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
Minnesota’s Most Winnable Super Bowl (IX)
Every pro football fan knows that the Minnesota Vikings went to four Super Bowls
Boxing Titles: Close But No Cigar
In this episode, I am going to be focusing on several boxers who had
Super Bowl XXII (Broncos vs. Redskins): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXII, which was held on January 31, 1988, between
1971 Dallas Cowboys: Their First Lombardi Victory
Year after year my brother and I waited for our favorite team, the Dallas
Lenny Sachs: Basketball Hall of Famer’s Forgotten NFL Record
Back in the very early days of the National Football League, many of the
Blackjack Mulligan: The Meanest Outlaw In The Ring
I think I was eleven, lying on my stomach watching the TV. Black and
NFL Gratitude to Greats Project (with John Vairin)
John Vairin was diagnosed with a rare occurrence of oral squamous cell cancer. He
NFL Players Who Stepped Into the Boxing Ring
In this segment, I will be speaking of NFL Players who stepped into the