May 13, 1914 Joseph Louis Barrow (Joe Louis), hall of fame boxer known as “the Brown Bomber,” was born in La Fayette, Alabama. He and his family moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1926. Louis made his amateur boxing debut in 1932 and at the end of his amateur career in 1934 had compiled a record […]
Tag Archives | International Boxing Hall of Fame
May 11th in African American History – Floyd Patterson
May 11, 2006 Floyd Patterson, two-time World Heavyweight boxing champion, died. Patterson was born January 4, 1935 in Waco, North Carolina. He 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 […]
April 12th in African American History – Joe Louis
April 12, 1981 Joe Louis, hall of fame boxer known as the Brown Bomber, died. Born Joseph Louis Barrow on May 13, 1914 in La Fayette, Alabama, Louis’ family moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1926. Louis made his amateur boxing debut in 1932 and at the end of his amateur career in 1934 had compiled […]
April 12th in African American History – Sugar Ray Robinson
April 12, 1989 Sugar Ray Robinson, hall of fame boxer, died. Born Walker Smith, Jr. on May 3, 1921 in Detroit, Michigan, Robinson began boxing at the age of 14 and he finished his amateur career with a record of 85 wins and no losses. Robinson made this professional debut in 1940 but his career […]
March 3rd in African American History – Eddie Perkins
March 3, 1937 Eddie Perkins, hall of fame boxer, was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi but raised in Chicago, Illinois. Perkins started boxing professionally in 1956 and was willing to fight anyone anywhere. Over his career, he fought in 23 countries and Puerto Rico. Perkins won the World Lightweight championship in 1962, lost it later that […]
February 25th in African American History – Jersey Joe Walcott
February 25, 1994 Jersey Joe Walcott, hall of fame boxer, died. Walcott was born Arnold Raymond Cream on January 31, 1914 in Merchantville, New Jersey. He 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 […]
February 9th in African American History – Beau Jack
February 9, 2000 Beau Jack, hall of fame boxer, died. Jack was born Sidney Walker on April 1, 1921 in Waynesboro, Georgia but raised in Augusta, Georgia. At the age of 15, he began to fight in battles royal, fights funded by rich white men for their entertainment in which six black men fought blindfolded […]