George Dixon -- Canada

George Dixon was born on 29 July, 1870 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.  He was the first ever Canadian-born boxing champion, while also being the first Black world boxing champion

He stood 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m) tall and weighed only 87 pounds (39 kg) when he began his professional boxing career.  He fought in 23 world championship bouts (some records indicate 33) it was the most that any fighter had achieved until Joe Louis.  George claimed the world bantamweight title when he was 20 defeating Nunc Wallace of England in 18 rounds by knockout on June 27, 1890. The following year, on May 31, 1891, George beat Cal McCarthy in 22 rounds to win the featherweight title. 

Dixon was a lightning fast puncher with an excellent left jab, and a strong right cross to the head.  He was tricky, combative, courageous, difficult to hit, excellent footwork and agility, a real master in the art of self-defence.  As a black man, George often had to fight under unfair and even dangerous circumstances.  Almost every time Dixon fought against a champion, whether foreign or homegrown, he won nearly 90 percent of the draws and losses on his record but the racial attitude of the times judged him to be the loser instead of the winner.  For George to win the fight, it would need to be stopped or he would have to knockout his opponent.  

Dixon reigned as a champion for nearly 10 years, he finally lost the title for good to Terry McGovern who stopped him in the eighth round, it was the first time he had ever been knocked down.  His official record shows 158 bouts, but this fails to record the actual number of fights as many were staged in small dance halls and theatres around the country.  Dixon’s manager claimed, that George had over 800 fights sometimes fighting up to 15 times a week, a record that has never been beaten in the history of the sport.

In all, George won 78 fights, 30 by knockout, and lost 26, 4 by knockout.  He founded the “black school” of pugilism to which Joe Walcott, Jack Johnson, and Joe Gans belonged.  Dixon is also credited for inventing Shadow Boxing and there is a recreation centre named after him in downtown Halifax.  He died on January 6 1909 in New York, USA