 After first arriving in America, Sullivan fought Vincent Hammond on 2 September 1841 at League Island near Philadelphia, winning in eight short rounds which took a total of only ten minutes.Many Irish communities began to take note of their new champion.After his arrival in America, in late 1841, Sullivan gained a reputation as both a prizefighter and a political enforcer, primarily for the Irish factions associated with Tammany Hall, the corrupt political machine .