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
Jack Blackburn Joe Louis took the World Heavyweight Championship from Jim Braddock at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois in an eighth-round knockout. Blackburn had trouble with drinking in his later years while training Joe Louis that likely caused the deterioration of his health. In his career, besides his long work with Joe Louis, Blackburn had roles training Light Heavyweight Champion John Henry Lewis, Bantamweight Champion Bud Taylor, as well as Art Lasky, Jackie Fields, Lew Tendler, Sailor Freedman, and Von Porat. While in Philadelphia, Blackburn briefly trained Jersey Joe Walcott. He died on April 24, 1942 of a heart attack while he