THE GREATNESS OF BEAU JACK

Sidney Walker was born in Augusta, Georgia in the early 1920's. He cam from hardy stock. His grandfather was 7'6" and his grandmother lived to be 112. Walker began his time in the sport in the despicable practices of Battle Royals as a teenager. Despite his size he often won those. Walker shined shoes at the Augusta National Golf Club where he came to the attention of golfing legend Bobby Jones after a handful of professional fights. Jones and 50 members of the club fronted Walker $2500 to go north and get higher quality professional training. And so Beau Jack was born. When fans today watch footage of certain fighters from pre-1950, one often has to watch a given fighter over and over and over again to grasp all the subtleties, all the craft being displayed. Beau Jack is NOT one of those guys. He was a straightforward, strong, resilient, swarming, unbelievably fit two-fisted banger. He took them and gave them. Beau Jack was about the same dimensions as Manny Pacquiao but he was built differently as he had a bigger upper body and skinnier legs. Beau moved to Massachusetts at 18, and at 135 really gets started.

By the time he turned 20 Jack had gone 24-4-1, all in Massachusetts, and came to the attention of New York promoters. He confirms that he's worthy with three wins over trial horses culminating in a win over George Zengaras. In the past six months Zengaras had faced HOFer Bob Montgomery and gone the distance with some kid named Robinson. Jack now begins moving through the ranks, winning more than he loses and fighting mostly at MSG. Finally at 21 and after 53 fights he gets a major opportunity.

Allie Stoltz-Ranked #3, Stoltz had, in just the past six months, just lost a disputed decision to champion Sammy "The Clutch" Angott, beaten HOFer and reigning feather king Chalky Wright. In his very next fight he goes the distance with some guy named Pep. Stoltz is heavily favored. Beau Jack bursts onto the lightweight scene with a seven round stoppage on cuts. TKO7.

Now the championship picture is a little muddled as Angott has been forced to retire due to a hand injury. The NYSAC chooses hard punching Tippy Larkin and Beau Jack.

Tippy Larkin-Already has over 80 wins (he'll finish with 135). He is as slick as they come. To win? Beau must get him. And Beau Jack gets to him. He drops Larkin in the first and knocks him cold in the third with a bolo punch coming off the ropes to become lightweight champion of the world. KO3.

Fritzie Zivic-Now here's one hell of a glory fight six weeks after one wins the crown isn't it? The HOFer is ranked #8 at welterweight. Beau gives up eight pounds but pounds out a close ten round win with the help of Zivic being punished for low blows. Zivic? Low blows? Really? UD10.

Zivic II-The last fight was close enough the two met a month later. jack gives up eleven pounds this time. Another razor close fight, but nobody disputed the decision this time. Jack wins again. UD12.

Henry Armstrong-This is only a month after the Zivic fight. The ATG is not quite what he was. But he was still ranked #2 at welter and one hell of a fighter. How good is Henry at this stage? How about he still had wins over Angott. Willie Joyce and Tippy Larkin coming? Beau Jack out Armstrong's Armstrong and with his left hook making the difference wins a clear decision. UD10.

Bob Montgomery-Six weeks after the Armstrong fight #1 ranked (and HOFer) Montgomery challenges for the title. The Philadelphia Bobcat was fast, fast, fast and he exploits that to dominate Jack and take the lightweight title and a toe to toe battle. UD15.

Montgomery II-Six months after he loses the title, Jack gets his rematch. This time, despite being a 4-1 underdog, Jack is able to impose himself by throwing an unusual punch. A right hook. Montgomery almost finishes him early, but Beau survives and his swarming outguns Montgomery's speed. Jack wins ten rounds on two of the cards and at 22 regains the lightweight crown. UD15.

Lulu Constantina-The #2 ranked feather has recently moved to lightweight. He is a speedy boxer's boxer. This is as contrasting as two styles can be and the cards reflect it. The ref gives Constantina eight rounds and the judges agree Jack won six. SD10.

Sammy Angott-The HOFer and former 135 champion has returned from his hand injury and has fought his way to a #1 ranking. Jack and The Clutch negotiate a ten round, over the weight, draw. D10.

Montgomery III-Since the last fight Montgomery has beaten the living daylights out of ATG Ike Williams. He knocked Ike down three times and won almost every round en route to a 12 round stoppage. The he had been flattened by murderous welterweight puncher Bummy Davis on one. In an EXTREMELY close fight The Bobcat wins eight rounds on two cards in a third brutal fight to take the title back. SD15. Montgomery was once asked if he was "in trouble in that fight. His answer? "You were ALWAYS in trouble with Beau."

Al "Bummy" Davis-This guy is one of the most fascinating characters in boxing history. One of Ring's Top 100 punchers in history, he is ranked #8 at welter. The left hook from hell. How good was it? Bob Montgomery had 75+ fights and had never been stopped. Bummy knocked him cold in 63 seconds. This was a HUGE event at the time with 10,000 being turned away at the gate at MSG. Bummy almost finished Beau in the first round. Then Jack won every remaining round. UD10.

Juan Zurita-The Mexican southpaw is coming off a win over Sammy Angott to win a portion of the 135 crown. In an over the weight fight Beau Jack just pressures him and Zurita has no answers. UD10.

Montgomery IV-This is one of the great and heartwarming scenes in the history of the sport. The War Bond Fight. It is August 4, 1944 and the USA is in the midst of WWII. Two black men, now serving (in non-integrated regiments) in the US Army agree to the following terms. Ten rounds, Montgomery's crown is not on the line, to buy tickets fans must also purchase War Bonds. Thousands of fans buy tickets and War Bonds and then leave the tickets for serving soldiers and sailors. Beau Jack and Bob Montgomery take no purse. The gate? $36 million! Just before the fight, the lights in Madison Square Garden are dimmed except for one. The spotlight on Joe Louis. He gets a deafening ovation. Think about this for a moment. These three men from Georgia, South Carolina and Detroit/Alabama are not equal citizens, they just aren't. And yet they rise above it to do this for their country. I have no words. In Bob Montgomery's own words "I lost but it was my proudest fight because of what it did for our country." What did Beau Jack say? "That was for the country I live in. That was the proudest thing that could happen to me." The least important thing in all this? Beau Jack UD10.

This is really the end of the very best Beau Jack. Though he is only 23 he has had almost 80 fights, it is time to serve and he fights only once in the next 18 months and he's never really quite the same as a welterweight. But Beau Jack at less than his very best is still one hell of a fighter.

Willie Joyce-The #4 ranked lightweight in the past year has fought ATG Ike Williams three times, Tippy Larkin, Allie Stoltz and HOFer Chalky Wright twice. Not too shabby. Beau beats him. UD10.

Johnny Greco-The Canadian welter champ is ranked #4 and has just beaten #5 Tony Janiro two out of three. The two fight to a disputed draw. D10. In the rematch Jack wins eight rounds. UD10.

Sammy Angott-The HOFer is now ranked #8 at welter and is coming off a decision loss to some guy named Robinson. In a startling back and forth fight Angott is down in the second, Jack down twice in the fourth but Beau Jack seals the deal by hammering Angott in the sixth so badly Angott stays on his stool. TKO7.

Tony Janiro-The Youngstown pretty boy is ranked #4. He drops Beau so thoroughly in the fourth that Jack dislocates his kneecap. TKO4. It is Jack's first stoppage loss. Jack is inactive for eight months while he heals.

Johnny Bratton-The Ray Robinson look alike and future welter king is now ranked #7 at lightweight. It is a very close fight when Jack breaks Bratton's jaw in the eighth. TKO8.

Terry Young-Ranked #9 at lightweight. In a catchweight fight (horrors!), Young scrapes by to a SD.

Johnny Greco III-Has fought his way back to #4. Jack travels to Quebec and takes an impossibly close decision. MD10.

Now Beau Jack runs into his nemesis. ATG Ike Williams. They will fight four times. In Beau's words "I couldn't get past him. The better shape I was in the worse I got beat."

Williams I-This absolutely savage match can be found on Youtube. It ends with Williams breaking Jack's jaw. TKO6.

This is really the end of the prime of Beau Jack. He is 27.

Johnny Greco IV-Again in Quebec, this time the Canadian gets him man with two knockdowns and a clean win. UD10.

Kid Gavilan-The ATG and #1 ranked welter has an eight pound advantage and he just hammers Jack UD10.

Lew Jenkins-The great punching Texan HOFer is at the end. In his last fight he went ten rounds with Carmen Basilio. Jack dominates him, drops him with a bodyshot and then hits him low. Jenkins cannot continue after a five minute break and Jack is declared the winner. TKO5.

This is Beau Jack's last big night. He'll go 8-7 in his next 15 fights and retire at 29. After a four year hiatus he'll return because he needs money. He will get a draw with Ike Williams and then quit on his stool in his last fight.

Beau Jack defeated HOFers on seven occasions and ranked fighters on 18 different occasions. He will finish 88-24-3 having headlined at MSG an amazing 21 times. he will end his life shining shoes at the Fountainbleu Hotel In Miami. A deserving HOFer.

Just the fact that at 21 he had 53 fights!!!! Holy crap!!!!

flapanther2001 wrote:Just the fact that at 21 he had 53 fights!!!! Holy crap!!!!

Just keeping busy!

marble just a great job on one of the fighters that represented boxing in its golden era..look at beaus fight schudle and who he fought and at times 5 -6 weeks apart..he litterly today would clean out the lightweight division and do it in ONE YEAR..and today we make excuses galor why a top fighter cant fight 5 times a year..geez..i met beau as a young man in my early twenties and yes at his shoe shine stand..he was a great guy and loved to talk about ike williams zivic and the other guys he fought..he had nothing but praise for them all..
beau jack was all business in the ring.forget stragedy etc etc he was from the mills lane school of lets get it on..thanks for doing this....this greatness series is a lesson not only in boxing history but the common denominater and definition of what truly is a great fighter..a bit hint was they actualy fought fighters instead of ducking the bunch..

marbleheadmaui wrote:

flapanther2001 wrote:Just the fact that at 21 he had 53 fights!!!! Holy crap!!!!

Just keeping busy!

LMFAO!!!

dmar5143 wrote:marble just a great job on one of the fighters that represented boxing in its golden era..look at beaus fight schudle and who he fought and at times 5 -6 weeks apart..he litterly today would clean out the lightweight division and do it in ONE YEAR..and today we make excuses galor why a top fighter cant fight 5 times a year..geez..i met beau as a young man in my early twenties and yes at his shoe shine stand..he was a great guy and loved to talk about ike williams zivic and the other guys he fought..he had nothing but praise for them all..
beau jack was all business in the ring.forget stragedy etc etc he was from the mills lane school of lets get it on..thanks for doing this....this greatness series is a lesson not only in boxing history but the common denominater and definition of what truly is a great fighter..a bit hint was they actualy fought fighters instead of ducking the bunch..

I found an interview conducted with Jack before he died and he comes off as a gentleman, EXTREMELY proud of what he did and yet still able to be compimentary of the men he defeated and those who defeated him. Judging from that alone a genuine class act.

It must have been true, and true at an early age. 50 white guys from Augusta Georgia front this black teenager money in the 1930's?????? He had to be a special man.

The schedule is incredible. A function of the need for money, extraordinary fitness, a love for what he was doing and a rare toughness, right? I mean this guy got his jaw broken, had knee surgery, then dislocates that same kneecap and has surgery again and it never really slowed him.

flapanther2001 wrote:

marbleheadmaui wrote:

flapanther2001 wrote:Just the fact that at 21 he had 53 fights!!!! Holy crap!!!!

Just keeping busy!

LMFAO!!!

Just a different world, right?

marbleheadmaui wrote:

dmar5143 wrote:marble just a great job on one of the fighters that represented boxing in its golden era..look at beaus fight schudle and who he fought and at times 5 -6 weeks apart..he litterly today would clean out the lightweight division and do it in ONE YEAR..and today we make excuses galor why a top fighter cant fight 5 times a year..geez..i met beau as a young man in my early twenties and yes at his shoe shine stand..he was a great guy and loved to talk about ike williams zivic and the other guys he fought..he had nothing but praise for them all..
beau jack was all business in the ring.forget stragedy etc etc he was from the mills lane school of lets get it on..thanks for doing this....this greatness series is a lesson not only in boxing history but the common denominater and definition of what truly is a great fighter..a bit hint was they actualy fought fighters instead of ducking the bunch..

I found an interview conducted with Jack before he died and he comes off as a gentleman, EXTREMELY proud of what he did and yet still able to be compimentary of the men he defeated and those who defeated him. Judging from that alone a genuine class act.

It must have been true, and true at an early age. 50 white guys from Augusta Georgia front this black teenager money in the 1930's?????? He had to be a special man.

The schedule is incredible. A function of the need for money, extraordinary fitness, a love for what he was doing and a rare toughness, right? I mean this guy got his jaw broken, had knee surgery, then dislocates that same kneecap and has surgery again and it never really slowed him.

i remember reading an interview with jack and montgomery. it was pretty good. talking about their fights against each other and williams. jack reminds me of an ATG version of urango.

powerpuncher wrote:

marbleheadmaui wrote:

dmar5143 wrote:marble just a great job on one of the fighters that represented boxing in its golden era..look at beaus fight schudle and who he fought and at times 5 -6 weeks apart..he litterly today would clean out the lightweight division and do it in ONE YEAR..and today we make excuses galor why a top fighter cant fight 5 times a year..geez..i met beau as a young man in my early twenties and yes at his shoe shine stand..he was a great guy and loved to talk about ike williams zivic and the other guys he fought..he had nothing but praise for them all..
beau jack was all business in the ring.forget stragedy etc etc he was from the mills lane school of lets get it on..thanks for doing this....this greatness series is a lesson not only in boxing history but the common denominater and definition of what truly is a great fighter..a bit hint was they actualy fought fighters instead of ducking the bunch..

I found an interview conducted with Jack before he died and he comes off as a gentleman, EXTREMELY proud of what he did and yet still able to be compimentary of the men he defeated and those who defeated him. Judging from that alone a genuine class act.

It must have been true, and true at an early age. 50 white guys from Augusta Georgia front this black teenager money in the 1930's?????? He had to be a special man.

The schedule is incredible. A function of the need for money, extraordinary fitness, a love for what he was doing and a rare toughness, right? I mean this guy got his jaw broken, had knee surgery, then dislocates that same kneecap and has surgery again and it never really slowed him.

i remember reading an interview with jack and montgomery. it was pretty good. talking about their fights against each other and williams. jack reminds me of an ATG version of urango.

THAT'S the one! But Beau Jack had more craft in his pinky than the Caveman. How about an ATG Ricky Hatton?

marbleheadmaui wrote:

powerpuncher wrote:

marbleheadmaui wrote:

dmar5143 wrote:marble just a great job on one of the fighters that represented boxing in its golden era..look at beaus fight schudle and who he fought and at times 5 -6 weeks apart..he litterly today would clean out the lightweight division and do it in ONE YEAR..and today we make excuses galor why a top fighter cant fight 5 times a year..geez..i met beau as a young man in my early twenties and yes at his shoe shine stand..he was a great guy and loved to talk about ike williams zivic and the other guys he fought..he had nothing but praise for them all..
beau jack was all business in the ring.forget stragedy etc etc he was from the mills lane school of lets get it on..thanks for doing this....this greatness series is a lesson not only in boxing history but the common denominater and definition of what truly is a great fighter..a bit hint was they actualy fought fighters instead of ducking the bunch..

I found an interview conducted with Jack before he died and he comes off as a gentleman, EXTREMELY proud of what he did and yet still able to be compimentary of the men he defeated and those who defeated him. Judging from that alone a genuine class act.

It must have been true, and true at an early age. 50 white guys from Augusta Georgia front this black teenager money in the 1930's?????? He had to be a special man.

The schedule is incredible. A function of the need for money, extraordinary fitness, a love for what he was doing and a rare toughness, right? I mean this guy got his jaw broken, had knee surgery, then dislocates that same kneecap and has surgery again and it never really slowed him.

i remember reading an interview with jack and montgomery. it was pretty good. talking about their fights against each other and williams. jack reminds me of an ATG version of urango.

THAT'S the one! But Beau Jack had more craft in his pinky than the Caveman. How about an ATG Ricky Hatton?

how about an ATG ricky hatton in urango's body?

powerpuncher wrote:

marbleheadmaui wrote:

powerpuncher wrote:

marbleheadmaui wrote:

dmar5143 wrote:marble just a great job on one of the fighters that represented boxing in its golden era..look at beaus fight schudle and who he fought and at times 5 -6 weeks apart..he litterly today would clean out the lightweight division and do it in ONE YEAR..and today we make excuses galor why a top fighter cant fight 5 times a year..geez..i met beau as a young man in my early twenties and yes at his shoe shine stand..he was a great guy and loved to talk about ike williams zivic and the other guys he fought..he had nothing but praise for them all..
beau jack was all business in the ring.forget stragedy etc etc he was from the mills lane school of lets get it on..thanks for doing this....this greatness series is a lesson not only in boxing history but the common denominater and definition of what truly is a great fighter..a bit hint was they actualy fought fighters instead of ducking the bunch..

I found an interview conducted with Jack before he died and he comes off as a gentleman, EXTREMELY proud of what he did and yet still able to be compimentary of the men he defeated and those who defeated him. Judging from that alone a genuine class act.

It must have been true, and true at an early age. 50 white guys from Augusta Georgia front this black teenager money in the 1930's?????? He had to be a special man.

The schedule is incredible. A function of the need for money, extraordinary fitness, a love for what he was doing and a rare toughness, right? I mean this guy got his jaw broken, had knee surgery, then dislocates that same kneecap and has surgery again and it never really slowed him.

i remember reading an interview with jack and montgomery. it was pretty good. talking about their fights against each other and williams. jack reminds me of an ATG version of urango.

THAT'S the one! But Beau Jack had more craft in his pinky than the Caveman. How about an ATG Ricky Hatton?

how about an ATG ricky hatton in urango's body?

I'M IN!!!!!!!!!

haha. i just remember the first time i watched one of his fights i was like, "man, this guy is huge!"

powerpuncher wrote:haha. i just remember the first time i watched one of his fights i was like, "man, this guy is huge!"

Here's another physique to wonder about. Ralph Tiger Jones as he upsets Ray Robinson. He weighs only 160??????????