Dixon was born in Africville, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Known as "Little Chocolate" he stood 5feet 3.5inches (1.613m) tall and weighed only 87 pounds (39kg) when he began his professional boxing career. Dixon is widely credited for developing shadowboxing.[1]
Dixon claimed the world bantamweight title on May 10, 1888, after a bout with Tommy "Spider" Kelly,[3] and was officially considered the champion after knocking out Nunc Wallace of England in 18 rounds two years later on June 27, 1890.
On May 31 1891, Dixon retained his bantamweight crown by beating Cal McCarthy in 22 rounds and then moved up to the featherweight division where he won the World title by beating England's Fred Johnson on June 27, 1892 . While he held the title, Dixon established a vaudeville troupe he called the "George Dixon Specialty Co." which toured Canada and the United States; it appeared at the Naylor Opera House in Terre Haute, Indiana, on November 8, 1894.
On October 4, 1897, he lost the featherweight title by decision in a rematch bout with Solly Smith, who he had previously defeated by seventh-round technical knockout.
In a close bout, he lost to the British featherweight championBen Jordan on July 1, 1898, at New York's Lenox Club in a classic twenty five round points decision by referee Charley White. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "Dixon did the leading but unlike many of those who had previously met the little Colored fighter, Jordan went at him and mixed it all the time." The bout was close, and many believed a draw would have been a better decision. Jordan was down on his hands and knees in the seventh from a blow by Dixon, but the bout contained relatively few knockdowns and no counts. The bout ended with a flurry by Dixon, but the referee did not feel it adequate to award him the decision. The Chronicle actually believed Dixon had the edge in the fighting.[4] The Los Angeles Times also agreed the bout was close and that "Both men fought well and there was little to choose between them".[5][1]
Dixon was in talks to face champion Solly Smith in a third meeting, however, Smith lost the world title in a surprising upset against Dave Sullivan – the bout was stopped in the fifth round after Smith sustained a broken arm.[6] Dixon instead turned his attention to newly crowned champion Sullivan, and on November 11, 1898, he reclaimed the world featherweight title by decisively defeating him in a tenth round disqualification at New York City's Lenox Club. Sullivan had held the title only forty-six days.[7]
Terry McGovern
At the time of the fight the betting favored Dixon, but was close, and briefly went to even odds. For nine rounds in front of eight thousand spectators, Dixon had the advantage.
In the final round, Sullivan's brother Jack walked into the ring twice to speak to the referee, Jimmy Coville, about the time remaining in the round, eventually causing Coville to end the fight in frustration over Jack's infraction. Sullivan could have fought on, though he would have almost certainly lost the fight.[8]
According to some sources, Dixon lost his featherweight title in a 15-round decision to Abe Attell on October 28, 1901, while other sources credit his loss of the title to "Terrible" Terry McGovern almost 2 years prior on January 9, 1900.[citation needed]
By that time, he had moved to Boston, where he had family; it was a destination for other immigrants from Africville.[citation needed]
Dixon died on January 6, 1908, not long after his last fight, in the alcohol ward of Bellevue Hospital. Dixon was living and begging on the streets of New York. Attempts by Dixon's fans to get him back on his feet failed and the media reported the end was near for the former champion who had fallen on dark times. When asked if he had friends who could help, Dixon would tell doctors he had no friends except for former world heavyweight championJohn L. Sullivan.[9]
Part of his hospital bills for the illness that took his life were paid for by a charity boxing tournament put on in January 23, 1908, at Bower's Minery Theatre in New York.[10] He is interred in the Mount Hope Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. A recreation and community centre adjacent Uniacke Square in Halifax is named in his honour. In 2021, Dixon was named a National Historic Person by the government of Canada, on the recommendation of the National Historic Sites and Monuments Board.[11] The commemorative plaque is located at Africville Museum, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Professional boxing record
All information in this section is derived from BoxRec,[12] unless otherwise stated.
Scheduled seven round spar allowed to run nine rounds because of interest
8
Draw
6–0–2
Tommy Doherty
PTS
8
Apr 27, 1888
Way Street Gymnasium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
7
Draw
6–0–1
Patsy Kelley
PTS
15
Mar 21, 1888
Tremont A.C., Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
6
Win
6–0
Ned Morris
TKO
4 (7)
Mar 10, 1888
Athenian Club, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
5
Win
5–0
Barney Finnegan
PTS
7
Feb 17, 1888
Athenian Club, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
4
Win
4–0
Charlie Parton
TKO
6 (10)
Jan 20, 1888
Pelican Club, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
3
Win
3–0
Johnny Lyman
TKO
5 (6)
Jan 1, 1888
Larley A.C., Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
2
Win
2–0
Elias Hamilton
PTS
8
Sep 21, 1887
Way Street Gymnasium, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
1
Win
1–0
Young Johnson
KO
3 (?)
Nov 1, 1886
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
In popular culture
Dixon appears in "Glory Days" (October 20, 2014), episode 3 of season 8 of the Canadian television period drama Murdoch Mysteries.[13] Dixon is played by Canadian actor Milton Barnes.
Related Research Articles
Abraham Washington Attell, often referred to by newspapers as "The Little Hebrew", was an American boxer who became known for his record-setting, six year consecutive reign as World Featherweight Champion from 1906 to 1912, and his nearly consecutive ten-year reign starting in 1902. Said to be a friend of the gangster Arnold Rothstein, Attell was charged with game fixing in the Black Sox Scandal in 1919, but the charges were dismissed before trial. He also was suspected of other infractions including fixing fights, and using drugs during a fight.
Terrible Terry McGovern was an American professional boxer who held the World Bantamweight and Featherweight Championships. He was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania as John Terrence McGovern. Through most of his career he was managed by Sam H. Harris, who remained a lifelong friend. Many boxing historians considered McGovern's greatest attributes his punching ability and signature charges rather than his boxing style or defensive technique. That the majority of his wins were by knockout speaks to the power of his punch.
Harry Jeffra was an American boxer. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he became a World Bantamweight and NYSAC World Featherweight boxing champion. Jeffra's career spanned from 1933 to 1950, and his final record showed 93 wins with, 20 losses, and 7 draws. Jeffra was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998. His manager was Max Waxman and his trainer was Heinie Blaustein.
Featherweight Joe Bernstein was one of the first great boxers to emerge from New York's Lower East Side. He fought for the featherweight championship three times, but lost all three bouts, often in close matches. Nicknamed "The Pride of the Ghetto" in the 1890s, his championship fights endeared him to newly arriving Jewish immigrants.
Harry Harris was an American boxer. He was the World Bantamweight champion from 1901 to 1902, but boxed top-rated opponents throughout his career. Charley Rose ranked Harris as the #10 All-Time Bantamweight.
Thomas William Murphy was a New Zealand boxer. An early World Featherweight Champion, he was the first world champion of any weightclass to come from New Zealand. In his early career, he took the New Zealand Lightweight Championship.
Tommy Paul was a world featherweight boxing champion from Buffalo, New York. He won the world featherweight championship in May 1932, defeating Johnny Pena in a boxing tournament in Detroit. He was inducted into the first class of Buffalo’s Ring No. 44 Boxing Hall of Fame and in 2003 to the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. He retired from the ring in 1935.
Albert Griffiths, better known as Young Griffo, was a World Featherweight boxing champion from 1890 to 1892, and according to many sources, one of the first boxing world champions in any class. Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer rated Griffo as the eighth greatest featherweight of all time. He was inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1954, the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.
Pedlar Palmer, born Thomas Palmer, was an English boxer who held the world bantamweight championship from 1895 to 1899.
Solomon Garcia Smith was an American professional boxer in the featherweight division. He was a World Featherweight champion and is the first world champion of Hispanic descent.
Philip Hickman, who fought under the name Johnny Brown, was an English Jewish bantamweight boxer of the 1920s, though he fought some as a feather and lightweight. Born in Spitalfields, London he won the National Sporting Club (NSC) British bantamweight title, British Empire bantamweight title, and European Boxing Union (EBU) bantamweight title. His professional fighting weight varied from 116 lb, i.e. flyweight to 128 lb, i.e. featherweight., though the majority of his important fights were fought as a bantam.
Austin Rice was a New London boxer who became a Featherweight Title contender on January 14, 1903, when he faced featherweight champion Young Corbett II in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Though he lost the fight, he went toe to toe with a world class competitor for eighteen rounds and would meet four more boxing champions, easily placing him among the World's top ten featherweight boxers for his era.
Frankie Neil was a World Bantamweight champion. Fighting at 114 1/2 pounds, he took the world title from reigning champion Harry Forbes on August 13, 1903, at the Mechanics Pavilion in San Francisco in a second-round knockout of a match scheduled for twenty rounds. Eddie Graney was the referee. Neil held the title only a little over a year, losing it on October 17, 1904, to British boxing champion Joe Bowker.
Harry Forbes was an American boxer who took the World Bantamweight Title on November 11, 1901, when he defeated Danny Dougherty in a second-round knockout in Saint Louis, Missouri. He lost the title three years later, on August 13, 1903, to Frankie Neil in a second-round knockout at the Mechanics Pavilion in San Francisco, California.
Jimmy Reagan (1888-1975) was an American boxer who claimed the World Bantamweight Championship in a twelve-round bout on January 29, 1909 against Jimmy Walsh at Dreamland Rink in San Francisco, California. He lost the title only a month later in an historic twenty round bout on February 22, 1909 to Monte Attell at the Mission Street Arena in San Francisco. Reagan's primary manager was Jack Davis. During his career he fought Battling Nelson, Peanuts Sinclair, future lightweight champion Willie Ritchie, World Feather and Lightweight contender "Mexican Joe" Rivers and reigning lightweight champion Benny Leonard.
Dave Sullivan was an Irish-American boxer who took the World Featherweight Title on September 26, 1898 in a controversial bout against Solly Smith, in Brooklyn, New York on a fifth-round technical knockout, three rounds after Smith had broken his arm. He would hold the title only forty-six days before losing it to the legendary Black champion George Dixon. Dan Donelly was a corner man and may have acted as his trainer.
Ben Jordan, was a British featherweight boxer who took the British World Featherweight Championship on 29 May 1899 in a ninth-round knockout against Harry Greenfield at the National Sporting Club in London, England. On 10 October 1899, Eddie Santry overtook the title defeating him at the Lenox Club in New York in a sixteenth of twenty-round knockout.
Edward M. Santry, was an American featherweight boxer who took the World Featherweight Championship on October 10, 1899, against English Featherweight Champion Ben Jordan in a tenth-round knockout at the Lenox Athletic Club in New York, New York.
Eddie Connolly was a Canadian-born boxer who took the World Welterweight Championship in a twenty-five round points decision on June 5, 1900, against reigning champion Matty Matthews at the Seaside Athletic Club in Brooklyn, New York. Earlier in his career, he took both the Canadian Featherweight Title, and the British Empire World Lightweight Title. He was exceptional to have fought for titles in three weight divisions, and to have fought in both lightweight and welterweight divisions for World Championships. His primary and best known manager was Billy Roche, who also managed champion "Mysterious" Billy Smith. He was also managed by Abe Pollack and by Eddie Kelly during his fights in England.
Tyson Cave is a Canadian professional boxer. He was the first Nova Scotia-born boxer to win a world championship on home soil.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
