As Jack managed and trained fighters, he once again began to contemplate his own return. Beau hadn’t retired on a good note. He had lost his last two fights in 1951 to Gil Turner. Even worse, in their previous bout, Turner knocked him out. Beau was 33 years old and had been out of the ring for almost four years. He also had two bad knees that had been operated on several times. According to Beau, however, his body and mind were prepared to return to boxing.
Boxers rarely succeed in revisiting the ring after retirement. One of boxing’s greatest heavyweight champions, Joe Louis (1914–1981), failed in his comeback attempt several years earlier. The “Brown Bomber” retired as the heavyweight world champion after he knocked out “Jersey” Joe Walcott on June 25, 1948. It’s a title Louis held over twelve years while amassing an incredible professional record of 49–1. After retiring, Louis was informed by the IRS that he owed over $500,000 in back taxes and penalties for incomplete tax returns filed by his manager’s accountant.
Although Louis grossed near $4.6 million during his career, he received less than $800,000. With his numerous businesses that he invested in failing and his back taxes continuing to accumulate interest, the former champ was in dire financial straits. Louis had no choice but to return to the ring. A year after returning to the ring, the 37-year-old “Brown Bomber” ran into 27-year-old and future boxing legend Rocky Marciano in Madison Square Garden. In a nationally televised fight on October 26, 1951, Marciano destroyed Louis, knocking him out and giving him the third loss of his career. “At 2:36 of the eighth round in Madison Square Garden last night, the old Brown Bomber was stretched on his back on the apron of the ring in a pathetic finish to one of the most fabulous stories in all sports.”1 It was sickening to see one of America’s first popularly idolized black champions on the canvas.
The great Joe Louis was finished. Tears filled his dressing room after the fight. His Army buddy and middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson cried, reporters were choked up, and even Rocky Marciano stopped by Joe’s dressing room to say he was sorry.
Another legendary boxer, former welterweight and middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson (1921–1989), was also attempting a comeback. Robinson retired in 1952 with a record of 133–3–2 after fighting for almost twelve years. Although he won his first comeback fight on January 5, 1955, knocking out Joe Rindone, he was embarrassed on national television in his second contest against unranked Ralph Jones. Jones knocked Robinson around the ring, leaving the former two-time champion bleeding from his nose and with a cut over his right eye on his way to winning a stunning decision. It was only the fourth time Robinson had tasted defeat in 140 bouts.
Unbeknownst at the time, Robinson, unlike Joe Louis, survived his initial disappointments to carry on for over 10 more years, finally retiring at 44 years old. Surprisingly, he even won the middleweight title two more times, holding the title for a record five times. But, Beau was not Robinson.
In the midst of Louis’ failed comeback attempt and Robinson’s beating on national television, Beau was determined to fight again, and boxing would furnish needed money. Moreover, in his mind, he still believed he could contend for a title. Several months later, on December 28, 1954, promoter Dick Wilson announced he had signed Jack for the first fight of his 1955 comeback attempt. His opponent was none other than his former pupil, Eddie Green (1926–2013). The ten-round middleweight bout was scheduled for January 20, 1955 at the Township Auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina.
Constructed in 1930, the Township Auditorium is a three-story brick building, featuring Georgian Revival architecture and a columned entrance. It has a seating capacity of 2,500 to 3,500. At the time, it was strictly segregated. White and black patrons sat in separate areas, had separate entrances, and separate restrooms. Subsequently, in 2005, the Township Auditorium was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Beau’s comeback efforts at 33 years of age with a twice-broken kneecap were condemned by many. Syndicated International News Service (INS) sportswriter Pat Robinson was aghast that a boxing commission anywhere could even contemplate issuing a boxing license to Beau. “We read with jaundiced eye a story advising us that somebody down in South Carolina is going to promote a comeback fight for Beau Jack,” wrote Robinson. “If the cops don’t step in and stop such an atrocity, the SPCA should.”2 The risk of injury was just too high. Although Jack was reportedly broke, “it is better for a man to be broke than to take a chance on permanent injury for a few bucks.”3 He was jeopardizing too much just to make a little pocket change. He was simply too old and battle-scarred to box again.
Jack’s former manager Chick Wergeles was incensed when he heard the news of Beau’s plan to return to the ring. “I read a report that Jack is going to make a comeback in Columbia, S.C., next month,” said Wergeles. “He won’t fight if I can help it. I signed him to a five-year contract back in 1952, so he couldn’t fight again. He’d get hurt.”4 Concerned for his former fighter, Chick emphasized that his knees were still bad. Wergeles saw firsthand what happened in Beau’s last fight with Gil Turner and predicted with apprehension that Beau would get hurt because of his bad left knee.”
Promoter Dick Wilson wanted none of the criticism. He retorted publicly that the fight would go on unless legal action was taken to prevent it. “We will endeavor to go through with the fight for I feel after personally observing Jack that he is in good physical condition.”5 Furthermore, as far as he knew, Chick was no longer Beau’s manager. Alarmed, Wergeles tried to prevent the contest, insisting that he had a private contract with Jack through 1957 and would not permit him to fight again.
Jack kept training during all the confusion and proudly proclaimed that he was ready for action and that his bum knee was resilient again. Meanwhile, on January 5, 1955, the Richland County Boxing Commission governing the bout declared that Beau had passed physical examinations by two Columbia physicians and was adequately ready for his fight against Eddie Green.
Having entertained Wergeles’ plea, the New York State Athletic Commission investigated the managerial contract and several days later concluded that the contract Wergeles had with Beau expired in 1951. Wergeles countered the Commission, admitting that his contract on file expired in 1951 but insisted that he had a private agreement with Beau to prevent him from boxing and suffering permanent injury. Wergeles’ contract allegation was quickly dismissed. However, the NYSAC continued to refuse to issue a license to Beau Jack.
Fran Walosin of the Elmira Advertiser took the Richland County Boxing Commission to task, proclaiming that the Commission exhibited boxing’s cruelest characteristic by issuing Jack a license. “For anyone interested, this is the boxing game displaying its cruelest side—the squeezing of a last few bucks out of a once great at the risk of permanent injury to the fighter,” denounced Walosin. “The fact that the Richland County, S.C. Carolina Boxing Commission has reinstated Jack after his license has been revoked for 44 months despite warnings from the fighter’s ex-manager that Jack is risking severe injury, is another example of the glaring need for a national body to govern boxing.”6 Irrespective of the warnings, the bout was set to occur on January 20.
Beau was frustrated about all the condemnation regarding his comeback but was not thwarted in his efforts. He affirmed that he was ready and able to fight again. “I’m beginning to get that killer feeling again…. I won’t disgrace myself…. If the fight lasts only one round, it’ll still be a good fight, because I’ll be giving everything I’ve got for every second.”7
Beau trained laboriously at his old stomping grounds, Stillman’s Gym in New York. First things first. Jack cut his weight from 169 pounds to 147 pounds. His trick to trimming his weight was purportedly “having ‘those little fellers,’ boys of 95–100 pounds, run on his stomach while he was lying flat on his back.”8 His training also included arduous road work, and he began sparring regularly. When in Augusta, he worked out at the YMCA and Camp Gordon. Beau was eager to thrill his fans and hear their thunderous ovations once again. It had been four years, one month, and three days since he had last stepped in the ring.
His opponent and former apprentice, middleweight Eddie Green, had credentials that would worry any fighter contemplating a comeback. Green was 27 years old, almost seven years younger than Beau. He was taller and outweighed Beau 159 pounds to 147 pounds. Moreover, Green had never suffered a knockout and had won 48 of his 60 professional fights.
On fight night, the scene was tense. Everyone was anxious to see how Beau would perform. As usual, Jack came out the aggressor at the opening bell. Unlike his previous fights, however, Beau was flat-footed and showed little of his previous whirlwind style. Green, for his part, kept Beau at bay using long left jabs, driving Beau off balance, while he scored hard body punches. Disconcerting, it was evident that Beau’s left knee was bothering him during the fight, the same one that had led to his retirement. He dragged his left leg at times, and his bounce was merely a memory of the past. Beau still put up a decent showing, managing to land stinging left hooks before Green could tie him up to avoid further damage. He was most effective when he worked his way inside Green’s long arms.
Neither fighter was in trouble during the fight, though Beau did open up a slight cut under Green’s right eye. After ten rounds of action, the outcome went to the scorecards. Referee Ray Moore called it 97–95 for Jack. Judge Bee Harper called it 99–95 and Judge Don Busci scored it 98–93, both in Jack’s favor. Beau’s arm was lifted in victory as he emerged from his first fight in three and a half years with a unanimous decision.
Beau was euphoric. In the post-fight press conference, Beau called out his old adversary, Ike Williams, the former lightweight champion who had defeated him in both of their previous meetings. Beau wanted revenge, and Ike seemed like a reasonable opponent. Ike too was seeking to make a triumphant return to boxing. Like many that had tried before, Ike was having a difficult time of it. He had lost his last two fights and had only fought once since November 9, 1953. In his dressing room after his victory over Green, a delighted Jack announced, “I think I’m set to fight Ike Williams next here.”9
Encouraged by his performance, Beau was eager to enter the ring again. On the other hand, Eddie Green retired after one more fight. Promoter Dick Wilson was also enthusiastic and ardent for Beau to continue fighting. Looking for a big payday, he announced that Beau would not fight anyone but named fighters from there on out on his comeback trail. Thus, Wilson assertively announced he was seeking to match Beau with Ike Williams in Columbia sometime in April. Beau quickly left for New York to begin training at Stillman’s Gym, in hopes of avenging his two losses to Ike. However, before Wilson could schedule the bout, Beau and Wilson parted ways.
What Jack really desired was to fight once again in Madison Square Garden and for a chance at the title. Once again, he applied for a license with the NYSAC. It was denied. Chairman Julius Helfand, speaking on behalf of the Commission, explained that Beau’s request was rejected because of “Jack’s record, his physical condition, his age, his long years of inactivity and because of a letter from Chick Wergeles, Jack’s manager.”10 A return to the Garden did not appear to be in the cards for Jack.
With Dick Wilson out of the picture, three Augusta promoters began vying to promote the potential bout between Beau Jack and Ike Williams in Augusta, Georgia. In late February, Tony Mahoney, a wrestling promoter, proclaimed that he should have first dibs at promoting the contest as he was first in line. Teddy Norris, a small-time boxing promoter, stated that he had been in touch with the camps of both Beau Jack and Ike Williams and was hopeful something could be worked out. Lastly, George E. “Slim” Griffin, also a small-time boxing promoter, aggressively declared he had already reserved the Bell Auditorium as the venue for a March 31 rematch between Beau Jack and Ike Williams. None of the three would get the fight.
On Wednesday night, March 2, a new, inexperienced promoter named Nathan Williams emerged, announcing that he had matched Beau Jack and Ike Williams for a bout in Augusta to occur on the eve of the Masters Tournament in April. Nathan, however, had not even applied to the Augusta Boxing Commission11 for a license to promote the fight; nor did he know that the Commission existed until he read about it in the afternoon paper on March 3. Likewise, the Commission did not know about a potential match between Beau Jack and Ike Williams until they saw the March 3 announcement from Nathan Williams in the morning paper.12 The following day, a spokesperson for the Commission vehemently stated that until someone applies for a license and the application is approved by the Commission, there will be no fight. The Commission also expressed concern, stating that Jack had previously been denied the right to fight in Augusta because he refused to undergo the required physical examination.
Before issuing Jack or Ike a license, the Augusta Boxing Commission required both fighters to obtain approval from the Commission’s physician, Dr. J. E. Hummel. Somewhat startling, both fighters were able to pass their examinations. On March 16, Ike Williams signed the contract to fight Beau on April 9, 1955, at Augusta’s Bell Auditorium. The pre-fight hype began to build as two former lightweight champions were set to battle it out in Beau’s hometown.
For the first time, Beau was scheduled to fight in Augusta. The venue was Augusta’s Bell Auditorium. Constructed in 1939 and early 1940 at a cost of $500,000, the 2,690-seat auditorium was named in memory of Augusta’s Mayor William B. Bell. At the time, Augusta was still plagued by racism and segregation. As late as 1961, legendary singer/songwriter Ray Charles canceled his show at the Bell Auditorium upon learning from some Paine College students that the dance floor would be reserved for “whites,” with blacks being relegated to the upper balcony. The firm stand by Ray Charles would be instrumental in dismantling segregation in Augusta.
Beau was excited to be fighting in front of the hometown fans. It was on the eve of the final round of the 1955 Masters Tournament. Cary Middlecoff, a dentist turned golfer from Halls, Tennessee, had a four-stroke lead over Ben Hogan after making four straight birdies and an eagle putt over 80 feet long on the 13th hole in the second round. He went on to win the tournament by seven strokes.
Beau’s opponent, Ike Williams, had defeated Beau twice, once by TKO and the other by split decision. After winning the lightweight title in April 1945, Ike reigned as champion for six years until he lost to Jimmy Carter of Aiken, South Carolina on May 25, 1951. Ike retired in 1953 following a beating from Jed Black. The last time he was in the ring on July 2, 1954, he lost a unanimous decision to Rafael Lastre.
The Bell Auditorium was filled with 2,500 enthusiastic hometown fans seeking to see their local champion, Beau Jack, battle with Ike Williams. Williams came into the fight with a 10-pound weight advantage at 155 pounds and a 4" height advantage. Ike also held a three-year age advantage. Williams was 31 years old, whereas Jack was 34 years old.
The air was tense with excitement as the bout began. Contrary to the crowd, the two former champions appeared sluggish. The two fighters appeared to be lightly sparring in the first two rounds. In the third stanza, Williams warmed up and started to assert his inside game over Beau. However, in the fifth round, Beau caught Williams coming in with a hard left that staggered Ike and opened a cut over his eye. It obviously angered Williams. He stormed out in the sixth, quickly cornering Beau and landing a looping right that dropped Beau to his knees. Beau jumped back up in defiance but was met with an onslaught of rights and lefts, leaving him groggy on his feet. Beau regained his composure and retaliated strong in the ninth and tenth rounds, hurting Williams with a whirlwind of rights and lefts. The crowd went wild and rose to their feet when Beau knocked Ike through the ropes in the ninth round, but it was not scored a knockdown.
After ten rounds, the decision went to the scorecards. Referee Pete Tarpley scored the bout even, giving both fighters four rounds and scoring two rounds even. Judge Denny Leonard scored the fight in favor of Beau Jack. He scored five rounds for Beau, three for Williams and one even. Judge Joe Armstrong scored the bout in favor of Ike Williams, giving Ike five rounds, Beau three rounds, and scoring two rounds even. The contest was ruled a draw.
Having lost his first two fights with Williams, Beau was content with a draw. In his post-fight comments, he boasted that he wanted a crack at welterweight Chico Vejar, a popular fighter among boxing fans with a 59–4–1 professional record. Ike Williams, on the other hand, said he just wanted one more fight in hopes to make enough money to buy a pool hall in Trenton, New Jersey.
In late spring, Beau returned to Miami, looking for opportunities to fight while shining shoes at the Fontainebleau Hotel. Somehow, Beau secured another fight. His opponent was Willie “Kid” Johnson. They were initially scheduled to fight on February 21, but logistics did not work out. Jack and Johnson eventually met on July 4 in a ten-round bout at Beach Arena in Daytona, Florida. Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, Johnson was the Bahamas welterweight champion and had recently knocked out Ike Williams. It was a tough fight, but Beau eked out a split decision.
Resolved to continue boxing, Beau knew he had some convincing to do. He made several appeals to various promoters, seeking assistance in lining up additional fights. One promoter he talked to was David Coapman, boxing enthusiast and staff writer for the Capital Post in Tallahassee, Florida. Coapman, a native of Rochester, New York, sought to match Beau Jack for a bout in Rochester, but it never happened. In a significant turn of events, several years later, Coapman became referred to as “Rochester’s watchdog of pugilism.” He wrote state governors pleading to have old fighters retired for their own good. For example, he was successful in getting Manuel Batista’s California license removed because he had been kayoed at 21 times.
Babe Lancaster, another Florida promoter, was also interested in staging a fight for Beau in Miami or Tampa. Beau spent a week at Lancaster’s training beach on Washington Shores in Orlando, Florida, where he trained and sparred. Like Coapman, Lancaster was unsuccessful in booking Beau a contest. Therefore, Beau went back to Miami and tried to get boxing promoter Chris Dundee to let him fight at the Miami Beach Auditorium. Dundee refused to entertain the idea without Chick Wergeles’ blessings, which was not going to happen.
Beau still had a strong resolve. When asked by Art Grace of the Miami News whether he thought he was still a respectable fighter, Beau replied, “YES SUH.”13 Naively, he continued, “I know I slowed down a little bit but I gained punching power. I hit harder. Still fight the same way though…. Whirlwind style, keep coming all the time. I had three fights this year trying to get back, and honest, I ain’t seen no difference in me.”14 Beau wanted to fight. That was his life.
Whether Beau desired to admit it or not, his boxing days were coming to a rapid close. Beau Jack’s last fight would take place in his hometown. On August 2, 1955, promoter Nathan Williams announced that Beau would face Ike Williams in an August 12 rematch at the Bell Auditorium. This time, Williams came in with an eight-pound weight advantage, weighing 154 pounds to Jack’s 146 pounds.
The first three rounds were close. Vigorously, both men mixed it up as they stood toe to toe. In the second round, Beau connected with a right-hand uppercut to Ike’s head, staggering the former champion into the ropes. He later landed a left on Ike’s head. Williams, however, gained momentum in the third and unequivocally took charge in the fourth round after knocking out Beau’s mouthpiece. In the fifth, Williams staggered Beau with two rights and a left. Then, he landed a right cross, knocking Beau senseless. When the bell rang, Beau was dazed and disoriented and stumbled over to Ike’s corner to take a seat, only to be led back to his corner. Beau was bleeding profusely out of his mouth. Similar to their first fight on July 12, 1948, Williams knew Beau was severely hurt and didn’t want to continue dishing out punishment.
Ike was pleading that the fight be stopped, but it continued. At the end of the seventh, Williams backed Beau up and left him hanging on the ropes. As the bell rang to start the eighth round, Williams hit Jack with a hard right, backing him up into a neutral corner. Then Ike bombarded Beau with both fists to the head and body for at least 15 seconds. Again, Williams backed off, pleading through his actions that the fight be stopped, again to no avail. So, Williams backed Beau into the ropes again and began using him as target practice. Augusta Chronicle sports editor, Johnny Hendrix, sitting ringside, uttered, “Williams, with concern in his eyes and mercy in his heart, pulled his punches in the sixth and seventh rounds, but when the bout wasn’t stopped he went back to work in the eighth.”15
With blood pouring out of Jack’s mouth, the crowd started yelling for the fight to stop. For the fourth time, Williams backed off, pleading with the referee to stop the fight. “It sickened Williams, who is not a sensitive man,” wrote Jimmy Cannon. “He profanely demanded the referee stop the fight and relieve him of this awful duty.”16 Finally, Referee J. T. Gilliam took control of the fight and prevented the infliction of further damage to Jack, refusing to let Beau answer the bell for the ninth round. Jack’s eyes were glassy, and blood was gushing out of his mouth. Even at the end, Beau insisted that the fight continue. Williams, however, completely dominated the match, earning a devastating technical knockout over Jack.
A distraught Beau wept after the fight. He was disheartened that he had essentially been knocked out on his feet. But with his pride intact and his chirpy sense of optimism, Jack stated, “I went out on my feet. They can’t ever take that from me.”17 When questioned whether he was hurt during the fight, Beau, with zealous pride, disavowed that he had been injured. Jack merely pointed to his left elbow and said, “No suh, I hurt my arm in the third round. He never knocked me down. I never been down my whole life, you know that.”18
Beau’s stellar boxing career ended after the horrific thrashing he took from Ike Williams. After one hundred twenty-two professional bouts and a record of 92 wins (44 knockouts), 25 losses and 5 draws, Jack’s incredible ring journey finally concluded.19 Beau had been to the top of the mountain. Before suffering a broken knee, he only had ten losses. He fought in five title bouts and held the world lightweight title twice, earning his first championship at the young age of 21. He is the only boxer to fight in three main events at the Garden in one month. Jack, along with Bob Montgomery, set the record for the highest priced sports ticket—$100,000 for a ringside seat. Along with Montgomery, Beau raised $35,864,900 in war bonds to help the U.S. war effort in World War II. Jack was named “Fighter of the Year” by The Ring magazine in 1944. During his 15-year professional career, Beau fought in a record 27 main events at the Garden and produced gates over $2 million.
It wasn’t easy for Beau to retire from boxing. Three weeks after he lost to Ike Williams, Art Grace caught up with Beau at the Miami Beach Auditorium. He asked Beau whether he still wanted to fight. Beau emphatically stated, “I got to. It’s my heart.”20 Trainer Angelo Dundee, a friend of Beau’s, was listening to the conversation. “Beau,” he said. “I wish you’d get that idea out of your head. Comes a time you got to realize you just ain’t as good as you used to be. You were great but you can’t fight no more. I’m scared to death you’re going to get hurt one of these nights.”21 Whether he liked it or not, Jack’s boxing days were over.
Beau Jack returned to his seasonal job as a bootblack at the Fontainebleau Hotel. Although Beau spent time over the next year or so in Augusta, most of his time was spent in Miami. Jack gave up on his restaurant and sold it to his uncle, John Henry “Punch” Harris. Beau may have wanted to fight again, but he found solace in shining shoes. “I’m sending money home to the wife and kids every week. I can shine shoes—I’m the champ. You got to come over and let me shine you up.”22
Ike Williams also retired with an overall record of 126–24–4, with sixty-one victories coming by way of knockout. He was The Ring’s Fighter of the Year in 1947. In 1948, Ike was awarded the Edward J. Neil memorial plaque as the fighter who had done the most for the sport of boxing that year. In 1990, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 1960, boxing came under scrutiny for its connections with organized crime. Ike Williams was one of the boxers questioned about his ties to the mafia. He was called to testify before the U.S. Senate Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce (Estes Kefauver’s committee), based on his connections with his manager, Frank “Blinky” Palermo, an organized crime figure. Blinky and his partner, Frankie Carbo, were notorious mobsters. They controlled numerous boxers and fixed fights. One of the most well-known of the fixed fights was the Jake LaMotta/Billy Fox fight in 1947, which served as the story behind Martin Scorsese’s film Raging Bull. LaMotta purportedly paid the mob $20,000 and threw the fight for a chance to fight for the middleweight title.
There was a rumor before Ike Williams lost to Jimmy Carter in 1951 that Palermo had loaned money to Carter’s manager, Willie Ketchum. Of course, when questioned by the New York State Athletic Commission, the allegation was denied. In his testimony before the Kefauver Committee, Ike testified that Blinky had brought him offers as large as $100,000 to throw fights. Williams, himself, admitted to carrying fights to specific rounds but was adamant that he never willingly lost a fight.
Although Ike made over $1,000,000 during his 15-year career, he didn’t have much to show for it. Unfortunately, he even had to pay income taxes on money he never received. By 1960, Williams was broke, having gone through all the money he had and losing his rental properties.
Fortunately, numerous boxers came to Ike’s support. Muhammad Ali admired Ike’s style and rebellious attitude toward the boxing establishment. He went to see Williams in Trenton, New Jersey, where Ike was working at a warehouse and living at the local YMCA. Ali offered Ike a job at his training camp in Pennsylvania. Williams, however, was a bit too rebellious, even for Muhammad Ali. Mike Tyson and boxing promoter Don King also came to Ike’s aid. They were foremost among a group who took an interest in Williams’s welfare during the 1980s, helping to arrange an apartment for him to live in Los Angeles, California.
As with several boxers Beau faced during his career, he and Ike became friends. At Beau’s 1991 induction to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he and Ike had a chance to catch up with each other. As they stood talking, Williams recalled battles against each other.
“I fought Beau Jack three [four] times,” Williams said, glancing over at his ex-foe. “The last two times, he was past his prime, but he was still a helluva man.”
“The last time we fought, I was giving it to him pretty good. All of a sudden, he comes up with a bolo punch.” Williams brings up his right hand in uppercut fashion. “And catches me right here.”
He opens his mouth, displaying a single gold bottom tooth sprouting up among a row of white ones.
“I was sick,” Williams said, glancing over at Jack again. “Sick. I had a perfect set of teeth. One-hundred and fifty-three fights and he had to knock that tooth out in my last one.”23 Jack may have lost the battles, but Ike lost his perfect set of teeth thanks to Beau.
During his acceptance speech, at the next day’s induction ceremonies, Jack stood before the microphone and looked at his friends Ike Williams and Kid Gavilan, sitting among the honored guests. “I wished I was fighting now, but it ain’t possible,” Jack said. “The two guys up here who beat me (Gavilan and Williams), I want to fight again. But they keep moving away.”24
1. “Maciano Stops Joe Louis on TKO in Eighth Round,” Kingston Daily Freeman, October 27, 1951, 7.
2. Pat Robinson,”Beau Jack to Try Comeback,” Arizona Republic, January 3, 1955, 20.
3. Ibid.
4. “Wergeles Against Beau Jack Boxing,” Asbury Park Press, December 30, 1954, 16. “Beau Jack Hoping to Stage Comeback,” Florence Morning News, January 20, 1955, 8.
5. “Beau Jack Will Go on with Bout Against Greene,” Gastonia Gazette, December 30, 1954, 3.
6. Fran Walosin, “Beau Jack Risking Injuries in Comeback Bid Thursday,” Elmira Advertiser, January 19, 1955, 9
7. “‘That Killer Felling’ Has Beau Jack Cocky,” Press and Sun-Bulletin, January 20, 1955, 24.
8. Ibid.
9. “Beau Jack Wants Ike Williams Next,” Press and Sun-Bulletin, January 21, 1955, 17.
10. “Beau Jack Loses Bid for Another Crack at Boxing,” Index-Journal, March 5, 1955, 3.
11. Promoter Ben Braunstein initiated the idea of a Commission in 1952. Mayor Hugh Hamilton appointed G.W. Lewis, Art Patchin, Jack Johannsen, Same Smoak and Herbert Herman to the commission.
12. Randy Russell, “All in the Game,” Augusta Chronicle, March 4, 1955, 6B.
13. Art Grace, “Beau Wants Another Chance,” Miami News, July 25, 1955, 6.
14. Ibid.
15. Johnny Hendrix, “Ike Williams Wins on TKO,” Augusta Chronicle, August 13, 1955, 6.
16. Jimmy Cannon, “Beau Jack Victim of Sport He Loves,” New York Post, May 27, 2001, 79.
17. Joe Falls, “Beau Jack Shines Shoes …and Dreams,” Detroit Free Press, December 5, 1965, 44.
18. Art Grace, “Beau Won’t Take Advice,” Miami News, August 29, 1955, 14.
19. This overall record includes those bouts before his first bout at Valley Arena.
20. Art Grace, “Beau Won’t Take Advice,” Miami News, August 29, 1955, 14.
21. Ibid.
22. Ibid.
23. John Nogowski, “Still Champs After all this Time,” Times Herald, June 16, 1991, 20.
24. Ibid.