Harris Martin (April 2, 1865 – April 26, 1903) was an American boxer known as "The Black Pearl". He declared himself the first colored middleweight champion of the world after a fight with "Black Frank" Taylor in Minneapolis in 1887. Harris' legacy is that of being one of the first African-American boxing celebrities in the United States, with public acclaim during his time extending throughout the Midwest region. Over a century after his death, Harris was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.
Early life Harris Martin was born in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 1865. There is little historic record of his pre-boxing career life.
Career Harris' boxing acumen was discovered while he worked as a waiter at a hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As Harris began boxing in backrooms and outside saloons, he gained a reputation for his "sledgehammer" punches and came to be known as "The Black Pearl". At just tall and weighing 150 pounds, Martin was a muscular and compact fighter. Charles Hadley and George Phillips, two other prominent African American boxers, served as his trainers.
Martin declared himself the world colored middleweight champion after beating "Black Frank" Taylor in Minneapolis on May 2, 1887, when he knocked out Taylor in the 38th or 40th round of their bout. Harris and Taylor had fought six times between December 22, 1886, and the title bout; Martin lost their first fight, won the second, then drew the next four contests. (They then fought an exhibition.)
After beating Taylor, Martin declared himself the World Colored Middleweight Champion. (They fought one more time that December, a bout that resulted in a draw.) Harris lost his title to Ed Binney on November 30, 1891, in San Francisco, California. On February 29, 1892, he was defeated by Charley Turner, "The Stockton Cyclone", who claimed the title but never defended it. Binney was considered the lineal champ.
Martin racked up a career record of 53 wins (with 39 K.O.s) against 11 losses (K.O.-ed seven times) and 15 draws. He lost one newspaper decision.
Personal life and death Harris was married, but later divorced. Drinking and socializing dominated the later part of his boxing career and post-career life. After several arrests, he was banned from being in the City of Minneapolis. In 1900, after he retired from his 15-year boxing career, he moved to Seattle, Washington. He later moved back to Minnesota and resided in Saint Paul.
Harris died from heart failure on April 26, 1903, in Saint Paul at the age of 38. His funeral was a major event in the Twin Cities. He was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Maplewood.
Legacy Harris is considered a pioneer in the sport of boxing around the turn of the 20th century alongside Oscar Gardner, Danny Needham, Patrick Killen, and others. He was one of the first notable African American athletes in the Midwestern United States. Harris was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.
Professional boxing record All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated.
Official record
All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted to the win/loss/draw column. ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes83Win54–11–15 Mr. ThomasTKO4 (?)Dec 15, 190082Loss53–11–15 Young Peter JacksonKO2 (?)Dec 20, 189981Draw53–10–15 Jim SellarsPTS8Oct 20, 189980Loss53–10–14 Con JacobusTKO4 (?)Sep 18, 189979Draw53–9–14 Jim SellarsPTS10Sep 13, 189978Loss53–9–13 Charley HolcombeNWS6Feb 6, 189777Loss53–9–13 Andy WatsonPTS4Jan 16, 189776Draw53–8–13 Jack RamseyPTS20Mar 3, 189475Loss53–8–12 Bobby DobbsKO19 (?)Jan 30, 189374Loss53–7–12 Joe KingKO36 (?)Oct 21, 189273Win53–6–12 Tom HarringtonKO2 (?)May 31, 189272Draw52–6–12 Jimmy LawlerPTS10Apr 18, 189271Win52–6–11 Ed MoehlerKO2 (?)Apr 7, 189270Loss51–6–11 Hank GriffinKO4 (?)Apr 1, 189269Loss51–5–11 Charles TurnerKO19Feb 29, 189268Loss51–4–11 Ed BinneyRTD25 (?)Nov 30, 189167Win51–3–11 Paddy GormanKO4 (?)Oct 26, 189166ND50–3–11 Spike TrainorND4Sep 5, 189165Win50–3–11 George GannonKO3 (?)Aug 23, 189164Win49–3–11 Joe EllingsworthKO5 (?)Jul 21, 189163Win48–3–11 Tom MurrayKO7 (?)May 29, 189162Win47–3–11 Mike SullivanKO1 (?)May 16, 189161Loss46–3–11 Jerry HeggertyPTS5May 12, 189160Win46–2–11 Frank LewisTKO5 (6)May 7, 18915945–2–11 Bob FitzsimmonsND4May 1, 189158Draw45–2–11 Denny KelliherPTS10Feb 10, 189157Win45–2–10 Jim HightowerKO3 (?)Nov 20, 189056Win44–2–10 Denny KelliherPTS20Nov 3, 189055Win43–2–10 Jim HightowerPTS8Sep 9, 189054Draw42–2–10 Frank LewisPTS8Jun 27, 189053Win42–2–9 Dick MooreTKO4 (6)May 23, 189052Win41–2–9 Dick MooreKO7 (?)Feb 3, 189051Win40–2–9 Ed MoehlerKO8 (?)Dec 9, 188850Win39–2–9 James AsterKO1 (?)Oct 5, 188849Draw38–2–9 Charles HadleyPTS8Aug 10, 188848Draw38–2–8 James LeggerPTS10Aug 3, 188847Win38–2–7 J.P. SmithKO4 (?)Jul 14, 188846Win37–2–7 Dick HaleyPTS4Jun 15, 188845Win36–2–7 J.P. DonnerPTS10Jun 1, 188844Win35–2–7 John DwyerKO2 (?)May 25, 188843Win34–2–7 Charles GleasonPTS6May 18, 188842Win33–2–7 Ed HarrisPTS4Apr 8, 188841Win32–2–7 Hunter BriscoeKO6 (8)Mar 2, 188840Win31–2–7 Ed MoehlerPTS8Dec 30, 188739Draw30–2–7 Frank TaylorPTS10Dec 10, 188738Win30–2–6 James LeggerDQ13 (15)Nov 11, 188737Win29–2–6 James LeggerTKO5 (10)Nov 1, 188736Win28–2–6 Paddy NortonKO3 (?)Sep 6, 188735Win27–2–6 OH SmithPTS4Aug 5, 188734Win26–2–6 Tom JacksonKO5 (?)Jul 15, 188733Win25–2–6 Frank TaylorKO38 (?)May 2, 188732Win24–2–6 Desperate CoonTKO3 (4)Apr 22, 188731Win23–2–6 Charles HadleyPTS8Apr 15, 188730Draw22–2–6 Frank TaylorPTS12Apr 1, 188729Win22–2–5 Charles HadleyPTS8Mar 25, 188728Draw21–2–5 Frank TaylorPTS10Mar 18, 188727Win21–2–4 Dan SommersKO4 (?)Mar 11, 188726Win20–2–4 Tom DevineKO5 (5)Mar 3, 188725Win19–2–4 Will YoungKO2 (?)Feb 27, 188724Win18–2–4 Black StrapKO4 (10)Feb 18, 188723Win17–2–4 Jim O'BrienKO4 (?)Feb 7, 188722Draw16–2–4 Dan ManningPTS10Jan 28, 188721Win16–2–3 Frank TaylorPTS15Jan 21, 188720Win15–2–3 Dan SommersKO3 (?)Jan 7, 188719Win14–2–3 George GannonKO11 (?)Jan 3, 188718Loss13–2–3 Frank TaylorPTS10Dec 22, 188617Win13–1–3 Young McKayKO4 (8)Dec 21, 188616Win12–1–3 Dan SommersTKO7 (?)Dec 5, 188615Win11–1–3 Black StrapPTS4Dec 3, 188614Draw10–1–3 Jim O'BrienPTS4Dec 2, 188613Win10–1–2 Cass BrownPTS8Nov 14, 188612Win9–1–2 Billy YoungKO9 (?)Sep 27, 188611Win8–1–2 Jack MurphyKO3 (?)Sep 7, 188610Win7–1–2 Billy YoungKO9 (?)Sep 6, 18869Loss6–1–2 Joe ButlerPTS4Aug 7, 18868Win6–0–2 Tom HendersonKO3 (?)Jul 3, 18867Draw5–0–2 Mike HighlandPTS4Jun 22, 18866Win5–0–1 Charles JohnsonKO3 (4)Jun 16, 18865Win4–0–1 Bill BoughblyKO3 (?)Jun 11, 18864Win3–0–1 Bill TraversKO1 (4)Jun 4, 18863Win2–0–1 Bill DavisKO3 (4)May 18, 18862Win1–0–1 Tom HendersonKO5 (?)May 8, 18861Draw0–0–1 Jack BurkePTS4Mar 19, 1886
Unofficial record
Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions to the win/loss/draw column. ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes83Win54–12–15 Mr. ThomasTKO4 (?)Dec 15, 190082Loss53–12–15 Young Peter JacksonKO2 (?)Dec 20, 189981Draw53–11–15 Jim SellarsPTS8Oct 20, 189980Loss53–11–14 Con JacobusTKO4 (?)Sep 18, 189979Draw53–10–14 Jim SellarsPTS10Sep 13, 189978Loss53–10–13 Charley HolcombeNWS6Feb 6, 189777Loss53–9–13 Andy WatsonPTS4Jan 16, 189776Draw53–8–13 Jack RamseyPTS20Mar 3, 189475Loss53–8–12 Bobby DobbsKO19 (?)Jan 30, 189374Loss53–7–12 Joe KingKO36 (?)Oct 21, 189273Win53–6–12 Tom HarringtonKO2 (?)May 31, 189272Draw52–6–12 Jimmy LawlerPTS10Apr 18, 189271Win52–6–11 Ed MoehlerKO2 (?)Apr 7, 189270Loss51–6–11 Hank GriffinKO4 (?)Apr 1, 189269Loss51–5–11 Charles TurnerKO19Feb 29, 189268Loss51–4–11 Ed BinneyRTD25 (?)Nov 30, 189167Win51–3–11 Paddy GormanKO4 (?)Oct 26, 189166ND50–3–11 Spike TrainorND4Sep 5, 189165Win50–3–11 George GannonKO3 (?)Aug 23, 189164Win49–3–11 Joe EllingsworthKO5 (?)Jul 21, 189163Win48–3–11 Tom MurrayKO7 (?)May 29, 189162Win47–3–11 Mike SullivanKO1 (?)May 16, 189161Loss46–3–11 Jerry HeggertyPTS5May 12, 189160Win46–2–11 Frank LewisTKO5 (6)May 7, 18915945–2–11 Bob FitzsimmonsND4May 1, 189158Draw45–2–11 Denny KelliherPTS10Feb 10, 189157Win45–2–10 Jim HightowerKO3 (?)Nov 20, 189056Win44–2–10 Denny KelliherPTS20Nov 3, 189055Win43–2–10 Jim HightowerPTS8Sep 9, 189054Draw42–2–10 Frank LewisPTS8Jun 27, 189053Win42–2–9 Dick MooreTKO4 (6)May 23, 189052Win41–2–9 Dick MooreKO7 (?)Feb 3, 189051Win40–2–9 Ed MoehlerKO8 (?)Dec 9, 188850Win39–2–9 James AsterKO1 (?)Oct 5, 188849Draw38–2–9 Charles HadleyPTS8Aug 10, 188848Draw38–2–8 James LeggerPTS10Aug 3, 188847Win38–2–7 J.P. SmithKO4 (?)Jul 14, 188846Win37–2–7 Dick HaleyPTS4Jun 15, 188845Win36–2–7 J.P. DonnerPTS10Jun 1, 188844Win35–2–7 John DwyerKO2 (?)May 25, 188843Win34–2–7 Charles GleasonPTS6May 18, 188842Win33–2–7 Ed HarrisPTS4Apr 8, 188841Win32–2–7 Hunter BriscoeKO6 (8)Mar 2, 188840Win31–2–7 Ed MoehlerPTS8Dec 30, 188739Draw30–2–7 Frank TaylorPTS10Dec 10, 188738Win30–2–6 James LeggerDQ13 (15)Nov 11, 188737Win29–2–6 James LeggerTKO5 (10)Nov 1, 188736Win28–2–6 Paddy NortonKO3 (?)Sep 6, 188735Win27–2–6 OH SmithPTS4Aug 5, 188734Win26–2–6 Tom JacksonKO5 (?)Jul 15, 188733Win25–2–6 Frank TaylorKO38 (?)May 2, 188732Win24–2–6 Desperate CoonTKO3 (4)Apr 22, 188731Win23–2–6 Charles HadleyPTS8Apr 15, 188730Draw22–2–6 Frank TaylorPTS12Apr 1, 188729Win22–2–5 Charles HadleyPTS8Mar 25, 188728Draw21–2–5 Frank TaylorPTS10Mar 18, 188727Win21–2–4 Dan SommersKO4 (?)Mar 11, 188726Win20–2–4 Tom DevineKO5 (5)Mar 3, 188725Win19–2–4 Will YoungKO2 (?)Feb 27, 188724Win18–2–4 Black StrapKO4 (10)Feb 18, 188723Win17–2–4 Jim O'BrienKO4 (?)Feb 7, 188722Draw16–2–4 Dan ManningPTS10Jan 28, 188721Win16–2–3 Frank TaylorPTS15Jan 21, 188720Win15–2–3 Dan SommersKO3 (?)Jan 7, 188719Win14–2–3 George GannonKO11 (?)Jan 3, 188718Loss13–2–3 Frank TaylorPTS10Dec 22, 188617Win13–1–3 Young McKayKO4 (8)Dec 21, 188616Win12–1–3 Dan SommersTKO7 (?)Dec 5, 188615Win11–1–3 Black StrapPTS4Dec 3, 188614Draw10–1–3 Jim O'BrienPTS4Dec 2, 188613Win10–1–2 Cass BrownPTS8Nov 14, 188612Win9–1–2 Billy YoungKO9 (?)Sep 27, 188611Win8–1–2 Jack MurphyKO3 (?)Sep 7, 188610Win7–1–2 Billy YoungKO9 (?)Sep 6, 18869Loss6–1–2 Joe ButlerPTS4Aug 7, 18868Win6–0–2 Tom HendersonKO3 (?)Jul 3, 18867Draw5–0–2 Mike HighlandPTS4Jun 22, 18866Win5–0–1 Charles JohnsonKO3 (4)Jun 16, 18865Win4–0–1 Bill BoughblyKO3 (?)Jun 11, 18864Win3–0–1 Bill TraversKO1 (4)Jun 4, 18863Win2–0–1 Bill DavisKO3 (4)May 18, 18862Win1–0–1 Tom HendersonKO5 (?)May 8, 18861Draw0–0–1 Jack BurkePTS4Mar 19, 1886
See also
World Negro Middleweight Championship
References
External links MNOpedia Harris Martin