Born 7/3/1861, Racial prejudice may have been the only thing that kept him from a chance to win the heavyweight title. Jackson was a world class fighter but was never given the compatition he deserved.Born in the Virgin Islands he moved to Austraila when he was six years old. By the age of fourteen he was an exellent swimmer and diver and found work on ships.As a young man he was in a street fist fight that recivied attention from the Austraian press.Larry Foley,who managed Young Griffo seen this and went to sign him as a pro.
Jackson won the Australian title in 1886 with a ko of Tom Leeds in the 30th round.Jackson moved on to the United States in 1888.Most top fighters of his time shunned him for racial reasons.John L Sullivan even said of Jackson "I will never fight a negro. I never have, and I never shall." strangly Sullivan had in fact fought a black fighter in the past but would not fight Jackson.
Jackson moved on fighting and winning, he travelled to England where he won the Britsh Empire championship from Jem Smith .He would also fight Jim Corbett around this time which both men would fight to a 61 round draw. Corbett would later say that Jackson could beat any he had ever saw.
[INDENT]Jackson would contiue fighting acting and running a boxing school in London.In 1898,an over the hill Jackson lost to future champion James Jeffries by forth round ko.Jackson returned to Australia with tuberculosis which would kill him soon after.Died 7/13/1901 [WON 23] [LOST 3] [DRAWS 5][TB 33] [KO's 17] [W 5] [WF 1] [Ko'd 3] [ND 1] [NC 1] right -anded 6'1 1/2 192lbs time fought 1883-12/2/1899 hall of fame induction 1990 Known as "the Black Prince"http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=10543
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