Sam McVea Battles Jujitsu Fighter

On Sunday, Novembro 9, 1913, African American boxer Sam McVea, or McVey, battled Professor Stevenson, a Jujitsu practitioner, in a mixed styles bout in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.

McVea and Stevenson fought ten, five-minute rounds, with three-minute intermission between rounds.

McVea and Stevenson fought for $100 aparte. In grappler vs. boxer matches, the grappler usually won, but McVea had experience in mixed style bouts.

While living and fighting in Paris, McVea knocked out a Jujitsu practitioner in 1908. However, Professor Stevenson had more skill than McVea’s earlier opponent.

Professor Stevenson threw McVea to start each of the first four rounds. Stevenson held McVea to the floor for about two minutes before McVea surrendered the round to Stevenson. Entering the fifth round, Stevenson looked to be headed for an easy victory.

To start the fifth round, McVea clipped Stevenson, who fell to the Jujitsu carpet. McVea knocked Stevenson down three more times before knocking Stevenson out two minutes into the fifth round.

The referee declared McVea the winner as ring attendants carried Stevenson back to the dressing room. Despite the initial scare, McVea came back to win his second mixed styles bout.

Frozen out of the world title picture because of his race, McVea fought primarily in Europe, then Australia, and finally South America before returning to the United States for good in 1920.

McVea suffered financial hardship in his last couple of years, when he fought out of New York City, and trained other fighters. McVea contracted pneumonia in New York City and died two days before Christmas, Dezembro 23, 1921. McVea was only 37 anos de idade.

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Sources: The Grafton Argus and Clarence River General Advertiser (Grafton, New South Wales, Australia) Novembro 10, 1913, p. 2

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