The first documented boxing match known to be held in the greater Kansas City area took place in 1886, when Hugh Sexton stopped Johnny Cash in 10 rounds. The bout drew about 100 spectators who paid $5 each. Within three weeks, both Sexton and Cash had been arrested on vagrancy charges in an attempt to crack down on vagabonds and presumably undesirable sporting pursuits. It was reported that the chief of police told them “Kansas City banked its reputation on its clearing house statements, and not on its prizefighters and toughs” and that he was of the opinion that it would add to the reputation of the city to clear it of men of their ilk. But both fighters were back in the ring in Kansas City before the year ended and the community’s appetite for boxing proved more powerful than the forces aligned to stop it.
There have since been more than 1,100 boxing cards held here. 53 fighters currently enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame fought bouts in Kansas City, and nine world title fights have been contested here. The local scene has risen and ebbed along with the general tides of boxing over the years. From 1900 to 1940, boxing was in its heyday as most organized professional sports leagues were in their infancies. During this period the best fighters in the world barnstormed America and fought often. Many of the most legendary fighters of the time fought in Kansas City including Jack Johnson, Harry Greb, Gene Tunney, Sam Langford, Benny Leonard, Ad Wolgast, Barney Ross, Tony Canzoneri and Joe Louis.
Since 1940 the local boxing scene has had three significant eras anchored by franchise fighters. Jimmy Garrison, Major Jones and Jackie Darthard were all world ranked fighters in the 40’s. Tony Chiaverini was a world ranked fighter in the 70’s. Tommy Morrison was a world ranked heavyweight in the 90’s and is the only local fighter to win a world title. During these three eras, the local scene was active with cards taking place monthly in the city. In the boom years after Morrison’s success (1996-2000) Kansas City held more local boxing shows than any city in America except Las Vegas. National promoters brought their shows to Kansas City because they knew they could sell tickets here.
We believe Kansas City is in the early stages of a fourth boom era, led by a group of talented young fighters with extensive amateur experience who are beginning their pro careers. Marco Romero, who just signed with Premier Boxing Champions, is the best boxing prospect in the city since Morrison. But it’s not just Romero, this current group of local professional fighters looks like it may be deeper in talent than any group in 70 years. With the decline of the newspaper industry, there is currently very little coverage of boxing in the city, and it seems it’s possible that this new wave of fighters will emerge with nobody here to document their accomplishments.
So we are launching this site today to provide coverage of the Kansas City boxing beat, at least until somebody better than us comes along to take up the mantle. We will keep a schedule of upcoming local shows and shows from around the world featuring local fighters. We’ll preview upcoming cards and cover them at ringside. And hopefully we’ll provide interviews and profiles of local fighters, trainers and promoters along the way. Since boxing is so decentralized with no single organizing structure, we will try to provide context on how local shows and fighters fit into the world boxing scene and also how they fit into Kansas City boxing history.
We have found in our research that maybe as few as 158 local fighters (148 men and 10 women) have fought at least five times in the Kansas City area in their careers. We were surprised the number is that low and it proves that it’s a select group of people who are willing to lace on a pair of gloves and step into the ring. Any fighter on these lists, regardless of their record, is worthy of our respect.
See you at ringside.
