Jimmy Britt
(James Edward Britt)
BORN October 5 1879; San Francisco, California DIED January 21 1940; San Francisco, California (Some sources report January 29 1940) HEIGHT 5-6 WEIGHT 127-137 lbs MANAGER Willus Britt RECORD 14-8-1 (6 KO, 2 ND) Britt was a scrappy fighter who carried a good punch and had great confidence in his ability to win; He was "heady," trained hard, and maintained a good pace throughout an entire fight; He never underrated an opponent
He defeated George "Kid" Lavigne, Frank Erne, Young Corbett II, Battling Nelson and gave Joe Gans a whipping before losing on a foul; He never received just credit for his skills
Britt starred in vaudeville after retiring from boxing; He was elected to the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 19761902 Feb 18 Toby Irwin Oakland, Ca W 15 -Some sources report "San Francisco, Ca" Feb 28 Tim Hegarty San Francisco, Ca TK 8 May 29 George "Kid" Lavigne San Francisco, Ca TK 8 -Some sources report 5/25/02 Nov 26 Frank Erne San Francisco, Ca KO 7 1903 Mar 9 Jack O'Keefe Portland, Or LF 6 Apr 28 Willie Fitzgerald San Francisco, Ca W 20 Jun 13 Jack O'Keefe Butte, Mt D 20 Nov 10 Charlie Sieger San Francisco, Ca W 20 Nov 20 Martin Canole Colma, Ca W 25 1904 Mar 25 Young Corbett II San Francisco, Ca W 20 Oct 31 Joe Gans San Francisco, Ca LF 5 -Lightweight Championship of the World; Britt gave Gans a terrific beating and knocked him down four times; The last time, he hit Gans when he was rising and was disqualified Dec 20 Oscar "Battling" Nelson San Francisco, Ca W 20 -Lightweight Championship of the World 1905 May 5 Jabez White San Francisco, Ca TK 20 -Lightweight Championship of the World Jul 21 Kid Sullivan San Francisco, Ca W 20 -Lightweight Championship of the World Sep 9 Oscar "Battling" Nelson Colma, Ca LK 18 -Lightweight Championship of the World 1906 Feb 19 -Joe Gans claimed the fight with Britt was a fake which was arranged by the managers of the fighters; It is thought he did this to get another fight with Britt May 28 Terry McGovern New York, NY ND 10 1907 Jul 31 Oscar "Battling" Nelson San Francisco, Ca W 20 Sep 9 Joe Gans San Francisco, Ca LT 6 -Lightweight Championship of the World; Britt broke his wrist in the fourth round 1908 Mar 3 Oscar "Battling" Nelson Los Angeles, Ca ND 10 Apr 11 Packey McFarland Colma, Ca LT 6 Nov 2 Johnny Summers London, Eng W 10 1909 Feb 19 George Hoey New York, NY TK 5 Feb 22 Johnny Summers London, Eng L 20 Jul 31 Johnny Summers London, Eng LK 9 *** Assistance Was Provided By Sergei Yurchenko ***
Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization
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