Rubin Carter was an American middleweight boxer who is best known not because of his sports career but because of his murder conviction in 1967 and exoneration in 1985. Carter, born in Clifton, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937, was the fourth of seven children. Shortly … Read MoreRubin “The Hurricane” Carter (1937-2014)
Joe Gant, who was given the name Gans by the press, became the first American and African American to hold a world boxing title when he defeated Frank Erne in Fort Erie, Canada, in 1902 to take the World Lightweight Boxing Championship. Gant was born … Read MoreJoe “Gans” Gant (1874–1910)
John Roxborough is best known as the manager of Joe Louis, the heavyweight champion of the world from 1937 to 1949. For more than two decades Roxborough served as Louis’ partner, adviser, and mentor. Roxborough, a former basketball player turned professional gambler, often helped youth … Read MoreJohn W. Roxborough (1892-1975)
Broadway stage comedian Tim Moore, whose career as an entertainer spanned more than 50 years, is best remembered as George “Kingfish” Stevens on the classic Amos ‘n’ Andy series. Born in Rock Island, Illinois in December 1888, Moore began his career dancing on the sidewalks … Read MoreTim Moore (1888-1958)
Michael Gerard Tyson was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1966. He was raised by a single mother in the slums of Brooklyn in what he described as awful living conditions, in poverty, and surrounded by peer pressure. By the time he was … Read MoreMike Tyson (1966- )
Boxing promoter Don King was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1931. The son of a steelworker who died in a smelter explosion, King’s earliest success was the result of his ownership of a popular tavern, where many top black musicians performed, and an illegal bookmaking … Read MoreDon King (1931- )
By all rights Thomas Molyneux should have become recognized as the first world boxing champion from the United States. Born in 1784 to parents enslaved by a wealthy Virginian plantation owner named Molyneux, Tom, because of his size and strength, was selected to engage in … Read MoreThomas Molyneux (1784-1818)
Sports historian Clay Moyle describes Canadian-born Sam Langford as one of the most successful and yet little known boxers of the 20th Century. In the excerpt below, drawn from his recently publisher book titled Sam Langford: Boxing’s Greatest Uncrowned Champion, Moyle makes his case for … Read MoreSam Langford: History’s Forgotten Boxer
Dr. Willie W. Herenton was born on April 23, 1941 in Memphis, Tennessee and served as the first African American mayor of that city. Dr. Herenton is a graduate of LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis and the University of Memphis. At a young age, Herenton demonstrated … Read MoreWillie W. Herenton (1941- )
Joe Frazier, 20th Century heavyweight boxing champion, is principally known for his rivalry with fellow boxer Muhammad Ali. Frazier was born on January 12, 1944 in Beaufort County, South Carolina. One of eleven children, he moved to New York when he was 15 years old to … Read MoreJoe Frazier (1944-2011)
