September 3, 1908 – Prize fighter Tommy Burns was the world champion in the heavyweight division of boxing in the first decade of the 20th-Century. His eye was on the prize of keeping his belt and preparing to step in the ring with the top challenger for his title, Jack Johnson.
The Canadian boxing champion bided his time and spent it well as on this day he traveled down under and knocked out Australian upstart Bill Lang in 6 rounds in Melbourne in a warmup fight for his famous title bout with Mr. Johnson. Burns was finally enticed to fight challenger Jack Johnson at the Sydney Stadium in Rushcutters Bay, Boxing Day 1908.
The fight was to change the history of boxing with Johnson crowned the first black Heavyweight World Champion.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
Madison Street Agreement (Between Chicago Bears and Cardinals)
No one knew it existed. But suddenly, there it was: a dusty, withered document,
A Brief History of the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL For Beginners
The Raiders are one of the 32 teams that make up the National Football
1970 Detroit Lions (First Playoff Game Since 1957 Championship)
The Detroit Lions won the NFL Championship in 1935, defeating the NY Giants 26–7,
The “Fight of the Century” (Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali)
I’ll never forget the night of March 8, 1971. It was one of the
Super Bowl XLIX (New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XLIX, held on February 1, 2015, between the three-time
Adjusting to the NFL Rule Changes in 1978
In 1978, a bunch of new rules geared to improve the passing game showed
Charlie Bidwill’s First Love (Chicago Bluebirds)
It was truly a united front with the involvement of all of the gridiron
Help Select The “All-Time Greatest NBA Centers To Wear Jersey #5”
Looking at sports history and reminiscing about legendary players from different eras is a