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 in Boston. Gardner would became a world welterweight contender against Mike "Twin" Sullivan in April of that year. New York's "Evening World", wrote that Walcott's performance "did not come up to expectations", and that Gardner's win "was one of the easiest victories he ever earned." On November 2, 1911, Walcott fought his last reported bout against Tom Sawyer in Lowell, Massachusetts. He walked out of the ring before the bell at the end of the one-sided 12-round technical knockout, and said to the crowd "I'm 40 years old and I guess I'm done with this game." Walcott squandered a fortune