to dress in heavy clothes and work out on the heavy bag before doing some routine training.
In the training workout, Muldoon introduced new features such a skipping rope and the use of tossing a huge ball, similar to our present-day medicine ball.
When he began, Sullivan was tired after only a dozen skips, but Muldoon built him up to skipping a thousand times every day.
Within three months, Muldoon had brought Sullivan from the lowest to the highest physical condition of his life.
Sullivan entered the ring in excellent condition and won the fight when Kilrain’s seconds threw in the sponge in the 76th round. The fight had lasted two hours and 16 minutes.
Both fighters were later arrested for taking part in an illegal event. Sullivan was found guilty of prize-fighting and had to pay a $500 fine. Kilrain was found guilty of assault and battery, fined $500 and sentenced to six months in jail.
However, a Colonel Rich, who had been responsible for promoting the fight, paid the fine and bought the sentence, which was common practice in Mississippi at the time. Kilrain served out his time in Rich's home.
Muldoon also trained Kid McCoy and Jack Dempsey.
After being in tremendous physical specimen his whole life, Muldoon fell ill a few weeks before his 83rd birthday.
He was travelling by train to White Plains when he felt a sharp pain near the base of his skull and his right arm became paralysed.
His health deteriorated and he died of cancer in 1933, at the age of 88. Having been a drummer in the Civil War – he enlisted at the age of 15 – he was buried with military honours in Kensico, New York.

Edit - Fascinating man, but not the correct answer to this question.

Hoosier
 
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I´m from New York and enlisted in the cavalry. I was made an officer for bravery and became known as Colonel after the war. But this is not what I´m famous for. I started wrestling when I was 15 years old. In 1861, as a young Private, I used the scenery of Fort Lyon, Virginia for a fight lasting three hours. I became one of the earliest recognized American wrestling champions and beltholders at the age of 25.

*hint I fought against a McMahon three times.

credit: @GELongstreet
James H. McLaughlin.
 
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