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Jack Thompson

On This Date In 1930, Bare-Knuckle Boxer Jack "The Frisco Flash" Thompson Defeated Defending World Welter Weight Champion, Jackie Fields.

Fields Had Beaten Thompson In An Earlier Title Fight (1929). The Second Fight, Which Was Considered An Upset, Was Witnessed By A Crowd Of About 14,000 Fans At The Olympia Arena In Detroit, Michigan. The Fight Receipts Totaled $70,000 Dollars.

Thompson, A Native Of Oakland, California, Beat Fields In 15 Rounds. It Had Been 15 Years Since An African American Had Won The Welter Weight Title.

Thompson Lost The Title To Tommy Freeman A Few Months After Winning It. He Reclaimed The Championship In 1931, And Lost It Again To Lou Brouillard.

Jack Thompson Retired From Boxing In 1932. He Died In 1946.

"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert

Gaddy, Jr.