Jack O'Halloran

"Irish" Jack O'Halloran was a rated heavyweight boxing contender in the middle '60s & early '70s. The 6'6" native of Runnemede, New Jersey, was considered one of boxing's most promising heavyweight hopefuls after he remained undefeated in his first 16 professional matches. O'Halloran went on to defeat former title contenders Cleveland Williams, Terry Daniels, Manuel Ramos and Danny McAlinden. In 1972 he won the California state heavyweight championship with a victory over Henry Clark. Scoring an upset victory over eighth-ranked Al "Blue" Lewis in 1973, O'Halloran was on the verge of a bout with Muhammad Ali when he was shockingly knocked out by Jimmy Summerville in Miami Beach, Florida. Even though he knocked out Summerville in the rematch, O'Halloran was never in contention again. He retired in 1974, because of a tumor of the pituitary gland, with a record of 34-21-2 with 17 knockout victories. He lost to future heavyweight champions George Foreman and Ken Norton. He achieved World ranking for several years and was the California Heavyweight Champion in 1972 & 73. He was also inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame and the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. Following his retirement he launched a successful career as a character actor in such films as Farewell, My Lovely (1975), King Kong (1976), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), The Baltimore Bullet (1980), Hero and the Terror (1988), Dragnet (1987) and more. He is a published author with Family Legacy.