He would again face O'Brien in a catch-as-catch-can match, with each man gaining a pinfall before a draw was declared after wrestling another 10 minutes for the deciding third fall at an exhibition held by the New York Athletic Club on December 10, 1885.
Although having no prior association to Lyons, the two men had recently been seeing a local girl, Kitty McGowan. Released from Sing Sing Prison only seven months before on burglary charges, Lyons confronted Quinn on the corner of Thirty-eighth Street and Second Avenue on the night of July 2, 1887. Although Quinn initially refused to fight, the two soon became involved in a heated argument resulting in Quinn striking Lyons, causing a cut above his left eye.
A citywide manhunt for Lyons was conducted by New York police soon after Quinn's murder. Capt. Ryan of the 21st Precinct stated to the press "If we don't get him, Inspector Byrnes's men will get him wherever he goes. The Inspector's officers have worked up a great many more difficult cases than this."
