Eugene Hairston facts for kids
Eugene "Silent" Hairston was a truly special boxer. Born in Harlem in 1929, he became deaf at just one year old because of an illness. He went to P.S. 47, a school for deaf students, until he was 15. At that age, he had to leave school to help his family.
Eugene started boxing as an amateur in 1945. He was amazing, winning 59 out of 60 matches! In 1947, he became a professional boxer. One of his most famous fights was against the legendary Jake LaMotta, which ended in a draw. He was also a Golden Glove champion in 1947. Sadly, Eugene had to stop boxing in 1953 due to injuries. After his boxing days, he worked for UPS.
Eugene Hairston is a hero for the Black Deaf community. He was proud of his nickname, "Silent Hairston." People also remember him for something unique in his fights: flashing lights were used to show when a round was over, since he couldn't hear the bell!
Early Life
There are different ideas about whether Eugene was born in 1929 or 1930. But everyone agrees he became deaf when he was a baby. He had to leave school at 15 to help his family earn money. Eugene's dad hoped he would become an artist. But Eugene was inspired by the famous boxer Joe Louis and wanted to box instead. After leaving school, he did small jobs like setting up pins at a bowling alley or shining shoes. Soon, boxing became his main way to make money.
It was hard for Eugene to get people to take his boxing dreams seriously because he was Deaf and couldn't speak. But he found success at the Tremont Athletic Club. This club was run by two Italian brothers, Mike and Joe Miele. Mike became Eugene's manager, and Joe became his trainer.
Boxing Career
Eugene Hairston's boxing career was short, lasting less than 10 years (from 1945 to 1953). But in that short time, he fought many famous boxers and won several important titles.
Amateur Boxing Career
Eugene really wanted to box. He waited outside the Tremont Athletic Club for six months, asking for a chance. Finally, in 1945, the club owners let him box some other amateur fighters. In those first matches, he showed how tough he was by outlasting four different opponents. In 1947, Eugene won the Chicago Intercity Golden Gloves Championship. He also won the New York Golden Gloves Championship that same year. During his amateur career, he won an incredible 59 out of 60 matches!
Professional Boxing Career
In the summer of 1947, Eugene became a professional boxer. He started strong, winning his first 16 fights in a row! As more people noticed him, he earned the nicknames "Silent Hairston" and "The Deaf Wonder." He even had 13 of his matches shown on national TV. During his professional career, he fought big names like Jake LaMotta, Kid Gavilán, Johnny Bratton, Paul Pender, and Paddy Young.
His fight against Jake LaMotta on March 5, 1952, was a huge event. It was shown on national TV, and over 10,000 tickets were sold! LaMotta even told his father he would quit boxing if he lost that fight.
Eugene's boxing career ended on August 27, 1952. During a fight against Carl "Bobo" Olson, he got a very bad cut above his right eyebrow. This injury damaged his nerves and his eyesight. Because of how serious it was, the New York State Athletic Commission stopped him from boxing. With his license suspended in most US states, Eugene had only one more fight. He went to France and fought Charley Humez on November 3, 1952. After that, he retired from boxing at just 22 years old.
Legacy
We don't know much about Eugene's life after he retired from boxing. However, his time as a Deaf Black boxer left a big mark on both the Deaf community and the world of boxing.
The flashing lights used in boxing rings to signal the end of a round are thanks to Eugene Hairston! Because he couldn't hear the bell, the New York Boxing Commission started using these lights. Soon, everyone realized the lights were helpful for hearing boxers too, since it was hard to hear the bell over the loud crowd. Now, flashing lights are a normal part of boxing matches everywhere. Boxer Joey Archer even said that watching Eugene Hairston in the gym helped inspire him to box.
Eugene's career as a Deaf boxer has also been honored by Deaf sports fans. In 1975, he was added to the American Athletic Association for the Deaf's Hall of Fame. In 1983, he was a special guest at a big event for students at NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf).
