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John Linwood Fox (April 2, 1907 – April 6, 1954), better known as Tiger Jack Fox was an American light heavyweight boxer, who fought from 1928 to 1950.[1][2][3]
Tiger Jack Fox | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Linwood Fox April 2, 1907 |
| Died | April 6, 1954 (aged 47) |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Light heavyweight |
| Height | 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m) |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 180 |
| Wins | 140 |
| Wins by KO | 89 |
| Losses | 23 |
| Draws | 12 |
| No contests | 5 |
Boxing career
editFox claimed he got his start in boxing when he was picked up while hitchhiking in Georgia by boxer Young Stribling. At that time, Stribling was travelling from town to town and engaging in boxing matches, and Fox took a job as a sparring partner.
In their first sparring session, Stribling knocked Fox out with a right hand to the jaw. Fox claimed he didn't sleep that night, reliving the events of the day and studying how to avoid a similar fate the next day. The next day, the two sparred again. Fox won the fight, and was fired as a sparring partner.
Fox then moved to Indianapolis, where he hung around a boxing gym until he was offered a fight. Fox accepted and was on his way. He relocated to Terre Haute, Indiana to train under Bud Taylor and became the "Indiana colored heavyweight champion". He fought frequently for the next nine years without losing. His first loss was to Maxie Rosenbloom. Fox claimed he engaged in over 300 fights, but many were not recorded. He claimed that he had never fought a preliminary bout in his career, just main events.
Fox was defeated by Melio Bettina in his only crack at the light heavyweight championship, New York States Athletic Commission version. In this elimination bout to name a champion, Fox was stopped in the 9th round. Two months before the fight, he was stabbed near the heart in a Harlem hotel in a dispute over a woman.
Fox also fought and knocked out Bob Olin in two rounds, and he knocked out Lou Brouillard in seven. He was knocked out in three rounds by John Henry Lewis.
Fox also won against Jersey Joe Walcott on May 12, 1937, knocking him out in the 8th round. In 1938, Fox again defeated Walcott, this time in the 10th round.
Fox is second on the all-time list for first-round knockouts, and was named to The Ring's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
Fox was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2023, almost 70 years after his untimely death in the associations "Old Timers" category.[4]
References
edit- ^ Kevin Smith (1 October 2002). Boston's Boxing Heritage: Prizefighting from 1882 to 1955. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 117–. ISBN 978-0-7385-1136-8.
- ^ James Curl (7 January 2013). Jersey Joe Walcott: A Boxing Biography. McFarland. pp. 33–. ISBN 978-0-7864-8963-3.
- ^ Nat Fleischer; Sam Andre; Don Rafael (2001). An Illustrated History of Boxing. Kensington Publishing Corporation. pp. 199–. ISBN 978-0-8065-2201-2.
- ^ "Tiger Jack Fox". www.ibhof.com. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
External links
edit- Boxing record for Tiger Jack Fox from BoxRec (registration required)