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Boxing

What boxers achieved success after the Civil War?

After the Civil War ended, African Americans participated in baseball, horse racing, bicycling, and boxing. On scene by the end of the nineteenth-century was Peter Jackson (1861–1901), known as the “black prince” as well as the “Black Prince of the Ring.” He was called “the most marvelous fighting man of his time.” He was a quick, hard-hitting fighter who was claimed to have been found in San Francisco. Jackson was a sailor who was already known in some places; in 1886 he beat Tom Lees, the champion of Australia. He was a big and unspoiled fighter who became one of the “greatest and most scientific boxers in the world.” In 1892 Jackson won the British Empire heavyweight title and became a public figure. He was an actor in Uncle Tom’s Cabin and other plays, enjoyed a four-year tour, and fought boxing exhibitions. Johnson spent his final years in Australia, where he fought as late as 1899. He died in the Queensland province, where an impressive monument has been erected in his honor.



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