70 Facts About Jack Blackburn

Charles Henry "Jack" Blackburn was an American boxer and boxing trainer.

Jack Blackburn fought Joe Gans three times in no-decision bouts, defeating him once according to newspaper accounts and made good showings against Harry Lewis, Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, and Harry Greb.

Jack Blackburn found most of his fame training 1937 World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis, but had a significant role in training 1926 Lightweight Champion Sammy Mandell.

Jack Blackburn helped to train World Bantamweight Champion Bud Taylor and World Light-Heavyweight Champion John Henry Lewis as well.

Frank Sutton was his trainer for a large portion of his career after Jack Blackburn came to Pittsburgh to box around 1903.

At one time Sutton operated a boxing club on Ross Street in Pittsburgh, though Jack Blackburn did much of his mid-career boxing in Philadelphia.

Jack Blackburn fought 147 recorded professional fights, often against considerably heavier opponents, though many of his fights were never recorded.

Jack Blackburn met Black Philadelphia boxer Dave Holly on at least five occasions.

Jack Blackburn first met Holly on May 4,1903, drawing with him in a newspaper decision at the Sports Club in Philadelphia.

Jack Blackburn likely lost to Holly in a close six-round newspaper decision on November 21,1903, at the National Athletic Club in Philadelphia.

On January 10,1906, Jack Blackburn defeated Holly at the National Sporting Club in Wilmington, Delaware, in a close six-round newspaper decision.

Jack Blackburn floored Holly with a right to the jaw in the second round, but in the third Holly sent Jack Blackburn to the mat for a count.

Boxing with a three-inch reach advantage on November 2,1903, Jack Blackburn impressively defeated the great World Lightweight Champion Joe Gans in a close non-title, six-round newspaper decision at the Washington Sporting Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jack Blackburn was actually down in the first round from a short right to the jaw, but fought on gamely.

Jack Blackburn scored frequently with straight lefts to Gans, as well as blows to the body.

On March 25,1904, Jack Blackburn lost to Joe Gans in Baltimore, Maryland in a fifteen-round points decision.

On December 31,1903, boxing as a light welterweight at 142, Jack Blackburn lost to 1907 World Welterweight Champion Mike "Twin" Sullivan at the Chelsea Athletic Club in Chelsea, Massachusetts in fifteen rounds in the opinion of most of the Boston newspapers.

On January 8,1904, Jack Blackburn drew with Black boxer Sam Bolen in a close fifteen-round decision at Shlegel's Hall in Baltimore, Maryland.

Jack Blackburn fought Bolen one other time, in a six-round win by newspaper decision on December 3,1904, before the National Athletic Club in Philadelphia.

On October 13,1905, Jack Blackburn fought a fifteen-round pre-arranged draw at the Marlborough Theatre in Marborough, Massachusetts, with Black New York based boxer Larry Temple.

Jack Blackburn fought Temple on September 4,1905, in a twelve-round draw in Sharon Pennsylvania, sandwiched between two bouts with Sam Langford.

Boxing later on June 9,1906, Jack Blackburn lost to Gans in a six-round bout decided in Gans' favor by newspaper decision at the National Athletic Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jack Blackburn fought the extraordinary Sam Langford a noteworthy six times in his career.

On December 23,1903, perhaps in one of his most memorable fights, Jack Blackburn met Langford for the first time in a twelve-round pre-arranged draw at the Central Athletic Club in Boston, Massachusetts.

Three local Boston papers, including the Boston Globe and Herald wrote that Jack Blackburn likely had the better of the bout.

On September 9,1904, Jack Blackburn drew with Langford at the Marlborough Opera House in Marlborough, Massachusetts in a fifteen-round points decision.

Gans and Jack Blackburn met earlier on August 18,1905, in Leiperville, Pennsylvania, in what was considered a great bout, though Jack Blackburn lost in a fifteen-round points decision.

Langford would rightfully claim the World Colored Heavyweight Championship when Jack Blackburn Johnson vacated it in July 1909, and defend it for several fights, though he would be denied a chance at Johnson's new World Heavyweight Title.

On January 2,1904, Jack Blackburn defeated well known light and welterweight Jimmy Gardner at the Central Athletic Club in Boston, Massachusetts in a twelve-round points decision.

On September 14,1904, Jack Blackburn defeated prolific Jewish Philadelphian boxer Blink McCloskey in a six-round newspaper decision by the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Record.

On June 10,1905, Jack Blackburn first met Black Philadelphian boxer George Cole in Philadelphia, losing in a six-round newspaper decision of the Philadelphia Item.

On January 1,1907, Jack Blackburn decisively won his first newspaper decision over Cole at the Philadelphia Athletic Club, giving Cole a "bad whipping".

On June 7,1907, at the New Pen Art Club in Philadelphia, Jack Blackburn won again in a six-round newspaper decision over Cole.

On January 3,1906, Jack Blackburn first met Black boxer George Gunther at New Castle, Pennsylvania in a fifteen-round bout, defeating him in the opinion of several newspapers.

On January 31,1906, Jack Blackburn defeated Gunther by newspaper decision in a ten-round bout in Newcastle, Pennsylvania, though Jack Blackburn was down in both the third and sixth rounds.

Jack Blackburn would meet Gunther a total of ten times drawing with him once, and fighting many close bouts in which he was usually the victor in the opinions of most newspapers.

On May 23,1907, against at Philadelphia's Broadway Athletic Club, Jack Blackburn fought what the local papers ruled a draw with Gunther, though the Pittsburgh Press felt a hard left hook to Gunther's face in the fourth gave him the advantage in the bout.

On July 8, and September 5,1907, Jack Blackburn won by newspaper decision and then lost on points to talented opponent Jim Barry who outweighed him by about twenty pounds in both matches.

On November 20,1907, before around 3000 spectators, Jack Blackburn impressively defeated 1908 World Welterweight Champion Harry Lewis, though the six-round, no-decision bout at the National Athletic Club in Philadelphia was decided by newspaper decision of the Philadelphia Item and Philadelphia Record.

Jack Blackburn appeared to land more blows than Lewis in the first two rounds, but was cautious in the third and fourth.

Jack Blackburn opened up in the fifth and sixth, being urged on by the crowd, and connected with a few powerful rights, particularly one to the ribs of Lewis which caused him to cover up.

Jack Blackburn was outweighed in the bout by slightly under twenty-five pounds, though both boxers were near equal in height.

Jack Blackburn was very briefly down in the fifth from a slip.

Jack Blackburn first defeated Mike Donovan on October 18,1907, in a six-round bout at Industrial Hall in Philadelphia in the opinion of the Philadelphia Record, though several newspapers considered the close fight a draw.

On December 24,1907, Jack Blackburn defeated Donovan in Reading, Pennsylvania at the Bijou Theatre in a ten-round newspaper decision.

Jack Blackburn fought outside the ring at times, which caused him trouble in his life.

Jack Blackburn served four years and eight months for manslaughter as the result of a tragic shooting spree he instigated that led to several deaths in Philadelphia in 1909.

In 1935, Jack Blackburn was indicted for manslaughter, as a result of two shootings in October of that year, though the charges were later dropped.

Jack Blackburn was briefly held in jail on October 21,1935, and probably for a period later in that year.

Jack Blackburn was down for a count of nine from a right to the forehead in the first round.

Jack Blackburn took another count of nine in the fifth round, but throughout the fight he showed pluck and often was the aggressor.

On January 25,1915, Jack Blackburn met 1923 World Middleweight Champion Harry Greb at Duquesne Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, losing in a six-round newspaper decision of the Pittsburgh Post.

Jack Blackburn opened up in the third, sending a stiff left to the jaw of Greb and another to the mouth.

Jack Blackburn had a two-inch advantage in height and reach, though Ahearn was six years younger at only twenty-three to Jack Blackburn's thirty-four, an advancing age for a competitive boxer.

On October 20 and November 3,1916, Jack Blackburn lost twice to powerful hitter Joe Borrell by six-round newspaper decisions at the Nonpareil Athletic Club in Philadelphia.

On June 22,1920, Jack Blackburn met the great future 1923 Colored Light Heavyweight World Champion Kid Norfolk, originally William Ward, losing in a fourth-round knockout at Madison Athletic Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Norfolk reportedly had a twenty-pound advantage on Jack Blackburn and was about thirteen years younger, requiring the referee to stop the bout in the fourth round, as Jack Blackburn could do little against his far stronger opponent.

Jack Blackburn fought the Barbados-born boxer Panama Joe Gans, who had boxed extensively in Panama where he lived prior to 1917.

On July 24,1922, Jack Blackburn lost one of his last bouts to Gans in Indianapolis, Indiana, in a fourth-round technical knockout of a scheduled ten round bout.

Jack Blackburn went down to one knee in the third round and remarked to the referee that he lacked the wind to continue.

Jack Blackburn had trained Mandell on his punching skills from his earliest start in boxing.

Jack Blackburn helped Louis to properly time his blows, improve his punching accuracy, and to focus on proper balance.

Jack Blackburn had trouble with drinking in his later years while training Joe Louis that likely caused the deterioration of his health.

Jack Blackburn died on April 24,1942, of a heart attack while he was being given a routine physical examination.

Only months before his death, Jack Blackburn was in Louis's corner giving him advice.

Jack Blackburn's death came particularly hard for his greatest training protege, world heavyweight champion Joe Louis whom he had trained since Louis's first professional bout.

Jack Blackburn was survived by his widow Laura, a stepson, a brother John, and a sister.

Jack Blackburn is an inductee of the World Boxing Hall of Fame and was an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the non-participant category in 1992.

Jack Blackburn appeared as a character in the opera, Shadowboxer, based on the life of Joe Louis.

Jack Blackburn was portrayed by actor Richard Roundtree in the 2002 film Joe and Max and by James Edwards in the 1953 movie The Joe Louis Story.