George Gardiner (boxer)
Encyclopedia
George Gardner was a famous Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 boxer who was the first undisputed Light - Heavyweight Champion of the World. He held claims to both the World Middleweight Title as well as the World Heavyweight Title. Gardner is one of the biggest names in boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 history and one of the most skilled "pound - for - pound" fighters of all - time. He was the second man in history to hold the World's Light - Heavyweight Title, defeating the first Light - Heavyweight Champion, Jack Root
Jack Root
Jack Root was a light heavyweight champion and also fought for the world heavyweight title. He fought out of Chicago, Illinois.-Light heavyweight championship claim:...

 by KO after 12 rounds. Gardner is one of the few in history to have been rated the number one fighter in the world.

He was also the first Irish - American to win the Light - Heavyweight Championship of the World and an internationally famous fighter.

Legacy

George Gardner's name is often misspelled, "George Gardiner", which was an alias although some believe it was the correct spelling. He signed his name "George Gardner" and only newspapers at time would spell his name, "George Gardiner". However, his brother, Jimmy Gardner, signed his name, "Jimmy Gardiner" when handing out autographs. George Gardner is unfortunely most remembered as the young 26 - year old champion who lost his title to 41 - year old Bob Fitzsimmons after a questionable 20 - round decision on points. It made Fitzsimmons a legend, being the first triple title division champion in boxing history. However, George Gardner was always a highly regarded fighter and often avoided by others.

Background

George Gardner was born on March 17, 1877 at County Clare, Ireland on St. Patrick's Day. He was believed to have been the son of an Irish prize - fighter and came from poverty. George and his brothers, Billy and Jimmy Gardner were all well known professional boxers of their era.

Professional career

George Gardner began his career in 1897 when he was 20 years old. He was almost six feet tall and weighed anywhere from 150 to 175 pounds during his career. Gardner won several fights in the New England area, being noted in newspapers as the "Middleweight Champion of New England".

Middleweight champion of the World

Gardner was the number one middleweight contender in 1901 and claimed the World's Middleweight Title that year. He defeated Frank Craig, the Colored Middleweight Champion at London, England, and newspapers declared that Gardner "secured the World Middleweight Title". Afterwards, Gardner challenged Tommy Ryan
Tommy Ryan
Tommy Ryan was a famed welterweight and middleweight champion boxer who fought from 1887-1907. Ryan was considered an excellent boxer-puncher, and many consider him one of the all time greatest middleweight champions. His won lost record is 86 wins , 3 losses and 6 draws...

 for the title, but Ryan declined although Gardner was the number one contender for the title.

Gardner then claimed the title after he knocked out Kid Carter in a fight that billed as the "Middleweight Championship of the World". He then pounded Barbados Joe Walcott
Joe Walcott
Joe Walcott, also known as Barbados Joe Walcott to distinguish him from the American known by the same name, was born in Demerara, British Guyana on March 13, 1873, and died October 1, 1935. Nicknamed "The Barbados Demon" Walcott, stood 5'1½ tall, was a formidable fighter who fought from 1890 to...

, the Welterweight Champion of the World, in a 20 - round rematch in 1902 and later that year he knocked out the undefeated Jack Root
Jack Root
Jack Root was a light heavyweight champion and also fought for the world heavyweight title. He fought out of Chicago, Illinois.-Light heavyweight championship claim:...

 after 17 rounds at Salt Lake City, Utah in front of a crowd of Arizona miners. Both fighters weighed in at 165 pounds. Reports even claimed Gardner killed Root in the fight.

He then lasted 20 - rounds with Jack Johnson (boxer)
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...

, the first African - American to hold the World's Heavyweight Title. Gardner weighed in at 155 and Johnson weighed in at 185, and gained the decision on points by knocking the Irishman down twice in the 8th and 14th rounds. However, despite the 30 - pound weight advantage, Johnson failed to knock out the light, fast, clever, and scrappy Irishman.

Light heavyweight champion of the World

Gardner was a contender for the newly created World's Light - Heavyweight Title in 1903, now weighing about 170 pounds. He then fought Peter Maher
Peter Maher
Peter Kevin Maher is a former Canadian marathon runner who competed mainly in the 1990s. He was a resident of Thornhill, a suburb of Toronto. He was credited for a brief period with the world record time for 25km. Maher represented Canada in the Olympic men's marathons in Seoul, 1988 and...

, the Irish Heavyweight Champion, considered to be the most dangerous hitter of his era. Gardner knocked out Maher within round one and then defeated Marvin Hart
Marvin Hart
Marvin Hart was the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion from July 3, 1905 to February 23, 1906.- Career :...

 by TKO after 12 rounds.

On July 4, 1903, at Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, at the International Athletic Club, after 12 rounds of fighting, George Gardner knocked out Jack Root for the Light - Heavyweight Championship of the World. He was the first Irish - American to hold the title and the first undisputed champion to hold the title. Most records state that Root was the first champion of the division, but others, including George Gardner, had claimed the title before. The Root - Gardner fight was the first Light - Heavyweight Title fight caught on film. Newspapers reported that Gardner knocked Root down seven times.

George Gardner defended his title later that year at age 26 on November 25, 1903 at San Francisco, California, against the 41 - year old Bob Fitzsimmons, who had killed two men in the ring and was the former Middleweight and Heavyweight Champion. After a questionable 20 - round decision on points, Fitzsimmons knocked the young champion down twice and gained a slight decision. After losing the title, George Gardner challenged Fitzsimmons to a rematch, but was denied a second chance at the title.

Gardner was still a highly regarded contender for the Light - Heavyweight Title, even being rated above Bob Fitzsimmons. However, Gardner set his sights on the World's Heavyweight Title. It was held by Marvin Hart, whom Gardner had defeated and drawn with before.

Heavyweight champion of the World

Gardner challenged Marvin Hart for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, but again he was denied a title shot. Afterwards, his career faded by 1906 with losses and draws against Jim Flynn, Al Kaufman, Terry Mustain, and Tony Ross. Gardner retired at age 32 in 1908 with a record of 44 wins, 32 by way of knockout, 12 losses, 7 draws, and 3 no contests.

Gardner kept fighting however, but considered himself a "washed - up prize - fighter". He was said to have fought in over 300 battles. It was said in a newspaper that Gardner "has drawn from their seats in applause more fight fans than any other light - heavyweight, it is declared".

Later life

George Gardner opened a saloon in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, married to Margaret Smith Born 17 Mar 1884 In South Bend, Indiana and Died 12 May 1957 in Chicago, Illinois, and fathered a son in 1905, who also became a professional boxer in the light - heavyweight division using the name, "Morgan Gardiner". Morgan Gardner later began a career as a narcotics detective. George Gardner's brother, Jimmy Gardner
Jimmy Gardner (boxer)
Jimmy Gardner was an Irish-American boxer from 1901 to 1917. Jimmy was the brother of George Gardner, once Light Heavyweight Champion, and Billy Gardner, a boxer as well. He was known as a clever fighter, rather than a power-hitter and only lost four fights in his first eight years...

, claimed the World's Welterweight Title in 1908, making the Gardner brothers the first Irish - American siblings in world history to hold world titles.

George Gardner was also pictured in the summer of 1930 on the front of "Self Defense Quarterly".

George Gardner proved his was a formidable fighter at age 60 when he was "snowy haired", after he knocked out a man who pulled a gun in his saloon. The 'tough guy' was sent to the hospital. Headlines read, "OLD RING CHAMP KO'S TOUGH GUY".

Gardner was once ranked the #1 fighter in the world and he is considered one of the top fighters of all - time, as well as one of the top light - heavyweights of all time.

George Gardner died at age 77 on July 10, 1954 at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois. Newspapers stated that 4 ex - champions were pallbearers at his funeral. George Gardner is still considered one of the greatest light - heavyweight fighters of all - time.

External links

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