What can anyone tell me about him as a boxer? I know that he trained Joe Louis and that he was a talented lightweight. What were his best years as a boxer?
O gosh, I could tell you all about him. but its 3:34 am I am going to bed!!! I will talk to you about him tomorrow! Ill leave you with this He was a 5'11 LIGHTWEIGHT who was so good, that none of the middleweights/light-h/ or heavyweights wanted to fight him.Once he was done beating the guys in his division, he looked for fights in the upper division, and no one wanted a peice of him. He beat greats like sam langford, joe gans, dave holly. One of the best jabs in lightweight history. His crazy attitude that landed him in jail for manslaughter cost him a title shot vs gans. Battling Nelson avoided blackburn like the plague.
Gans had lost the title already by the time Blackburn got jailed. He only got a split newspaper decision in one bout with Gans, where the latter didn't care to train at all for those two 6-round bouts he had with Holly and Blackburn. When they met in a real fight, Gans whipped him easily.
Gans whipped a very raw unseasoned 19 year old Jack Blackburn. Once Blackburn actually hit puberty and became more of a man physically, Blackburn whupped his but.
I absolutely revere Jackie B, he was one of the most feared lightweights in history and as a trainer he took no **** and wanted nothing short of perfection.. Eddie Futch is one of the last links to Jack, Joe was trained by Jackie and Eddie trained alongside them at the Brewster centre in Detroit, Eddie said that if Jack said jump , everyone said "How high.." Eddie would occasionally spar with Louis and he said it was a joy to be around such class.. But when Jack wanted to get through to Joe properly for a fight , the real hard work would be done behind closed doors where it is said that they almost always came to be physical .. Jack brought the best out in Joe.. He knew Boxing PERIOD...
Gans whipped 21 year old Blackburn, who in all probability had a lot more fights than is listed at boxrec.
Blackburn was a good fighter, and trainer. Without him, Joe Louis does not develop the way he did. I have never seen Blackburn on film in the ring. Is there any?
