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
Barbados Joe Walcott five times in the first round and was the aggressor throughout the bout. Choynski, a 3-1 betting favorite before the bout, suddenly became a 2-1 underdog after the sound of the first round bell. Walcott seemed to have a slight advantage in the second, though Choynski landed a solid blow. By the third round, Walcott pressed his advantage with a superior defense, and landed blows nearly at will before the sound of the bell. The fourth seemed even, with the fifth entirely in Walcott's favor, while in the sixth Walcott cut Choynski's right eye. Walcott sent Choynski to the floor