February 13, 2003 Kid Gavilan, hall of fame boxer, died. Gavilan was born Gerardo Gonzalez on January 6, 1926 in Camaguey, Cuba. He started boxing professionally in 1943 and won the World Welterweight Championship in 1951.
Tag Archives | International Boxing Hall of Fame
Arnold Raymond Cream (Jersey Joe Walcott) – January 31st in African American History
January 31, 1914 Arnold Raymond Cream (Jersey Joe Walcott), Hall of Fame boxer, was born in Merchantville, New Jersey. Walcott made his professional boxing debut in 1930 and in 1951 won the heavyweight championship at the age of 37. At the time, he was the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship. Over his 23 […]
Sam Langford – January 12th in African American History
January 12, 1956 Sam Langford, hall of fame boxer and, according to ESPN, “the greatest fighter nobody knows,” died. Langford was born March 4, 1883 in Weymouth Falls, Nova Scotia, Canada. Although he was only 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall and weighed 185 pounds, Langford fought greats from the lightweight division to the heavyweight […]
Charles L. “Sonny” Liston – January 5th in African American History
January 5, 1971 Charles L. “Sonny” Liston, hall of fame boxer, died. Liston was born May 8, 1932 in Johnson Township, Arkansas. In 1950, he was sentenced to prison for taking part in a robbery and while in prison learned to box. Liston was paroled in 1952 and made his professional boxing debut in 1953. […]
Floyd Patterson – January 4th in African American History
January 4, 1935 Floyd Patterson, hall of fame boxer, was born in Waco, North Carolina. Patterson started boxing at the age of 14 and won the Gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games as a middleweight. Following the Olympics, Patterson turned professional and on November 30, 1956 became the youngest world heavyweight champion in […]
Harry “The Black Panther” Wills – December 21st in African American History
December 21, 1958 Harry “The Black Panther” Wills, hall of fame boxer, died. Willis was born May 15, 1889 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his professional boxing career in 1911 and fought for over 20 years, often ranked as the number one challenger for the heavyweight title, but never given the opportunity to fight […]
Joe Walcott – March 13th in African American History
March 13, 1873 Joe Walcott (also known as Barbados Joe Walcott), hall of fame boxer, was born in Demerara, British Guyana. As a youngster, Walcott got a job as a cabin boy on a ship sailing to Boston, Massachusetts. After settling in Boston, he got a job at a gym and began boxing. Walcott made […]