Panama Joe Gans bout was technically a world championship, the crowd was described as small. Darden made many of his points with blows to the body of Gans. In a twelve-round newspaper decision by the "Pittsburgh Post" on December 6, 1921, Gans defeated Allentown Joe Gans at McGuigan Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. In January 1921, Panama Joe contracted pneumonia, affecting his long term career ambitions. In 1920 he had won all of his fights, showing his mastery of the boxing world, and his potential as a true World Middleweight Champion. In September and October 1921, Panama Joe would lose to Sailor Darden
Barbados Joe Walcott 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. 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