Joe Walcott (March 13, 1873 – October 1, 1935) was a professional boxer from Barbados who reigned as the World Welterweight Champion from 1901 to 1906, becoming the first black man ever to capture the title. He is retrospectively known as Barbados Joe Walcott to distinguish him from American heavyweight Arnold Cream (1914–1994), who adopted the ring name Jersey Joe Walcott to honor his predecessor.
He was elected to The Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1955 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.
Walcott had an exceptional power to his punch, with 60% of his wins achieved through knockout. His manager was Tom O'Rourke.
Nat Fleischer rated Walcott 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. He was elected to The Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1955 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.
Early life and career Walcott was born on March 13, 1873, in British Guiana but migrated to Barbados at a young age. As a youngster, he set out to see the world and got a job as a cabin boy on a ship sailing to Boston that arrived around 1887. He settled in Boston as a piano mover and porter and took other odd jobs as well. Later, he landed a job in a gym and became popular with the best of the boxers as an able opponent before turning professional. His amateur boxing and wrestling years spanned roughly 1887 to 1889.
Professional career His early professional boxing years, between 1890 and 1896, were focused in the areas of Boston and New York City. One of his more noteworthy bouts included a 15-round draw with Mysterious Billy Smith and a 15-round loss to George "Kid Lavigne" in March and December 1895, respectively. He lost to Welsh-born middleweight Tommy West in 1894 and 1897. West acted as a sparring partner for Walcott in late October 1904.
First attempts at the world lightweight and welterweight championships Walcott first challenged for the lightweight championship on October 29, 1897, at the Lennox Athletic Club in New York City, but he 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 championship when Mysterious Billy Smith outpointed him on December 6, 1898. Walcott fought Smith, likely his most frequent opponent, six times in his career.
On February 23, 1900, Walcott met the Jewish light heavyweight Joe Choynski, winning in a surprising seventh-round TKO, though outweighed by 16 pounds and conceding his opponent a full foot advantage in height. Likely sensing the need for a quick start against his opponent, Walcott sent Choynski to the mat five times in the first round and was the aggressor throughout the bout. Choynski, a 3-1 betting favorite before the bout, suddenly became a 2-1 underdog after the bell ending the first round."Joe Walcott Beats Choynski," Argus-Leader, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, pg. 2, 24 February 1900 Walcott seemed to have a slight advantage in the second, though Choynski landed a solid blow. By the third round, Walcott pressed his advantage with a superior defense and landed blows nearly at will before the sound of the bell. The fourth seemed even and the fifth entirely in Walcott's favor, but in the sixth Walcott cut Choynski's right eye. Walcott sent Choynski to the floor again in the seventh, battering his clearly exhausted opponent. Stopping the final round 38 seconds in, the referee said later that he "felt another blow to Choynski would have put him out."Choynski sent to the mat five times in the first in "Walcott a Surprise," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 13, 24 February 1900
On September 27, 1901, Walcott impressively defeated Irish boxer George Gardner in a twenty-round points decision at the Mechanic's Pavilion in San Francisco, California. The pre-fight betting was light before the match with Gardner a 10-8 favorite."Old Joe Walcott Wins Against Gardner," The Missoulian, Missoula, Montana, pg. 1, 28 September 1901 Gardner, at just under six feet, and holding a serious reach advantage over Walcott, would briefly hold the light heavyweight championship of the world from July through November 1903. Walcott was the aggressor throughout the bout, landing more clean blows, though there was a great deal of clinching and wrestling throughout the furious bout, likely a result of the mismatch in reach between the two opponents. In the first round, Walcott brought Gardner to his knees from a left and right to the head for a nine count, though Gardner returned to the fighting unfazed."Boxer Joe Walcott Gains Decision," San Francisco Call, San Francisco, California, pg. 4, 28 September 1901
Taking the world welterweight championship from Rube Ferns, 1901 Walcott won the world welterweight title on December 18, 1901, in Buffalo, New York, from reigning champion James "Rube" Ferns achieving a technical knockout in the fifth round. Ferns, from the reaction of the Buffalo crowd as he entered the ring, appeared to be the favorite. Walcott sent Ferns to the floor twice in the fifth round, the first a solid blow to the jaw. Rube took the count both times. At the end, the referee stopped the bout to prevent a knockout. Ferns began to weaken as early as the third round, and in the fourth Walcott sent Ferns through the ropes."Rube Ferns is Beaten," Courier Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, pg. 3, 19 December 1901 The bout featured a clinch in the fourth round that brought both boxers to the mat, possibly a result of a tiring Walcott attempting to counter Fern's six-inch height advantage and superior reach. The match brought roughly 2,000 spectators to the clubhouse, and tickets ranged from a respectable $2 to $5."Sporting News of the Day," The Buffalo Enquirer, Buffalo, New York, pg. 4, 19 December 1901 The Toronto Star wrote "Walcott battered down Ferns with terrific body blows, and right and left swings to the head. To save Ferns from being completely knocked out, Referee McBride stopped the bout."
After the fight, Rube Ferns stated "Well, he won, and I have nothing to say against it. I don't know anybody at the weight - no, nor a good deal above it - that can beat him."
On June 23, 1902, Walcott faced Tommy West in a title defense of his world welterweight title, facing off against West for the sixth time. In their previous encounter in August 1900, the fight had gone as such according to a newspaper called the Durango Democrat: "The bout had gone eleven rounds very much in Wolcott's favor, as he had punished West very badly about the body and head and had him in a very weakened condition. When the bell rang for the twelfth round, to the surprise of everybody, Wolcott refused to go on, claiming he had injured his left arm. Referee Charlie White, suspecting crookedness, insisted upon Wolcott continuing, but [Wolcott] refused to do so, which left White no alternative other than to declare West the winner. There was quite a large sum of money wagered, with West as favorite and the referee is very outspoken in reference to Wolcott's peculiar actions. Manager Kennedy, on behalf of the club, announced that Wolcott's share of the money would not be given to him, but would be donated to some charitable institution." With their first 5 fights having been in America, they fought their final battle, for the world welterweight championship, at the National Sporting Club, Covent Garden in London, England. Walcott clearly outpointed the Welsh fighter and retained his championship with a 15 round points decision victory overseas.
On June 18, 1903, Walcott fought Young Peter Jackson, an exceptional black contender to a twenty-round draw, in Portland, Oregon, in a match billed as a world welterweight championship. The title did not change hands due to the draw decision. Walcott would later lose to Jackson on June 10, 1904, in a fourth-round knockout during a non-title fight in Baltimore, after receiving a punch to the stomach. Up until the time of the knockout, Walcott was considered to have a slight lead over Jackson, as his blows to the head and neck of his opponent were not landing with much force."Joe Walcott Put Out," The Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Indiana, pg. 8, 11 June 1904 Walcott had previously fought Jackson twice in the winter of 1902 to a win and a draw.
Controversy vs. Dixie Kid in title match, 1904 On April 29, 1904, Walcott defended his title against black contender, Dixie Kid. He was winning the fight handily when the referee disqualified Walcott for no apparent reason in the final seconds of the 20th round. Dick "Duck" Sullivan," the referee, was a last-minute replacement, and Walcott protested the choice before the bout began. Walcott had appeared to have a clear advantage in all but the seventh round. Many in the crowd were shocked with the decision, and Walcott himself was immediately angered at Sullivan, who made the call."Decision Goes to Dixie Kid," San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, California, pg. 8, 30 April 1984 The match was disregarded as a title bout when it was discovered that Sullivan had bet on Dixie Kid to win the match.
Mid-career, and loss of the world welterweight championship to Honey Mellody, 1906 Historic draw with Sam Langford, 1904
Walcott fought the exceptional black boxer Sam Langford in a non-title fight before a modest crowd of 1,200 in Manchester, New Hampshire on September 5, 1904, with the fight ending in a fifteen-round draw.
Langford had the better of the bout for the first seven rounds and staged an excellent defence, but in the remaining eight rounds, Walcott fought furiously in a close battle where the crowd could not anticipate the outcome until the referee's decision."Langford Outboxed Walcott," Minneapolis Journal, Minneapolis, Minnesota, pg.12, 6 September 1904 In the third round, Langford brought Walcott to one knee with a blow to the jaw."Walcott in Draw," The Evening World, New York, New York, pg. 11, 6 September 1904
Historic draw with lightweight champion Joe Gans, 1904
Walcott met world lightweight champion Joe Gans in a non-title fight at Woodward's Pavilion in San Francisco on September 30, 1904, and scored a draw after 20 rounds. Many in the crowd believed Gans should have received the decision. The lightweight champion gained a lead from the second till the tenth, using his right almost exclusively on the body of Walcott. Walcott, however, put tremendous force behind his blows, weakening the lightweight Gans in several points in the bout.
After the tenth, Gans became the superior boxer, avoiding the blows of Walcott and connecting with solid rights and lefts to the face. In the nineteenth round, Gans landed a solid blow to Walcott's jaw that might have ended the fight. In the final round, Gans showed dominance in the in-fighting, though neither fighter took a clear lead. An examination after the fight showed that Walcott had broken his right elbow in the fourth round, though he continued to fight.Walcott broke his elbow in "Fought Walcott to a Standstill," Buffalo Evening News, Buffalo, New York, pg. 8, 1 October 1904
After the Gans fight, on October 18, 1904, Walcott accidentally shot himself in the hand, losing several fingers. Walcott took a year off of boxing to recover from the injury, but it may have effectively limited his remaining years as a world class prizefighter. Walcott, however, continued to box until 1911.
Loss of the world welterweight title to Honey Mellody, 1906