Is it possible that the fighters and promoters who drew the color bar acted from honorable motives?

Honourable no, a way of avoiding opponents yes, conforming to society norms of the time yes, a way of not having to face opponents who would not be a financial draw yes, was it not Dempseys promotor Tex Rickard who said a black champion "isn't worth a bucket of ****"?

 

Man, this is a bad post and it's not often I have had to say that to you.

Depriving someone a title fight, a big purse, a step in their career, desrlerved recognition, the opportunity to feed their family... Purely based on the colour of their skin is morally reprehensible.

This is the biggest stain on boxing history and absolutely cannot be justified.

Yes times were different, but it doesn't make it right.

Repression is never done from a moral standing.

 

Lol

 

Another great post, Kev. Nicely put

 

This type of judgement and re-framing of the past serves no purpose.

Big Business reasons are rarely honorable, although they are routinely dressed up as just that.

I think people forget that it was perfectly acceptable to draw the color line back then, else it would have been bad business to do so. Rather, it was seen as good business to protect their fighters and control dominion over the title.

We can look at it now and say, with whatever level of indignation we feel like applying: "That should never have happened."

"We can ask questions like: "Why did it happen?" from a seeming position of moral high-ground and completely forget that fight-dodging continues, to this day, for the sole reason of maximizing profit.

 

What about Larry Gains?

Wasn't he the British Empire champion?

Not disputing the gist of your point of view about the British and their empire, but just wondering how Gains got to be Empire champion.

 

Gains was Canadian.

 

???

But he was a black man, wasn't he? Why did Gains get a shot at the British Empire championship? Why didn't the color line apply to him?

 

My understanding is that black fighters were allowed to fight for the British Empire Title (later the Commonwealth Championship) for which Canadians are able to compete.

 

Honorable motives? In boxing?

 

People can find all sorts of ways to justify things to themselves and others.

People are complicated

 

There was no colour bar on the Empire Titles but these were seen as inferior to the British Title.

 

I think many of issues listed above were used as shields .. hard to believe w huge money at stake things didn't go down for a greater good ..