Earning the nickname, “the Old Master” and still considered by many boxing aficionados as the greatest lightweight fighter of all time, Joe Gans became the first African American title holder in the United States. Mr. Gans is also recognized as one of the first fighters to utilize a scientific approach to his bouts, gauging his opponents’ weaknesses, using sophisticated body position and footwork on both offense and defense and being one of the earliest boxers to employ the ‘jab’ with great effectiveness. Gans’ fighting career spanned the years 1891–1909 and he was champion from 1902-1908. This was the very heart of the ‘Jim Crow’ era in American and it is astonishing that an African-American boxer could overcome all the obstacles of racism to not only ascend to the title but also garner the fame and respect that were afforded him by many in the sports and boxing world. A 1910 San Francisco Call article, commenting on his early death from the effects of tuberculosis proclaimed, “With the passing of Gans, the “Old Master”, the Queensberry ring loses one of the greatest, if not the greatest, fighter who ever battled for a purse, a side bet or a ring of sharpers.
The same article bemoaned the fact that some of his fights were not always, “on the level” and that he had been led astray by his long-time manager, Al Herford. Herford often forced Joe to prop up fighters so that bouts could last longer and occasionally to ‘take a dive’ and lose the bout.
Even with a crooked manager, an often-hostile crowd and public, and unscrupulous promoters that insisted on having Gans fight at unnaturally light weights, Joe Gans’ record is remarkable: 158 wins (100 by knockout), 12 losses, 20 draws and 6 no contests.
Joe was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1874 with the name, Joseph Butts. There is no record of his parents and he was adopted by his foster-mother, Maria Gant, whose name he was given. As a teenager he worked in a local market as an oyster ‘shucker’ and began to fight locally in what were called, “battle royals” where 3 or more fighters, sometimes blindfolded, fought in the ring simultaneously. He quickly developed his boxing skills and Al Herford, recognizing his potential signed him to a contract. It was an early newspaper article that incorrectly spelled his name and he was quoted years later as saying, “ when I became an object of newspaper publicity, some reporter made a mistake and my name appeared as Joe Gans, and as Joe Gans it remained ever since.”
Gans’ most famous fight was against “Battlin’ Nelson” (Oscar Nielsen) in 1905 and is still considered one of the most brutal, hard-fought contests in boxing history. Gans was defending his title on Labor Day in Goldfield, Nevada where temperature at ringside was over 100 degrees. The bout lasted 3 hours with Gans helping Nelson up a number of times after knocking him down. Gans won on a foul in the 42nd round called by the referee against Nelson for a ‘low-blow’. With the winnings from this fight, Joe opened the Goldfield Hotel in Baltimore and a ‘black and tan music club’ that secured his family’s fortunes.
Gans fought 10 times in the Bay Area and often trained at Billy Shannon’s Villa that was at the end of 4th St. in San Rafael. Joe Gans referred to the gym, hotel and restaurant as “home” and was quoted as saying, “This is the healthiest place that I ever saw. It is now winter but there is the grass, sunshine and flowers. The San Francisco smoke and fog never reach you. A few hours after a heavy rain the roads are dry, and a fellow can jog along them and never know that he is training. That is why I always train here.”
(Originally appeared as History Watch article in the Marin Independent Journal)