FAMOUS BLACK PUCILISTS.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 92, 20 December 1912, Page 6

FAMOUS BLACK PUCILISTS.

SHOWED PLUCK EQUAL TO ANY

MEN IN W r HOM THERE WAS NO "YELLOW."

The sport-loving public, especially in America, takes unseemly delight in calling a man yellow. If a- fighter show* the least inclination to quit, or if m the thickest of the fight ho slows up for some reason, perhaps to conserve his forces, and if it turns out that he is beaten, the first thing that comes in the minds of fistic devotees is the accusation, "He's not game." Especially is this attitude applied to negro pugilists. There has been, cause, of course, many negro whalers having been troubled with a lack of courage. But therehave been notable exceptions. Peter Jackson, the great West Indian who battled Jim Corbett 61 rounds to a draw; George Godfrey, the first colored champion heavyweight of America; and Frank Craig, the Harlem Coffee Cooler, for instance. There arei some truly remarkable negro fighters to-day—Johnson, Langford, Jeauette, McYea—but one splendid trio of negro battlers is foremost in pugilistic history. It. was composed of George Dixon, Joe Gans, and Joo Wal-oott--Dixon, tho first, negro world's champion; Gans, nf knock-out fame: Walcott. the Barbadoes terror, whose head was so olos* to his shoulders that it' was next to impossible.to hurt him.' All three won the highest honors the ring can bestow. Dixon was ruler of the featherweights and bantams, Gans of the lightweights, and Walcott became master of the welter?

Dixon was the most popular, negro that ever raised a glove. He was likewise, tho greatest ring artist. He was a different miller from the' genera) run of fighters. Where, as a rule, coming champions knock out most of their opponents in the early days of their careers, Dixon played safe and was content with winning over his opponents. Ho became in turn bantam and featherweight champion of tho world, eventually losing the featherweight title to TeiTv McGovern.

In the nineties Joo Walcott blazed a trail for the lightweights, welterweights, and middleweights that was hard to follow. He was the greatest demon welterweight of two decades, aud was universally feared. He was ani malistic in his' attack and established a string of knook-onts. Walcott. was,apowerful puncher, and never hesitated to fight a. man from 10 to fiOlhs heavier than himself. Walcott got his schooling under George Dixon, who took him in hand when he came from Barbadoes.

Joe. Gans was the namet of a boxing marvel from Baltimore, who rose to tilie heights of lightweight champion in 1902, after 11 years of mixing. He was the third negro to become a titled head. His career was 16 years long. The curtains were lowered on him when Battling Nelson stopped him twice in 1907. Gans was the greatest knocker-out of the ring. Sixty-one forms buried their faces in the carpet at tlie behest of his thudding fists. Gans was both a fighter and boxer—a true artist. He had an eye for distance that was remarkable, and his blows rarely travelled over a couple of inches. He was also a fine blocker.

These three negroes are the most famed in the history of American pugilism. Now Dixon and Gans are dead, and Walcott is reported to ho dying of consumption.