Klondike (boxer)
| Klondike | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | The Black Hercules |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Nationality |
 American
|
| Born | January 1, 1878 |
| Died | February 3, 1949 |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 38 |
| Wins | 24 |
| Wins by KO | 14 |
| Losses | 11 |
| Draws | 3 |
Klondike (1 January 1878 – 3 February 1949) was an African American boxer billed as "The Black Hercules" who 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). Born John Haines or John W. Haynes, 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 made his pro boxing debut against future two-time colored heavyweight champ Frank Childs on 8 January 1898 at Chicago's 2nd Regiment Armory (a fight erroneously credited to lightweight Frank Young Haines). He was K.O.-ed by Childs. 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 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.
According to the Chicago Tribune, "...Johnson knocked Haines down in Round one with an uppercut, and only the bell saved Klondyke..."
Klondike and Johnson fought again twice, with one bout ending as a draw and the third with Johnson winning by a T.K.O.
On 4 September 1898, Frank Childs lost his world colored heavyweight title to George Byers. Regardless of losing the title, Childs fought Bob Armstrong again on 4 March 1899 in Cincinnati, Ohio in a fight announced as a title bought, despite Byers being the legitimate champion. He defeated Armstrong via a TKO in the sixth round of a 10-round bout.
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