Fight Nights: The Brief Candle of an American Artist

[H2O Man]

29. Right!

It's interesting -- friend Generic Other mentions the great Jersey Joe Walcott (we both have a "family connection" there!) .....he is an example of a kid who was fighting professionally in his teens. Walcott's "official" record lists his pro debut as being when he was 16. His opponent was an older fellow, Eddie Wallace, who was in his 16th recorded bout.

Actually -- even considering how young Walcott was -- both no doubt had much more experience. But professional boxing had been outlawed for an extended period in the early 1900s, so they would have competed in "bootleg" bouts.

Walcott (or, Arnold Raymond Cream) was typical of a number of young guys back then. Lacking the formal education that could have opened other opportunities, they found employment in construction and other related hard labors. Often, those fields were run by people who were involved in sports. My grandfather, for example, who owned the construction company Joe worked at for much of his early career, owned what was known as a semi-pro baseball team (Grandpa once played against the Yankees). Grandpa's brother was a boxer, though much of his career was spent in the bootleg era.

Walcott, a black young man, and my great uncle, of an Irish immigrant family, began their careers at the approximate age of the young fellow in that painting. It was not an uncommon experience for those in their socio-economic class. Tough way to make a living, that's for sure.