This is an interesting fellow to read about, apparently he was from the 1800s and was a bare knuckle champion. Is there any info out there on him?
Hiawatha Gray wasn't old enough to have fought in the 1800's. He fought in the 20's during a time when boxing was still outlawed in a lot of states, so on boxrec they have very few fights listed for him despite Gray having way more bouts in his career. That said besides being a great trainer he was a very interesting guy and extremely outspoken to the point that he clashed with Archie Moore and often found himself out of a job only to be hired back soon after. Here is a piece on Hiawatha Gray in 1959 with Gray himself talking about his background and how he discovered Archie Moore. A few weeks ago local boxing and television fans saw "one of our own" on Ralph Edwards' "This is Your Life" TV Program. Of course a large part of the principal subject himself - light-champion Archie Moore - can be claimed as "our own" in Indianapolis. The career of America's greatest current fighter (Sugar Ray Robinson might challenge that) and the boxer who has kayoed more opponents than nay other boxer in history, is interwoven at several points with Naptown and Naptown sports figures. But more of the champ later. Here we're concerned with a dapper, quiet-spoken gentleman who appeared on the program and who is "the man behind the man" - Archie Moore's longtime trainer, Hiawatha Gray. Almost every day, when the champ isn't training you can find Hiawatha at a favorite haunt on Indiana Avenue. He's a man of much thought unusual combination these days. It's always worth while listening to him if you want to form an intelligent opinion of what's really happening in the squared circle. So here goes - "This Is Your Life, Hiawatha Gray"; Born June 28, 1903, at Princeton, KY., the son of William Henry and Mary V. Gray. Hiawatha was brought by his brother to Indianapolis at the age of 11. He was in the 6th grade at School 26 when he became interested in boxing the historic East-side institution. The assistant principal Walter Price had active charge of the boys on the playground, Hiawatha recalls, and Mr. Sumner was in charge of the Boys' Club. He particularly remembers the good influence of the 6th grade teacher Mrs. Maude Perry. "I wasn't exactly a bad boy, but you know -" he smiles, "she used to give me personal attention and direct me toward something I'd like." "Then when I was about 14 the police officer who directed traffic after school, Sgt. Harry Smith, took me to his home and gave me his boxing equipment. He was former welterweight champion of the Navy. I was supposed to honor the equipment and had to report to him." "SGT SMITH PAVED the was for me by giving me the basic treatment a young fighter needs." "I began to search ring history and read all I could about the fellows who made it, such as Jack Johnson, Sam Langford who I still say was the greatest fighter I ever saw; Jack Blackburn, from whom I benefited immensely." "I idolized men like Jack Leslie and Jack Hannibal, a great teacher of mine. One-Round Bess and that bunch were setting the pace at that time." GRAY MOVES CRISPLY through his own boxing career, which took him into 43 states over a 12-year period. He was discovered by Dr. Harry W. Keller of San Antonio, TX. He started as a featherweight and moved up through the light and into the welterweight ranks. "I was always in over my head but always managed to survive." Hiawatha Gray was destined not to win crowns, but to learn how other men won them - and could win them. Or as he puts it in five soft words: "I bowed out with brittle hands." there followed a 7-year period outside of boxing. It ended for the 33-year-old Hiawatha Gray on a night in October, 1936. The place was the National Guard Armory, 711 N. Penn. THE WORLD'S light-heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis, was fighting on a card promoted by Lloyd C. Carter. Hiawatha had gone to the fight with Cal Thompson, astute proprietor of Cal Thompson's Barber Shop in the Hume-Mansur Building where he has been confidant and critic of Indiana's political and financial great through the decades. Thompson had conceived the ambition of managing a first-class fighter, Hiawatha says. "Cal asked me did I see anything out there that was worth anything. " "I said, Yes, there was a boy in the preliminaries that is a natural champ. I like his way of moving." "Cal told me to find out his name." "I found out his name was Archie Moore." https://imgur.com/UrMHm4W https://imgur.com/CVAbEtx
