Apropos of my thread about black light heavyweights getting title shots before 1940,I wondered if Stribling fought any black opponents in his 224 fights?
As far as I know, Young Stribling and Tommy Loughran didn't fight any black opponents. Of course, Gene Tunney definitely didn't. Are there any top American fighters who were younger than Strib and didn't fight any black opponents? During the late 1920s and early 1930s, it became much more difficult for white American fighters to avoid fighting black opponents. It seemed that the number of American black fighters increased dramatically during that period of time. - Chuck Johnston
A lot of his fights were in the deep south in the 1920s, small or medium sized towns too. Mixed racial contests might have been banned in those places anyway. Tiger Jack Fox claimed to have started out in boxing when he hitched a lift with Young Stribling and ended up being offered a job as a sparring partner.
I'm not saying the" Georgia Peach" was a racist,I've no evidence to imply that.I am saying I find it highly unlikely he could have 224 fights and not one of them, for whatever reason,being against a black opponent.
Young Stribling was a white native of Georgia and was active at a time when there was a great deal of segregation in the United States, especially in the South. By the way, wouldn't a bout between two natives of Georgia, Stribling and Tiger Flowers, have been a natural? - Chuck Johnston
o Well, maybe he did face black opponents. I just don't have a definite answer on that. I think the racial segregation of the times makes the possibility of 224 fights against non-blacks less unlikely.