George Dixon (boxer)
| George Dixon | |
|---|---|
Dixon, c. 1894
|
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | George Dixon |
| Nickname(s) | Little Chocolate |
| Rated at |
Bantamweight Featherweight |
| Height | 5 ft 3 1⁄2 in (161 cm) |
| Reach | 69 1⁄2 in (177 cm) |
| Nationality |
 Canadian
|
| Born |
July 29, 1870 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | January 6, 1908 (aged 37) New York City, New York, USA |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 163 |
| Wins | 73 |
| Wins by KO | 36 |
| Losses | 30 |
| Draws | 55 |
| No contests | 6 |
George Dixon (July 29, 1870 – January 6, 1908) was a Black Canadian professional boxer. He was the first black world boxing champion in any weight class, while also being the first ever Canadian-born boxing champion. Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer ranked Dixon as the #1 Featherweight of all-time.
Dixon was inducted posthumously into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955. He was also inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1956 and into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as a first-class inductee in 1990.
Dixon was born in Africville, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Known as "Little Chocolate," he stood 5 feet 3.5 inches (1.613 m) tall and weighed only 87 pounds (39 kg) when he began his professional boxing career. Dixon claimed the World Bantamweight Championship on 10 May 1888 after a bout with Tommy Spider Kelly, and was officially considered the champion after knocking out Nunc Wallace of England in 18 rounds two years later on June 27, 1890. Dixon is credited for developing Shadowboxing.
The following year, on May 31, 1891, Dixon beat Cal McCarthy in 22 rounds to win the Featherweight title. 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.
In a close bout, he lost to the British Featherweight Champion Ben 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. The Los Angeles Times also agreed the bout was close and that "Both men fought well and there was little to choose between them".
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