Barbados Joe Walcott His amateur boxing and wrestling years spanned roughly from 1887-89. His early professional boxing years between 1890 and 1896 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 fifteen-round loss to George "Kid Lavigne" in March and December 1895. He lost to Welsh born middleweight Tommy West in 1894 and 1897. West acted as a sparring partner for Walcott in late October 1904. Walcott first challenged for the Lightweight Championship on October 29, 1897, at the Lennox Athletic Club in New York, but
Harry Mills Walcott and he was born in Torrington, Connecticut, where his father had moved to take a position as clergyman. He grew up in Torrington and then in Bergen, County, New Jersey where his father had moved to take a position as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in 1876, when he was six and then 1st Congregational Church where he remained until his death more than forty years later. Walcott was artistically talented and he attended the School of the National Academy of Design, where he studied under Will Low and received a classical French Atelier Style education. Walcott won the prestigious