Sam Langford Fights the Dixie Kid

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As I have written in several posts, the best heavyweight boxers between 1900 and 1919 were the African-American boxers forced to fight each other for the “Colored Championship”.  Even after the great Jack Johnson finally broke the color line and won the World Heavyweight Championship, he would only defend the title against white contenders. As a result, the toughest challengers

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“Terrible” Terry Shows His Power

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“Terrible” Terry McGovern proved to be a rare fighter at the turn of the Twentieth Century.  While smaller boxers packed no power in their punches, McGovern, who scaled between 110 and 126 pounds, possessed tremendous knockout power.  “Terrible” Terry often finished his opponents in the first four rounds. On July 1, 1899, Brooklyn based McGovern met Chicago’s Johnny Richie at

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Boxing’s Effect on Legitimate Wrestling

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In the 1910s, American professional wrestling permanently moved from legitimate wrestling contests to prearranged exhibitions.  Fan interest, promoter control and less wear and tear on the wrestlers all played a role in this transition.  Another less talked about pressure was outside of the sport itself. Prior to the 20th Century, professional boxing was illegal in the United States.  Bare knuckle

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Johnson Outpoints McVey

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On Thursday, February 26, 1903, Jack Johnson defended his World Colored Heavyweight Boxing Championship against the undefeated Sam McVey. McVey brought a 6-0 record with six knockouts into the championship match. Since boxing promoters refused to let Black fighters compete for the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship, the best boxers around the turn of the Century fought for the World Colored

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Man Kills Middleweight King

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After averaging 9 fights a year over the past 7 years, World Middleweight Boxing Champion Stanley “The Michigan Assassin” Ketchel was exhausted.  Ketchel took a vacation on the Missouri ranch of his friend Colonel R. P. Dickerson in an attempt to regain his strength and enthusiasm for fighting.  Ketchel never returned from vacation as he was shot and killed at

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