George Gardiner (boxer) - Middleweight Champion of The World

Middleweight Champion of The World

Gardner was the number one middleweight contender in 1901 and claimed the World's Middleweight Title that year. He defeated Frank Craig, the Colored Middleweight Champion at London, England, and newspapers declared that Gardner "secured the World Middleweight Title". Afterwards, Gardner challenged Tommy Ryan for the title, but Ryan declined although Gardner was the number one contender for the title.

Gardner then claimed the title after he knocked out Kid Carter in a fight that billed as the "Middleweight Championship of the World". He then pounded Barbados Joe Walcott, the Welterweight Champion of the World, in a 20 - round rematch in 1902 and later that year he knocked out the undefeated Jack Root after 17 rounds at Salt Lake City, Utah in front of a crowd of Arizona miners. Both fighters weighed in at 165 pounds. Reports even claimed Gardner killed Root in the fight.

He then lasted 20 - rounds with Jack Johnson (boxer), the first African - American to hold the World's Heavyweight Title. Gardner weighed in at 155 and Johnson weighed in at 185, and gained the decision on points by knocking the Irishman down twice in the 8th and 14th rounds. However, despite the 30 - pound weight advantage, Johnson failed to knock out the light, fast, clever, and scrappy Irishman.