Black Heavyweight Championship

The Black Heavyweight Championship was a title in pretense claimed by the African American boxer Klondike (January 1, 1878 – February 3, 1949), who was born John Haines or John W. Haynes and by two-time colored heavyweight champ Frank Childs (July 17, 1867 – June 20, 1936).

The 6' tall Klondike fought out of Chicago as a heavyweight at a weight of 190 to 200 lbs. from 1898 to 1911. He took the nickname because he was supposed to be a great find (evoking the Klondike Gold Rush). He also was billed as "The Black Hercules". Childs, "The Crafty Texan", fought professionally out of Chicago from 1892 to 1911. Fighting at a weight of between 160 and 185 lbs., the short, stocky Childs fought middleweights, light-heavyweights and heavyweights.

Klondike declared himself the black heavyweight champion (not to be confused with the World Colored Heavyweight Championship, which he officially fought for just once and unofficially another time). He had made his pro boxing debut against Childs on 8 January 1898 at Chicago's 2nd Regiment Armory, losing by a K.O.. Later that month, on the 29th, Childs won the world colored heavyweight title from Bob Armstrong and his first defense of the title was against Klondike on February 26. Childs won by a T.K.O. in the fourth round of the scheduled six-round bout when the referee stopped the fight.

They fought again four times, as African American boxers were forced to fight one another often due to the color bar. Childs won every fight.

Klondike fought many of the top black heavyweights of his generation, including Jack Johnson, the first black man to win the world heavyweight championship. Ironically, Klondike would first declare himself the black heavyweight champion after beating Johnson in the future world heavyweight champ's third pro fight at Chicago's Howard Theater on 8 May 1899. It was only Klondike's eighth pro bout, himself.

Klondike and Johnson fought again twice, with one bout ending as a draw and the third with Johnson winning by a T.K.O.

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