Luther Quinter McCarty (March 17, 1892 – May 24, 1913) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1911 to 1913. He was considered by most to be the greatest of all the "Great White Hope" fighters who fought during the time of Jack Johnson. He claimed the Heavyweight Championship during Jack Johnson's troubles with the United States Government, with many boxing historians rating him the man with the best chance of defeating Johnson. McCarty was ranked #10 on The Ring magazine's list of the best American heavyweights of the 1910s. McCarty, solidly built and agile, stood about 6'4", and used his 80" reach to throw his strong left jab to both his opponent's head and body with equal accuracy. Though he was at his best controlling the action from a distance, he also possessed a powerful right hand, a devastating left hook to the body, and a punishing uppercut - called Betsy - that he would use when his opponents tried to fight him in close. In addition to his physical strengths, McCarty also had a cool fighting style, never appearing in the ring too nervous or affected by his opponents. Early life Luther Quinter McCarty was born on 20 March 1892 to Maggie McCarty (née Scott), a native of Ireland, and Anton P. McCarty, a cure-all elixirs salesman and proprietor of the White Eagle Medicine Company. Depending on the source, he was born on a farm 30 miles southwest of Lincoln, Nebraska, on a ranch near McCook, Driftwood Creek, Wild Horse Canyon, or in a hollow somewhere in Hitchcock County. His mother was reported to be a stout six feet and 200 pounds, whilst his father stood six feet, five inches tall at 315 pounds. In 1893, Mrs. McCarty died, giving birth to a stillborn son, and as there was no woman in the home, both Luther and young-sister Hazel were taken in by two of McCarty's good neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. John Houlahan, while Anton worked away in his fields of broom corn. He grew up in Piqua, Ohio, and spent time at Sidney gym, as he resided in Sidney since 1907. By 1910, eighteen-year-old Luther decided to go west to lead his life as a cowboy, and found work on a farm in Montana, as an itinerant farmhand, breaking horses. In 1910, he – along with friend Lefty Williams – paid 50 cents to join O'Leary's