George Dixon (boxer)

George Dixon
Dixon, c. 1894
Statistics
Real name	George Dixon
Nickname(s)	Little Chocolate
Rated at	Bantamweight Featherweight
Height	5 ft 3 1⁄2 in (161 cm)
Reach	69 1⁄2 in (177 cm)
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1870-07-29)July 29, 1870 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died	January 6, 1908(1908-01-06) (aged 37) New York City, New York, USA
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	163
Wins	73
Wins by KO	36
Losses	30
Draws	55
No contests	6

George Dixon (July 29, 1870 – January 6, 1908) was a Black Canadian professional boxer. He was the first black world boxing champion in any weight class, while also being the first ever Canadian-born boxing champion. Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer ranked Dixon as the #1 Featherweight of all-time.

Dixon was inducted posthumously into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955. He was also inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1956 and into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as a first-class inductee in 1990.^[1]

Boxing career

Dixon was born in Africville, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Known as "Little Chocolate," he stood 5 feet 3.5 inches (1.613 m) tall and weighed only 87 pounds (39 kg) when he began his professional boxing career. Dixon claimed the World Bantamweight Championship on 10 May 1888 after a bout with Tommy Spider Kelly,^[2] and was officially considered the champion after knocking out Nunc Wallace of England in 18 rounds two years later on June 27, 1890. Dixon is credited for developing Shadowboxing.

The following year, on May 31, 1891, Dixon beat Cal McCarthy in 22 rounds to win the Featherweight title. While he held the title, Dixon established a vaudeville troupe he called the "George Dixon Specialty Co.," which toured Canada and the United States. It appeared at the Naylor Opera House in Terre Haute, Indiana, on November 8, 1894.

In a close bout, he lost to the British Featherweight Champion Ben Jordan on July 1, 1898 at New York's Lenox Club in a classic twenty five round points decision by referee Charley White. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "Dixon did the leading but unlike many of those who had previously met the little Colored fighter, Jordan went at him and mixed it all the time." The bout was close, and many believed a draw would have been a better decision. Jordan was down on his hands and knees in the seventh from a blow by Dixon, but the bout contained relatively few knockdowns and no counts. The bout ended with a flurry by Dixon, but the referee did not feel it adequate to award him the decision. The Chronicle actually believed Dixon had the edge in the fighting.^[3] The Los Angeles Times also agreed the bout was close and that "Both men fought well and there was little to choose between them".^[4]

on November 11, 1898, he decisively defeated Dave Sullivan in a World Featherweight Title match that resulted in a tenth round disqualification at New York City's Lenox Club. Sullivan had held the title only forty-six days.^[5] At the time of the fight the betting favored Dixon, but was close, and briefly went to even odds. For nine rounds in front of eight thousand spectators, Dixon had the advantage. In the final round, Sullivan's brother Jack walked into the ring twice to speak to Jimmy Coville the referee about the time remaining in the round, eventually causing Coville to end the fight, in frustration over Jack's infraction. Sullivan could have fought on, though he would have almost certainly lost the fight.^[6]

He lost his title in a 15-round decision to Abe Attell on October 28, 1901.

By that time, he had moved to Boston, where he had family; it was a destination for other immigrants from Africville. He continued to live there. Dixon died in New York City in 1908. He was poor and had no place to live. Part of his hospital bills for the illness that took his life was paid for by a charity boxing tournament put on January 23, 1908 at Bower's Minery Theatre in New York.^[7] He is interred in the Mount Hope Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. A recreation centre in downtown Halifax is named after him.

Notable bouts

Result	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes[8]
Loss	Harlem Tommy Murphy	KO	2 (6)	1905-09-20	National A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Loss	Owen Moran	PTS	6	1904-10-17	National Sporting Club, Covent Garden, London
Loss	Jim Driscoll	PTS	6	1904-02-10	Bristol, Avon
Win	Pedlar Palmer	PTS	20	1903-11-09	Ginnetts Circus, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear
Loss	Digger Stanley	PTS	6	1903-10-12	National Sporting Club, Covent Garden, London
Win	Digger Stanley	PTS	6	1903-08-01	Whitechapel Road, Mile End, London
Loss	Pedlar Palmer	PTS	8	1903-06-27	London
Loss	Jim Driscoll	KO	5	1903-06-01	Wales
Loss	Jim Driscoll	PTS	6	1903-01-24	London
Loss	Pedlar Palmer	PTS	15	1902-09-08	New National Athletic Club, Marylebone, London
Loss	Abe Attell	PTS	15	1901-10-28	West End Athletic Club, Saint Louis, Missouri
Draw	Abe Attell	PTS	20	1901-10-20	Grand Opera House, Cripple Creek, Colorado
Draw	Abe Attell	PTS	20	1901-08-23	Coliseum Hall, Denver, Colorado
Loss	Young Corbett II	PTS	10	1901-08-16	Coliseum Hall, Denver, Colorado
Loss	Terry McGovern	PTS	6	1900-06-23	Tattersall's, Chicago, Illinois
Loss	Terry McGovern	TKO	8 (25)	1900-01-09	Broadway A.C., New York, New York	Lost World Featherweight Title
Win	Oscar Gardner	PTS	25	1898-11-29	Lenox A.C., New York, New York	Retained World Featherweight Title
Draw	Pedlar Palmer	PTS	6	1896-01-30	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Draw	Young Griffo	PTS	10	1895-10-28	Manhattan A.C., New York, New York
Draw	Young Griffo	PTS	25	1895-01-19	Seaside A.C., Coney Island, New York
Win	Solly Smith	KO	7	1894-09-25	Seaside A.C., Coney Island, New York	Retained World Featherweight Title
Draw	Young Griffo	PTS	20	1894-06-29	Boston Casino, Boston, Massachusetts
Win	Torpedo Billy Murphy	DQ	3	1893-12-15	People's Theater, Paterson, New Jersey

References

Further reading

Laffoley, Steven (2012). Shadowboxing: The Rise and Fall of George Dixon. Pottersfield Press. ISBN 978-1897426449

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Dixon (boxer).

• Africville - The Spirit Lives On - History Captured
• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• George Dixon at Find a Grave
• Professional boxing record for George Dixon from BoxRec