The World Colored Heavyweight Championship, 1876-1937

by Mark Allen Baker

Overview

For six decades the World Colored Heavyweight Championship was a useful tool of racial oppression--the existence of the title far more important to the white public than its succession of champions. It took some extraordinary individuals, most notably Jack Johnson, to challenge "the color line" in the ring, although the title and the black fighters who contended for it continued until the reign of Joe Louis a generation later. This history traces the advent and demise of the Championship, the stories of the 28 professional athletes who won it, and the demarcation of the color line both in and out of the ring.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476639871
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	08/25/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	260
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mark Allen Baker, business executive and author of hundreds of articles and more than 25 books, is the only person to serve the International Boxing Hall of Fame as an author, historian, chairperson, sponsor, volunteer and biographer. He was accorded a Lifetime Award of Merit by the State University of New York in 2022, and inducted into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame in 2023.
Mark Allen Baker, business executive and author of hundreds of articles and more than 25 books, is the only person to serve the International Boxing Hall of Fame as an author, historian, chairperson, sponsor, volunteer and biographer. He was accorded a Lifetime Award of Merit by the State University of New York in 2022, and inducted into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame in 2023.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
One. Clearing a Path
Two. The Core Four
Three. The Black Prince
Four. King of the Battle Royal
Five. Crafty Texan
Six. Colorado Giant
Seven. Galveston Giant
Eight. The Idol of Paris
Nine. Joseph “Joe” Jeremiah Jeannette
Ten. Boston Tar Baby
Eleven. The Black Panther
Twelve. “Big” Bill Tate
Thirteen. The Leiperville Shadow
Fourteen. The Toronto Terror
Fifteen. Bearcat Obie
Sixteen. Driving the Last Spike
Appendix A. Roster of Pool Fighters
Appendix B. World Colored Heavyweight Championship and Timeline—Selected Entries
Appendix C. World Colored Heavyweight Champions & Associated Members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

A fascinating book on a subject that has barely been chronicled in the annals of boxing. ...The World Colored Heavyweight Championship, 1876-1937, just may be his best. ...[an] informative and wonderful book...Mark Allen Baker has that rare knack of sending the readers back in a Wellsian Time Machine into the musty arenas of yesteryear to bear witness to stirring pugilistic battles....Baker takes no prisoners in his indictment of the white Heavyweight Champions who used the ‘Color Line’ to cover up their own racist ideals, or just plain cowardice....superb...Mark Allen’s book is filled with men who used their fists and fought with honor who were the real deal. Their stories deserve to be told, and Mr. Allen rises up to the task with flying colors....highly recommended”—The USA Boxing News

From the Publisher