Marvin Hart Wins Vacant Title

On July 3, 1905, Marvin Hart entered the fight for the vacant world title as a 3 to 1 underdog.  Jack Root who would be the first light heavyweight championship was the favorite to succeed the recently retired James J. Jeffries.  Jeffries would referee this title match to replace him.

Marvin Hart had recently beaten Jack Johnson.  Widely considered the best boxer in the world but frozen out of title competition because of his race, Jack Johnson would eventually become the first black heavyweight boxing champion.  Marvin Hart proved to be too much for Johnson in 1905.

Hart went by the “Louisville Plumber”, a nod to his hometown and former profession.  Hart also entered the ring with a major handicap that he successfully hid from everyone.  Hart was blind in one eye.

The title match between Marvin Hart and Jack Root would last twelve rounds.  For the first twelve rounds, the match was pretty even.  Ringside observers could not pick a winner in most of the early rounds.  The situation changed in the seventh round.

In the seventh round, Root dropped Hart with a powerful right hand at the end of the round.  At first the ringside official called foul but Jeffries waved it off.  The bell saved Hart, who staggers to his corner.  Most ringside observes thought the match was turning for Root.  Subsequent events would dispel this belief.

Hart began the eighth round looking refreshed.  This round was again even.  In the ninth round, Root began to fade as Hart made his push to win the fight.  Hart’s relentless body attack began to take its toll.

Hart had kept up a continuous barrage of kidney, liver and heart punches.  While boxers can recover from head shots fairly quickly, you normally cannot recover from a body shot.  Nine rounds of pounding the body began to sap Root’s strength.

Root tried to fend off Hart’s attack with a combination of head and body punches.  Hart had to proceed carefully but continued to methodically pound away at the body.  In the twelfth round after breaking from a clinch, Hart let go of a heart punch that dropped Root for good.  Jeffries counted to ten but could have counted to twenty.

Twenty-eight year old Marvin Hart was world champion in a major upset.  Against the odds, Marvin Hart had succeeded due to his perseverance.  While one of the little known world champions today, Hart’s feet was front page news on most of the U.S. newspapers.

Did Marvin Hart’s story inspire you?  What struck you most about this episode from history?  You can leave a comment or ask a question about this or any post on my Facebook page, Twitter profile and Google+ page.

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