Eddie Palmer (boxer) facts for kids

Eddie Palmer was an amazing African American boxer. He was known for holding two important boxing titles. These were the World Colored Welterweight and World Colored Middleweight championships. Palmer was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1892. He was about 5 feet 9 inches tall. He usually weighed between 142 and 156 pounds. He fought professionally from 1910 to 1925. He often fought out of Philadelphia and New Orleans. In August 1911, he moved to Philadelphia. He fought from there for two years.

Early Career and First Titles

While living in Philadelphia, Eddie Palmer had some big fights. In 1912, he fought Battling Levinsky twice. Levinsky later became a world light-heavyweight champion. Both of Palmer's fights against Levinsky ended in "no decisions." This meant neither boxer was officially declared the winner.

Palmer declared himself the World Colored Welterweight Champion in 1912. This happened after a fight against Young Tommy Coleman. They had a six-round match in New York City on September 26, 1912. The fight ended in a "no-decision." Palmer and Coleman had fought four times before this. Their first match was on October 3, 1911. Coleman won that one by a newspaper decision in Philadelphia. Palmer won their second fight. Their third match was reported as a draw or a newspaper decision for Coleman. Four days after their New York fight, they had a rematch. This was on September 30 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader newspaper gave the win to Coleman.

Defending His Titles

Eddie Palmer fought 11 times in 1914. On March 4, 1914, he successfully defended his colored welterweight title. He fought Kyle Whitney in New Orleans. Palmer won that 20-round fight on points. His next title defense was on February 15, 1915. He faced "The Fighting Gorilla" in New Orleans. Gorilla Jones out-pointed Palmer in their 20-round match.

In his very next fight, Palmer won another big title. On May 1, 1915, he won the World Colored Middleweight Championship. He achieved this by knocking out Willie Langford. This happened in the 14th round of their scheduled 20-round fight in New Orleans.

Palmer successfully defended his Colored Middleweight Title two times. Both times he fought Young Kid McCoy. He won both fights by knock out, once in 1915 and again in 1916.

Later Fights and Retirement

Eddie Palmer continued to fight regularly until 1922. That year, he lost two fights to Tiger Flowers. Flowers later became a world middleweight champion. Palmer tried to make a comeback in 1925. However, he lost both of his fights that year. He attempted another comeback in 1928. He fought Owen Phelps in Comiskey Park. Phelps was the USA Arizona State light-heavyweight title holder. Palmer lost that fight too.

In 1929, Palmer fought in New Orleans. He won three of his four fights that year. These wins were against opponents who were not as experienced. He retired after losing his very last fight. Eddie Palmer ended his career with a record of 45 wins. He won 21 of those by knockout. He had 23 losses, being knocked out five times. He also had two draws. Additionally, he had 24 newspaper decisions. He won 14 of these, lost five, and drew five.