The First Black Boxing Champions: Essays on Fighters of the 1880’s to The 1920’s

Edited by Colleen Aycock and Mark Scott

The following is an excerpt from a speech, printed with permission, given by Michael Schmidt, Lawyer, at one of his favorite eateries, Zorro’s Steakhouse, at Toronto, Canada.

“This gathering, as designed, is a small group in appreciation of those that have been so helpful. I am here to discuss, as one of the contributing authors, the maiden book launch and book signing for ‘The First Black Boxing Champions: Essays on Fighters of the 1880’s to the 1920’s’ which will take place February 9^th in Atlanta, Georgia.

The book contains fifteen biographical essays detailing great black boxers from an original golden era of the sweet science with an introduction by the legendary Al Bernstein.

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It is of course fitting that a book celebrating great black boxers should have its book launch in Atlanta, Georgia, the home of Martin Luther King Jr., during the month celebrating Black History. Further, it is appropriate that the book launch take place in Atlanta perhaps as a reminder of the importance of sport and culture and Atlanta’s place in the boxing world. It seems just yesterday that Atlanta power brokers, amongst others Sam Massell and Leroy Johnson, did what seemed to be the impossible, in having the courage and conviction to do what few other States would do,  sanctioning and staging the comeback of civil rights icon, and legend, Muhammad Ali against top ranking heavyweight Jerry Quarry. Some forty plus years have passed since that fall night in Atlanta but its importance will live on.

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Sitting ringside that night at the Atlanta City Auditorium was a who’s who list including Diana Ross, Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, Whitney Young, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, and Julian Bond. The significance of the event arranged and hosted in Atlanta, from a civil rights and cultural standpoint was recognized long before legendary ring announcer Johnny Adie took the microphone to introduce the fighters that night. The “man” was back. The unthinkable was happening. Muhammad Ali, in political exile for over three years, had overcome the “system” and would ply his trade. He may not have been the same athlete as pre-exile skills showed but his artistry was more than enough to take a top ranked heavyweight apart in three short rounds. Some ninety years earlier a host of legendary black boxers, and more importantly black MEN, were blazing their own brand of glory.

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I would of course be remiss in not thanking editors Colleen Aycock and Mark Scott for the immense effort they put into this book, which is their “baby” as they say. Further thanks must be given to fellow author, former NBA player and CNN sports announcer, Mike Glenn for playing host in Atlanta.

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Boxing, by its nature, lays bare humanity in many ways: life, death, courage, failure, drama, despair, adversity and so the list goes on.  It is perhaps in this context, this expanse of humanity, that boxing is so popular in film and book study over the years. Legendary writers such as Jack London, Bernard Shaw, A.J. Liebling, Ernest Hemmingway, Damon Runyon, Paul Gallico, Budd Schulberg, Norman Mailer and a host of other great writers have been attracted to the sport. Some of us of course do not like to refer to boxing as a sport. It is not a game although indeed it is ultimate gamesmanship. What could be so pure in its simplicity, at face value, as two individuals, trained in the sweet science, trying to lay waste to the other in reward as a ‘prizefighter, and conversely, what could be so complex, abhorrent to some, as two individuals trying to apply, in a ‘scientific’ manner, physical injuryto another ?                                                                                                                                         None

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None of the individuals involved in this book would have the impudence or audacity to even remotely kindle a thought that they belong with such boxing writers as mentioned here. I am apt to recall a line from the movie Resurrecting the Champ: “ A writer, like a boxer, must stand alone. Having your words published, like entering a ring, puts your talent on display and there is nowhere to hide. The truth is revealed. ”Ideally our written portraits of these men, and the times they lived in will, in some small way, capture their magnificence during a wonderful era.                               

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As a fellow friend of boxing I certainly hope you enjoy these stories of great boxers. More importantly, I hope you enjoy these written celebrations of individual achievement and struggle during a bygone era when boxers were indeed superstars of their time period.

The Book is available through Amazon.com or by clicking here

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