On the 27 June,1890, the Canadian professional boxer, George Dixon [1870-1908], became the first black boxer to win a World Championship in any sport, knocking out England’s Nunc Wallace in 18 rounds

George Dixon

Born in Africville, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dixon won the world bantamweight championship in a bout with ‘Spider’ Kelly in 1888, but he was not officially recognised as the world champion until two years later in 1890.

In 1891, Dixon beat Cal McCarthy in 22 rounds to win the world featherweight title. He lost the title in a rematch with Solly Smith in 1897, who he had previously defeated by a 7th round TKO.

In 1898, Dixon lost his featherweight title to the British Champion Ben Jordan, at New York’s Lenox Club, in a close bout over twenty five rounds by a points decision. In 1898, Dixon reclaimed the world featherweight title by decisively defeating Dave Sullivan in a tenth round disqualification. Sullivan had held the title for just forty-six days, after winning the world title with a surprise win over Smith, when the bout was stopped in the fifth round after Smith sustained a broken arm.

Dixon lost his featherweight title once again in a 15-round decision to Abe Attell in 1901, although some sources credit his loss of the title to Terry McGovern in 1900.

George Dixon, who is credited for having developed ‘shadow boxing’, stood just 5 feet 3.5 inches tall, and weighed in at 87 pounds, when he began his professional boxing career,.

In later life, Dixon established a vaudeville troupe he called the ‘George Dixon Specialty Co.’ which performed on tour in Canada and the United States.

Not long after his last fight, Dixon tragically died, poor and homeless, in the alcohol ward of Bellevue Hospital in 1908, aged 37.

26.June, 2019

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