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George Godfrey (boxer, born 1853)

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George Godfrey
Born
George Godfrey

(1853-03-20)20 March 1853
Died17 October 1901(1901-10-17) (aged 48)
NationalityCanadian
Other namesOld Chocolate
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Boxing record
Total fights46
Wins23
Wins by KO18
Losses6
Draws14
No contests3

George Godfrey (20 March 1853 – 17 October 1901), nicknamed Old Chocolate by the press of the day in the last stage of his long career, was a Black Canadian heavyweight boxer who held the distinction of being World 'Colored' Heavyweight Champion during his career.[1] Godfrey was inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.[2]

Biography

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Early life

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Godfrey was born to William Godfrey and Sarah Byers in an area of Charlottetown known as the Bog, a poor part of the west end.[3] He first received boxing instructions while still residing in Charlottetown, from Dick Cronin. Godfrey then left Canada to find employment as a porter in Boston's silk importing offices. After winning in the heavyweight class at a local boxing competition in 1879, he began boxing professionally.[3] At a fighting weight of 175 pounds on a 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) frame, he would be considered a light-heavyweight by modern standards. However, despite being undersized and rather old at 27 years of age to begin prizefighting, Godfrey would go on to achieve tremendous success inside the boxing ring.[4]

Professional career

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Godfrey went 4-0-4 in his first eight fights, which included a draw with famed pugilist Jake Kilrain. In just his ninth pro bout, he won the World 'Colored' Heavyweight Champion by beating Charles Hadley via sixth-round knockout on 23 February 1883. On 24 August 1888, at age 36, Godfrey faced off against world renowned Australian boxer Peter Jackson in San Francisco, California. He would end up losing the bout by technical knockout in the nineteenth round, subsequently losing the World 'Colored' Title.[5] Godfrey had two more bouts with the much heavier Kilrain after their initial draw, losing both of them via knockout. He also faced Ireland's Peter Maher and California Joe Choynski towards the latter part of his career, almost 40 years old, also losing those matchups.[6] It was during the last stages of his career, as the years took their toll and his ring skills visibly faded, that the unenlightened press of the day took to calling him by the deprecatory sobriquet of "Old Chocolate".

Godfrey spent nearly his entire career chasing eventual World Heavyweight Champion John L. Sullivan, who repeatedly refused to fight black contenders. However, in 1881 a story surfaced that a bare-knuckle fight against Sullivan had been scheduled but was stopped by the Boston police due to boxing being illegal in the state.[3] This enhanced Godfrey's notoriety and earned him some high-profile matchups with some of the top pugilists of his time period, including the likes of Kilrain, Maher, Jackson and Choynski.[5]

Among the notable fighters that Godfrey beat were Charles Hadley, C.C. Smith, England's "Denver Ed" Smith, McHenry Johnson ("Minneapolis Star"), Irish Joe Lannon, Canada's Patsy Cardiff, Steve O'Donnell of Australia and Joe Doherty.[6]

Death

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Godfrey died of Tuberculosis on 19 October 1901, at his house in Revere, Massachusetts. He had reportedly accumulated considerable real estate in both the Chelsea and Revere areas at the time of his death.[7]

American boxer Feab S. Williams would later use the ring name "George Godfrey" and claimed the same Championship 42 years after his Canadian namesake.

Notable bouts

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Result Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes[6]
Draw United States Nick Burley PTS 15 1896-03-05 United States Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Loss Republic of Ireland Peter Maher KO 6 1894-05-28 United States Boston Casino, Boston, Massachusetts
Draw United States Joe Butler PTS 4 1893-12-15 United States Boston, Massachusetts
NC Australia Jim Hall NC 3 1893-11-11 United States Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Loss United States Joe Choynski KO 15 1892-10-31 United States Coney Island A.C., Coney Island, New York
Win United States C.C. Smith KO 4 1892-08-15 United States New York, New York
Loss United States Jake Kilrain KO 44 1891-03-13 United States California A.C., San Francisco, California
Loss Australia Peter Jackson TKO 19 1888-08-24 United States California A.C., San Francisco, California Lost World "Colored" Heavyweight Title.
Draw United States C.C. Smith PTS 6 1885-01-15 United States Boston, Massachusetts
Loss United States Jake Kilrain TKO 3 1883-05-16 United States Boston, Massachusetts
Win United States Charles Hadley KO 6 (6) 1883-02-23 United States Cribb Hall, Boston, Massachusetts Won World "Colored" Heavyweight Title.
Draw United States Charles Hadley PTS 6 1883-01-18 United States New York, New York
Draw United States Charles Hadley PTS 4 1882-01-26 United States Harry Hill's, New York, New York
Draw United States Jake Kilrain PTS 3 1882-01-15 United States Boston, Massachusetts
Draw United States Charles Hadley PTS 6 1879-01-01 United States New York, New York

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cyber Boxing Encyclopedia - George (Old Chocolate) Godfrey CyberBoxingZone.com Retrieved on 30 April 2014
  2. ^ "George Godfrey - Boxing". PEI Sports Hall of Fame. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Hornby, Jim (1994). "GODFREY, GEORGE". Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 13. University of Toronto/Université Laval. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  4. ^ "George Godfrey was a boxing pioneer | African American Registry". Aaregistry.org. Archived from the original on 7 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  5. ^ a b Colleen Aycock; Mark Scott (31 January 2011). The First Black Boxing Champions: Essays on Fighters of the 1800s to the 1920s. McFarland. pp. 30–. ISBN 978-0-7864-4991-0.
  6. ^ a b c George Godfrey's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 18 May 2014.
  7. ^ Boston Herald (Boston, Massachusetts), 19 October 1901.

Further reading

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Awards and achievements
Preceded by World Colored Heavyweight Champion
23 February 1883 - 24 August 1888
Succeeded by