Joe Walcott
Encyclopedia
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 1911. 'Barbados' Joe Walcott was the idol of the later 'Jersey' Joe Walcott, who chose his to use his idol's real name as his own ring name in his honour.
crown on October 29, 1897, but was TKO'ed by the champion George "Kid" Lavigne
in the 12th round. He was also unsuccessful in his first attempt to win the world welterweight
title when he was outpointed by Mysterious Billy Smith
on December 6, 1898. Walcott won the title on December 15, 1901 from James "Rube" Ferns
via a 5 round TKO.
On April 4, 1904 Walcott defended his title against Dixie Kid
. He was winning the fight handily when the referee disqualified Walcott for no apparent reason in the 20th round. The match was disregarded as a title bout when it was discovered that the referee had bet on Dixie Kid to win the match.
Walcott also fought the well known Sam Langford
to a draw, and met Joe Gans
in a non-title fight. The Gans fight occurred on September 30, 1904, and was scored a draw after 20 rounds. After the Gans fight, Walcott accidentally shot himself in the hand during a New Year's celebration, effectively ending his days as a top prizefighter. While he would return to the ring in 1906 (losing his welterweight crown to William "Honey" Mellody in the process), Walcott never regained his old form, losing most of his subsequent fights.
Walcott squandered a fortune earned in the ring and eventually found employment as a custodian at the old Madison Square Garden.
Nat Fleischer
rated him as the greatest welterweight
of all time, and in 2003 he was included in the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
Jersey Joe Walcott
Arnold Raymond Cream , better known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was a world heavyweight boxing champion. He broke the world's record for the oldest man to win the world's Heavyweight title when he earned it at the age of , a record that would be broken on November 5, 1994, by George Foreman, who...
known by the same name, was born in Demerara
Demerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
, 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 1911. 'Barbados' Joe Walcott was the idol of the later 'Jersey' Joe Walcott, who chose his to use his idol's real name as his own ring name in his honour.
Biography
Walcott spent part of his youth in Barbados. As a youngster, he set out to see the world, and got a job as a cabin boy on a ship sailing to Boston. He soon settled in Boston as a piano mover, porter and other odd jobs. Later, he landed a job in a gym, and became popular with other boxers as a human punching bag before turning professional.Professional career
Walcott first challenged for 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....
crown on October 29, 1897, but was TKO'ed by the champion George "Kid" Lavigne
Kid Lavigne
George Henry "Kid" Lavigne was an American boxer from Michigan. He was the second American boxer to hold the lightweight champion, winning the title on June 1, 1896.-Pro career:...
in the 12th round. He was also unsuccessful in his first attempt to win the world 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...
title when he was outpointed by Mysterious Billy Smith
Mysterious Billy Smith
Mysterious Billy Smith was a Canadian boxer. He turned pro in 1890, and in his ninth fight knocked out Danny Needham to win the welterweight championship in 1892. He held on to it until Tommy Ryan beat him on points in 1894. He won back the vacant title in 1898 by beating Matty Matthews, and lost...
on December 6, 1898. Walcott won the title on December 15, 1901 from James "Rube" Ferns
Rube Ferns
Rube Ferns also known as The Kansas Rube, birth name James Ferns, was a boxer who held the Welterweight Champion Of the World title during his career. Ferns was a tough Kansas man with a "Missouri Show Me" attitude; He was formidable and scrappy with a good punch...
via a 5 round TKO.
On April 4, 1904 Walcott defended his title against Dixie Kid
Dixie Kid
Aaron Lister Brown aka Dixie Kid was an American boxer. He was a controversial contender for the World Welterweight Boxing Championship in 1904....
. He was winning the fight handily when the referee disqualified Walcott for no apparent reason in the 20th round. The match was disregarded as a title bout when it was discovered that the referee had bet on Dixie Kid to win the match.
Walcott also fought the well known Sam Langford
Sam Langford
Sam Langford was a Black Canadian boxing standout of the early part of the 20th century. Called the "Greatest Fighter Nobody Knows," by ESPN. He was rated #2 by The Ring on their list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". Langford was originally from Weymouth Falls, a small community in Nova...
to a draw, and met Joe Gans
Joe Gans
Joe Gans was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Gans was rated as the greatest lightweight boxer of all time by boxing historian and Ring Magazine founder, Nat Fleischer and was known as the "Old Master". He fought from 1891 to 1909.Gans started boxing professionally about 1891 in Baltimore...
in a non-title fight. The Gans fight occurred on September 30, 1904, and was scored a draw after 20 rounds. After the Gans fight, Walcott accidentally shot himself in the hand during a New Year's celebration, effectively ending his days as a top prizefighter. While he would return to the ring in 1906 (losing his welterweight crown to William "Honey" Mellody in the process), Walcott never regained his old form, losing most of his subsequent fights.
Walcott squandered a fortune earned in the ring and eventually found employment as a custodian at the old Madison Square Garden.
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...
rated him as the greatest 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...
of all time, and in 2003 he was included in the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.