The First Black Boxing Champions - by Colleen Aycock & Mark Scott (Paperback)

About the Book

Reprint. Originally published in 2011 by McFarland & Company.

Book Synopsis

This volume presents fifteen chapters of biography of African American and black champions and challengers of the early prize ring. They range from Tom Molineaux, a slave who won freedom and fame in the ring in the early 1800s; to Joe Gans, the first African American world champion; to the flamboyant Jack Johnson, deemed such a threat to white society that film of his defeat of former champion and "Great White Hope" Jim Jeffries was banned across much of the country. Photographs, period drawings, cartoons, and fight posters enhance the biographies. Round-by-round coverage of select historic fights is included, as is a foreword by Hall-of-Fame boxing announcer Al Bernstein.

Review Quotes

"A definite must read...excellent"-Examiner.com

"A meticulously researched and compelling look at fifteen of the most famous and talented boxers of the turn of the century and after...wonderful...each essay is wonderfully informative and unique chronicling the rise and sometimes-tragic fall of the boxers. The respect these champions deserve is long in coming as is the recognition. This collection of essays pays these men there due and provides the reader a look at how America once treated its superior fighters. This one is not to be missed"-doghouseboxing.com

"A well-conceived and valuable work"-Boxing Monthly

"Extremely well written and chronicled...painstakingly researched, by writers who show a heartfelt passion for their subjects...a must"-Ring Memorabilia

"Splendid.... Much research obviously went into the writing of the essays and they definitely accomplish their goals of informing the reader about these men. The book, itself, is a beautiful piece of work"-Cyber Boxing Zone

About the Author

Colleen Aycock, co-editor for the International Boxing Research Organization, was named to the New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame and is the author, co-author or co-editor of five books on boxing. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mark Scott, a novelist and former Golden Gloves boxer, lives in Austin, Texas. He is a contributor to other publications on the history of boxing.