Tommy Burns (Canadian boxer)


Tommy Burns, born Noah Brusso, was a Canadian professional boxer. He is the only Canadian-born World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. The first to travel the globe in defending his title, Tommy made 13 title defences against 11 different boxers, despite often being the underdog due to his size. Burns famously challenged all comers as Heavyweight Champion, leading to a celebrated bout with the American Jack Johnson. According to his biographer, Burns insisted, "I will defend my title against all comers, none barred. By this I mean white, black, Mexican, Indian, or any other nationality. I propose to be the champion of the world, not the white, or the Canadian, or the American. If I am not the best man in the heavyweight division, I don't want the title."
Burns was the first heavyweight champion to fight with a Jewish challenger, defeating Joseph "Jewey" Smith in a fight staged in Paris. He also fought a bout with a Native American on his way to the Championship. According to one biography, he had two black sparring partners and was married for a brief time to a black woman. At a time when most white American fighters adhered to the so-called "colour line", refusing to fight African Americans, Burns had half a dozen contests with black boxers before his clash with the legendary Jack Johnson.

Early life

Noah Brusso was born in Normanby Township near Hanover, Ontario, as the twelfth of thirteen children of an impoverished Italian-Canadian family. His family lived in several locations around Ontario's Grey County and Bruce County counties before moving to Galt, Ontario. Noah grew up in difficult circumstances; five of his siblings died before reaching adulthood. Brusso began his prizefighting career in 1900 in Detroit, Michigan. In June 1903, he was discovered playing lacrosse under an assumed name for a Detroit team that was playing in Chatham, Ontario.

Boxing career

After starting his boxing career under his real name, in 1904 Brusso took the Scottish-sounding name of Tommy Burns. He was tall and about, but his relatively small size did not stop him from becoming the world heavyweight boxing champion. When Burns met Marvin Hart for the heavyweight championship of the world in Los Angeles on February 23, 1906, Burns was a 2-1 underdog and the betting was 10-7 that he would not last ten rounds. Burns won a 20-round decision and went on to defend his title eleven times within a period of less than three years.
All previous gloved world champs had been European-American U.S. citizens, who defended their titles only against other white opponents. Burns travelled the globe, beating the champions of England, Ireland, France and Australia. He was the first heavyweight champion to fight with a Jewish challenger, defeating British boxer Joseph "Jewey" Smith, in a 1908 bout held in Paris. He also fought a bout with a Native American and won.
Burns once defended his title twice in one night, although some historians refuse to accept those wins as title defences, insisting they were exhibition bouts. But in newspapers at the time, they were advertised as heavyweight title fights. If those defences are counted in his record, he successfully defended his title 13 times.
In December 1908, Burns agreed to a bout with Jack Johnson, becoming the first fighter to agree to a heavyweight championship bout with an African American. Burns lost his title in the match held in Sydney. He had refused to fight Johnson until Australian promoter Hugh D. McIntosh paid him $30,000 for the fight. Burns was rumoured to be suffering from the effects from jaundice or influenza, and weighed in at — lighter than his previous fight, and well below Johnson's. The fight lasted fourteen rounds before being stopped by the police. Burns later claimed the disruption was due to spectators' concern he had a broken jaw. He also stated numerous right uppercuts from Johnson led to swelling on his face and the request to stop the fight. Referee Hugh McIntosh awarded the decision and the title to Johnson.
In a filmed interview, Burns ranked Johnson as the second-best boxer up to his time, after James J. Jeffries. Johnson defeated Jeffries in 1910 when Jeffries, who hadn't fought for six years, came out of retirement to fight. It is said that Jeffries was grossly out-of-shape and had lost much of his muscle.
In 1909 in Vancouver, B.C., Johnson told a crowd of people that Burns deserved credit as the only white heavyweight who ever gave a black man a chance to win the title. He said, "Let me say of Mr. Burns, a Canadian and one of yourselves, that he has done what no one else ever did, he gave a black man a chance for the championship. He was beaten, but he was game."
Burns continued to box occasionally after dropping the title. During the Great War he joined the Canadian army, serving as a physical fitness instructor for troops in Canada. In 1920, and a month after his 39th birthday, Burns challenged British champion Joe Beckett. Burns was stopped in the seventh round when, after suffering two knockdowns, his corner threw in the towel to end the fight.

Life after boxing

After retirement, Burns promoted some boxing shows. In 1928 he moved to New York City where he ran a speakeasy. Although he was wealthy at the end of his boxing career, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression wiped out his fortune. Burns went to work as an insurance salesman and security guard, among other jobs.
In 1948 Burns was ordained as a minister. At the time of his death, he was an evangelist living in Coalinga, California. He died while visiting a church friend in Vancouver, British Columbia, suffering a heart attack at age 73. Four people attended his burial at Ocean View Cemetery in Burnaby, British Columbia. He was interred in an unmarked pauper's grave. In 1961 a Vancouver sports writer raised funds to commission a memorial plaque for Burns' grave.

Legacy

Burns is one of the more over-looked heavyweight champions in history, best remembered today as the man whom Jack Johnson beat to become the first black heavyweight champion. Yet Burns was the first truly international heavyweight champion, defending his title in America, England, Ireland, France and Australia. His 1907 title defense against Gunner Moir in London was the first World Heavyweight championship fight of the gloved era to be held outside of The United States. Standing at just 5'7", Burns is the shortest heavyweight champion in history, while only Bob Fitzsimmons weighed less in a world heavyweight title fight than Burns' 168½ lbs when losing the championship to Jack Johnson.
Burns' 8 consecutive title defenses by knockout or stoppage is equaled only by Larry Holmes and remains a record for the heavyweight division. Burns was also the first World Heavyweight champion to win the title on points. Although physically over-matched against Johnson, who handed him his first stoppage loss, it is notable that Burns did not lose inside the distance again until the final fight of his career, at the age of 39. It should be noted, however, that some sources record the result as Johnson winning the title on points after the bout was stopped by the police. The filming of the fight was stopped due to the one-sided nature of the contest, however, and regardless of the official ruling, is generally considered by historians to be a stoppage victory for Johnson.
Burns' reign as heavyweight champion lasted for two years, ten months and three days, the 19th-longest reign in heavyweight history. His eleven consecutive successful title defenses is the joint-fourth highest total in heavyweight history, alongside Vitali Klitschko and behind Wladimir Klitschko, Larry Holmes and Joe Louis. Many of Burns' title challengers, however, were not of World Championship quality, as he frequently defended against the best available local heavyweights while touring the world. In Burns' first defense of the title, for instance, he knocked out James J. Walker in the first round. Walker's record going into the bout was 1-5 and he had lost by stoppage in five of his previous six bouts prior to challenging Burns. Burns also defended the title three times against Bill Squires. Squires, the Australian heavyweight champion, was actually a 10-9 favourite to defeat Burns, yet lost in the first round. Despite this result, Squires obtained two further shots at Burns' title, despite losing two of his next three fights following their first bout. What is notable is that Squires' three title fights with Burns took place across three different continents. Burns' best win as champion was a 20-round points decision over Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, who two years previously had stopped Bob Fitzsimmons to claim the World light-Heavyweight championship.
Despite his impressive statistics, Burns is not considered one of the great heavyweight champions. This can be attributed to the poor quality of the majority of his challengers, as well as his unimposing physique and small dimensions. The current WBC and lineal heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, for instance, stands 14 inches taller than Burns did, has an eleven inch longer reach and would have outweighed him by approximately 95 pounds. These factors makes it difficult for boxing historians to imagine Burns competing with later heavyweight champions, who would have held significant physical advantages. His one-sided loss to Johnson in his most famous fight demonstrates this fact, and perhaps contributes to Burns' poor historical standing.
Although Trevor Berbick and Bermane Stiverne have also won a version of the World Heavyweight Championship while Canadian citizens, Burns remains the only Canadian-born heavyweight champion in history.

Honours

Australian boxer and Welterweight champion Geoffrey Mostyn Murphy would fight under the ring name "Tommy Burns", in honour of his Canadian namesake.
Burns has since been posthumously inducted into the following sporting institutions: the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1955, the International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 9, 1996, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
61Loss47–5–9 Joe BeckettRTD7 16 Jul 1920 Prince Rupert, British Columbia, CanadaFor Commonwealth heavyweight title
60Win47–4–9 Bob BrackenKO4 19 Sep 1918 Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
59Win46–4–9 Battling BrandtKO4 26 Jan 1914 Taft, California, U.S.
58Draw45–4–9 Arthur PelkeyPTS62 Apr 1913 Manchester Arena, Calgary, Canada
57Win45–4–8 Bill RickardTKO6 8 Aug 1912 Saskatchewan, CanadaWon vacant Canadian heavyweight title
56Win44–4–8 Bill LangPTS2011 Apr 1910 Sydney Stadium, Sydney, AustraliaWon Commonwealth and Australian heavyweight titles
55Loss43–4–8 Jack JohnsonPTS14 26 Dec 1908 Sydney Stadium, Sydney, AustraliaLost lineal heavyweight title
54Win43–3–8 Bill LangKO6 3 Sep 1908 West Melbourne Stadium, Melbourne, AustraliaRetained lineal heavyweight title
53Win42–3–8 Bill SquiresKO13 24 Aug 1908 Sydney Stadium, Sydney, AustraliaRetained lineal heavyweight title
52Win41–3–8 Bill SquiresKO5 13 Jun 1908 Neuilly Bowling Palace, Paris, FranceRetained lineal heavyweight title
51Win40–3–8 Jewey SmithKO5 18 Apr 1908 Neuilly Bowling Palace, Paris, FranceRetained lineal heavyweight title
50Win39–3–8 Jem RocheKO1, 1:2817 Mar 1908 Theatre Royal, Dublin, IrelandRetained lineal heavyweight title
49Win38–3–8 Jack PalmerKO4 10 Feb 1908 Wonderland London, EnglandRetained lineal heavyweight title
48Win37–3–8 Gunner MoirKO10 2 Dec 1907 National Sporting Club, London, EnglandRetained lineal heavyweight title
47Win36–3–8 Bill SquiresKO1, 1:284 Jul 1907 Mission Street Arena, Coma, California, U.S.Retained lineal heavyweight title
46Win35–3–8 Philadelphia Jack O'BrienPTS208 May 1907 Naud Junction Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Retained lineal heavyweight title
45Draw34–3–8 Philadelphia Jack O'BrienPTS2028 Nov 1906 Naud Junction Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Retained lineal heavyweight title
44Win34–3–7 Fireman Jim FlynnKO15 2 Oct 1906 Naud Junction Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Retained lineal heavyweight title
43Win33–3–7 James J WalkerKO1, 2:5528 Mar 1906 National Athletic Club, San Diego, California, U.S.Retained lineal heavyweight title
42Win32–3–7 Jim O'BrienKO1, 2:1828 Mar 1906 National Athletic Club, San Diego, California, U.S.Retained lineal heavyweight title
41Win31–3–7 Marvin HartPTS2023 Feb 1906 Pacific Athletic Club, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Won lineal heavyweight title
40Loss30–3–7 Jack Twin SullivanPTS2017 Oct 1905 Pacific Athletic Club, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
39Win30–2–7 Dave BarryTKO20, 2:1831 Aug 1905 Woodward's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, U.S.Retained Pacific Coast middleweight title
38Draw29–2–7 Hugo KellyPTS2028 Jul 1905 Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
37Draw29–2–6 Hugo KellyPTS107 Jun 1905 Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
36Win29–2–5 Dave BarryPTS202 May 1905 Germania Hall, Tacoma, Washington, U.S.Won Pacific Coast middleweight title
35Draw28–2–5 Jack Twin SullivanPTS207 Mar 1905 Tacoma Athletic Club, Tacoma, Washington U.S.
34Win28–2–4 Joe SchildtKO631 Jan 1905 Ballard, Seattle, Washington U.S.
33Loss27–2–4 Philadelphia Jack O'Brien67 Oct 1904 Panorama Building, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
32Draw27–1–4 Billy WoodsPTS1516 Sep 1904 Seattle Theater, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
31Win27–1–3 Cyclone KellyKO4 19 Aug 1904 Germania Hall, Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
30Win26–1–3 Hans EricksonKO39 Jul 1904 Kemmerer, Wyoming, U.S.
29Win25–1–3 Joe WardinskiKO11 Jul 1904 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
28Win24–1–3 Tony CaponiPTS69 Apr 1904 Chicago Athletic Association, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
27Draw23–1–3 Tony CaponiPTS618 Mar 1904 Battery D Armory, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
26Draw23–1–2 Mike SchreckPTS627 Feb 1904 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
25Win23–1–1 George ShrosbreeKO526 Feb 1904 Battery D Armory, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
24Win22–1–1 Ben O'GradyKO3 28 Jan 1904 Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
23Win21–1–1 Tom McCunePTS1031 Dec 1903 Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.Retained Michigan State middleweight title
22Win20–1–1 Jack O'DonnellKO1125 Nov 1903 Evanston, Illinois, U.S.Retained Michigan State middleweight title
21Win19–1–1 Jack ButlerKO28 Nov 1903 Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.Retained Michigan State middleweight title
20Draw18–1–1 Billy MoorePTS1024 Oct 1903 Amphidrome, Houghton, Michigan, U.S.Retained Michigan State middleweight title
19Win18–1 Jack HammondKO3 12 Oct 1903 Soo Opera House, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.Retained Michigan State middleweight title
18Win17–1 Jim DugganKO925 Sep 1903 Amphidrome, Houghton, Michigan, U.S.Won Michigan State middleweight title
17Win16–1 Earl ThompsonKO318 Apr 1903 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
16Win15–1 Dick SmithKO3 25 Mar 1903 Delray Athletic Club, Delray, Michigan, U.S.
15Win14–1 Reddy PhillipsDQ2 25 Mar 1903 Delray Athletic Club, Delray, Michigan, U.S.
14Win13–1 Jim O'BrienPTS1013 Feb 1903 Handloser Hall, Delray, Michigan, U.S.
13Loss12–1 Mike SchreckPTS1016 Jan 1903 Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
12Win12–0 Tom McCuneKO7 26 Dec 1902 Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
11Win11–0 Reddy PhillipsTKO9 6 Nov 1902 Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
10Win10–0 Jack O'DonnellKO1119 Sep 1902 Butler, Indiana, U.S.
9Win9–0 Dick SmithPTS108 Jul 1902 Mount Clemens, Michigan, U.S.
8Win8–0 Dick Smith227 Jun 1902 Nelson's Opera House, Mount Clemens, Michigan, U.S.
7Win7–0 Ed SholtreauPTS1016 May 1902 Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
6Win6–0 Ed Sholtreau1, 1:3518 Apr 1902 Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
5Win5–0 Billy Walsh64 Apr 1902 Handloser Hall, Delray, Michigan, U.S.
4Win4–0 Archie Steele2 5 Mar 1902 Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
3Win3–0 Harry Peppers2 3 Mar 1902 Weyler's Hall, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
2Win2–0 Billy WalshTKO5 5 Feb 1902 Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
1Win1–0 Fred Thornton5 16 Jan 1902 Handloser Hall, Delray, Michigan, U.S.