Joe Brown (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Joe Brown was an accomplished boxer who won the undisputed Lightweight
Championship of the World in 1956, making 11 successful defences before losing his crown in his old age to Carlos Ortiz
in 1962. Brown was a classic boxer and a knockout puncher. Known as the ‘Creole
Clouter’ and Joe ‘Old Bones’ Brown, he was managed by Lou Viscusi and named The Ring
' s 'Fighter of the Year' for 1961. Brown was finally inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
in 1996.
, USA on May 18, 1926, Joe Brown started work as a grocery assistant, moved into carpentry and then embarked on his professional boxing career at the age of seventeen. He recorded only one contest – winning a four round decision against Leonard Caesar on September 3, 1943 – before being called-up for wartime service. During his 21 month stint with the US Navy, Brown took part in seven Pacific invasions and won the All-Service Lightweight Championship. He was honourably discharged from the service in 1945.
The resumption of Brown's career was initially disappointing. Suffering a third round knock-out by Melvin Bartholomew in July 1945, Brown would not fight again until January 1946, when he dropped a decision over five rounds to Leonard Caesar. Some reward did come a mere seven days later when Brown out-pointed Johnny Monroe, but his career over the following three years would, at best, be chequered.
The impetus for Brown's ultimate success seems to have been provided by a crushing defeat at the hands of future National Boxing Association Welterweight
Champion, Johnny Bratton
, late in 1948, immediately followed by a short spell away from the ring. Through 1949, Brown actually went unbeaten and over the next seven years, he steadily climbed the Lightweight
rankings, laying claim along the way to such notable scalps as Virgil Akins
, Isaac Logart and Teddy ‘Redtop’ Davis.
These fruitful times were not however, without their difficulties. The skilful Brown, standing a lanky 5 feet 7 ½ inches, with a long reach and solid left hand, came to be viewed as dangerous – too dangerous by some astute managers who frequently appeared to steer their charges away from meeting him. Several times, Brown hung up his gloves in despair during his thirteen year wait for a shot at the title. When it came, at the comparatively advanced age of 30, he did not disappoint.
Championship of the World by out-pointing reigning champion, Wallace ‘Bud’ Smith in a non-title bout held in Houston, Texas
, in May, 1956. Four months later, on August 24 and in front of his home crowd, Brown relieved Smith of his crown by way of split decision over fifteen hard fought rounds. Confirmation of Brown's superiority came early in the following year when, defending the Championship for the first time, he knocked Smith out in eleven rounds.
Once Champion, Brown hoped that his newly acquired status would confer the riches and popular recognition denied to him for so long. Yet, as George Gainford (manager of the charismatic and handsome Sugar Ray Robinson
) noted, the name ‘Joe Brown’ was hardly inspirational. Realising this, Brown attempted to solve his problems by billing himself as Joe ‘Old Bones’ Brown. The gimmick worked and he became something of a draw for the remainder of his Championship career.
In all, Brown made eleven successful defences of his title – a record until Roberto Durán
's arrival in the division – and remained Champion for almost six years. After demolishing Smith, Brown bested Orlando Zulueta, Joey Lopes, Ralph Dupas
, Kenny Lane
, Johnny Busso, Paolo Rosi, Cisco Andrade, Bert Somodio and Dave Charnley
(twice). Brown's re-match with Charnley, was named The Ring
s Fight of the Year for 1961.
Nemesis came in the form of the great Carlos Ortiz
from Puerto Rico
. Ortiz – intelligent, agile and ten years Brown's junior – stepped down from the Junior Welterweight division where he had been king until out-pointed by Duilio Loi
, to focus on the richer pickings to be had amongst the World's top Lightweights. He met Brown in Las Vegas
on April 21, 1962 and relieved the ageing Champion of his title after fifteen lackluster rounds to begin his own lengthy domination of the division.
has written that there came to be "little pride left in his performances" as he tried to compensate "for all the hungry years when he had been forced to fight for peanuts" (Cooper, 1990). Joe Brown later became a trainer in New Orleans, Louisiana and led some fighters to become professionals, such as Gregory E. Haines, of Slidell, Louisiana.
Joe Brown died in New Orleans, USA on November 21, 1999.
, The Ring Book Shop Inc., 1959). A cameo of Brown's life and career, including brief details of his military service may be found on page 5. (iii) The International Boxing Hall of Fame's online exhibit http://www.ibhof.com/ provides a very sketchy account indeed of Brown's career, but was used to confirm the date of Brown's induction into that body.
2. Details of Brown's ring record and Championship fights from: (i) The Ring Record Book & Boxing Encyclopedia 1959 (Nat Fleischer
, The Ring Book Shop Inc., 1959), Pages 5, 301 & 896. (ii) The Cyber Boxing Zone http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/joebrown.htm. (iii) The Boxing Records Archive http://www.boxrec.com/print.php?boxer_id=012672. Unusually, this source lists Brown's exhibitions dated October 17, 1952 and April 7, 1958 as being official bouts, while crediting him with a victory on October 10, 1952, that is recorded elsewhere as a seventh round defeat.
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
Championship of the World in 1956, making 11 successful defences before losing his crown in his old age to Carlos Ortiz
Carlos Ortiz
For the Cuban wrestler with the same name see Carlos Julian OrtízCarlos Ortiz is a Puerto Rican who was a three time world boxing champion, twice in the lightweight division and once in the Jr. Welterweights....
in 1962. Brown was a classic boxer and a knockout puncher. Known as the ‘Creole
Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...
Clouter’ and Joe ‘Old Bones’ Brown, he was managed by Lou Viscusi and named The Ring
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
in 1996.
Early life & career
Born into poverty in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, USA on May 18, 1926, Joe Brown started work as a grocery assistant, moved into carpentry and then embarked on his professional boxing career at the age of seventeen. He recorded only one contest – winning a four round decision against Leonard Caesar on September 3, 1943 – before being called-up for wartime service. During his 21 month stint with the US Navy, Brown took part in seven Pacific invasions and won the All-Service Lightweight Championship. He was honourably discharged from the service in 1945.
The resumption of Brown's career was initially disappointing. Suffering a third round knock-out by Melvin Bartholomew in July 1945, Brown would not fight again until January 1946, when he dropped a decision over five rounds to Leonard Caesar. Some reward did come a mere seven days later when Brown out-pointed Johnny Monroe, but his career over the following three years would, at best, be chequered.
The impetus for Brown's ultimate success seems to have been provided by a crushing defeat at the hands of future National Boxing Association Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
Champion, Johnny Bratton
Johnny Bratton
Johnny Bratton, also known as Honey Boy Bratton, , was a professional boxer in the welterweight division...
, late in 1948, immediately followed by a short spell away from the ring. Through 1949, Brown actually went unbeaten and over the next seven years, he steadily climbed the Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
rankings, laying claim along the way to such notable scalps as Virgil Akins
Virgil Akins
Virgil Akins was an American boxer who won the undisputed Welterweight Championship of the World in 1958. Nicknamed ‘Honeybear’, Akins was the first World Champion boxer from St. Louis.-Career:...
, Isaac Logart and Teddy ‘Redtop’ Davis.
These fruitful times were not however, without their difficulties. The skilful Brown, standing a lanky 5 feet 7 ½ inches, with a long reach and solid left hand, came to be viewed as dangerous – too dangerous by some astute managers who frequently appeared to steer their charges away from meeting him. Several times, Brown hung up his gloves in despair during his thirteen year wait for a shot at the title. When it came, at the comparatively advanced age of 30, he did not disappoint.
World Champion
Joe Brown earned his crack at the LightweightLightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
Championship of the World by out-pointing reigning champion, Wallace ‘Bud’ Smith in a non-title bout held in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, in May, 1956. Four months later, on August 24 and in front of his home crowd, Brown relieved Smith of his crown by way of split decision over fifteen hard fought rounds. Confirmation of Brown's superiority came early in the following year when, defending the Championship for the first time, he knocked Smith out in eleven rounds.
Once Champion, Brown hoped that his newly acquired status would confer the riches and popular recognition denied to him for so long. Yet, as George Gainford (manager of the charismatic and handsome Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
) noted, the name ‘Joe Brown’ was hardly inspirational. Realising this, Brown attempted to solve his problems by billing himself as Joe ‘Old Bones’ Brown. The gimmick worked and he became something of a draw for the remainder of his Championship career.
In all, Brown made eleven successful defences of his title – a record until Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán Samaniego is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. A versatile brawler in the ring, he was nicknamed "Manos de Piedra" during his career....
's arrival in the division – and remained Champion for almost six years. After demolishing Smith, Brown bested Orlando Zulueta, Joey Lopes, Ralph Dupas
Ralph Dupas
Ralph Dupas was a boxer from New Orleans who won the world light middleweight championship.-Early boxing career:...
, Kenny Lane
Kenny Lane
Kenny Lane was a famous southpaw boxer. He fought for lightweight and light welterweight titles of the world, once against Joe Brown and twice against Carlos Ortiz.-Early life:...
, Johnny Busso, Paolo Rosi, Cisco Andrade, Bert Somodio and Dave Charnley
Dave Charnley
Dave Charnley was an English lightweight boxer considered to be one of the greatest British fighters in his weight class...
(twice). Brown's re-match with Charnley, was named The Ring
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
s Fight of the Year for 1961.
Nemesis came in the form of the great Carlos Ortiz
Carlos Ortiz
For the Cuban wrestler with the same name see Carlos Julian OrtízCarlos Ortiz is a Puerto Rican who was a three time world boxing champion, twice in the lightweight division and once in the Jr. Welterweights....
from Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Ortiz – intelligent, agile and ten years Brown's junior – stepped down from the Junior Welterweight division where he had been king until out-pointed by Duilio Loi
Duilio Loi
Duilio Loi was an Italian boxer who held the Italian and European lightweight and welterweight titles, as well as the world junior welterweight championship. Loi fought from 1948 to 1962, and retired with a record of 115 wins , 3 losses and 8 draws...
, to focus on the richer pickings to be had amongst the World's top Lightweights. He met Brown in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
on April 21, 1962 and relieved the ageing Champion of his title after fifteen lackluster rounds to begin his own lengthy domination of the division.
Beyond glory
Brown would fight on for another eight years, before retiring in 1970, at the age of 44. His best days long gone, he suffered almost as many defeats as he scored victories. When reflecting on the close of Brown's career, Henry CooperHenry Cooper (boxer)
Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG was an English heavyweight boxer known for the effectiveness of his left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer", and his knockdown of the young Muhammad Ali...
has written that there came to be "little pride left in his performances" as he tried to compensate "for all the hungry years when he had been forced to fight for peanuts" (Cooper, 1990). Joe Brown later became a trainer in New Orleans, Louisiana and led some fighters to become professionals, such as Gregory E. Haines, of Slidell, Louisiana.
Joe Brown died in New Orleans, USA on November 21, 1999.
Sources
1. Biographical Information from: (i) Henry Cooper's 100 Greatest Boxers (Henry Cooper, Queen Anne Press, 1990). See page 32 for the ‘Old Bones’ anecdote and page 33 for Cooper's reflections on the twilight of Brown's career. (ii) The Ring Record Book & Boxing Encyclopedia 1959 (Nat FleischerNat Fleischer
Nathaniel Stanley Fleischer was a noted American boxing writer and collector. Fleischer inaugurated in 1922, encouraged by Tex Rickard, the Ring Magazine publication...
, The Ring Book Shop Inc., 1959). A cameo of Brown's life and career, including brief details of his military service may be found on page 5. (iii) The International Boxing Hall of Fame's online exhibit http://www.ibhof.com/ provides a very sketchy account indeed of Brown's career, but was used to confirm the date of Brown's induction into that body.
2. Details of Brown's ring record and Championship fights from: (i) The Ring Record Book & Boxing Encyclopedia 1959 (Nat Fleischer
Nat Fleischer
Nathaniel Stanley Fleischer was a noted American boxing writer and collector. Fleischer inaugurated in 1922, encouraged by Tex Rickard, the Ring Magazine publication...
, The Ring Book Shop Inc., 1959), Pages 5, 301 & 896. (ii) The Cyber Boxing Zone http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/joebrown.htm. (iii) The Boxing Records Archive http://www.boxrec.com/print.php?boxer_id=012672. Unusually, this source lists Brown's exhibitions dated October 17, 1952 and April 7, 1958 as being official bouts, while crediting him with a victory on October 10, 1952, that is recorded elsewhere as a seventh round defeat.