Jimmy O'Hara (Irish) pugile

James John O'Hara (born James John Ehrich; December 3, 1925 – January 17, 2002) was a commissioner and then executive secretary for the Minnesota Board of Boxing from 1976 to 2001. When O'Hara was appointed to the Minnesota Board of Boxing, he was a retired light heavyweight amateur and retired professional heavyweight boxer. O'Hara retired from the ring in 1953 with a claim to the Minnesota professional heavyweight title after a win over Don Jasper.O'Hara competed in the Northwest Golden Gloves tournament in 1943, 1944, and 1945 as a light heavyweight. He was 4-F, unfit for military service, due to gout attacks which he suffered all his life.Over the winter of 1943–1944, O'Hara won the St. Paul Golden Gloves tournament as a light-heavy. He finished runner up at the Northwest Golden Gloves tournament, having been rated an even chance to win the championship.During the 1945 Golden Gloves, a rivalry began between O'Hara and Earl Adkinson that followed the fighters into their professional careers. O'Hara and Adkinson fought three times in 1945, with O'Hara never managing the upper hand over Adkinson.O'Hara's unanimous decision over Don Jasper on August 27, 1953, gave him a claim to the Minnesota professional heavyweight title, though there was some controversy, as the fight was only six rounds as opposed to ten.