Tommy Burns (Canadian boxer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tommy Burns
Tommy Burns, circa 1912
Statistics
Real name	Noah Brusso
Nickname(s)	The Little Giant of Hanover
Rated at	Welterweight Middleweight Heavyweight
Height	5 ft 7 in
Reach	73 in
Born	(1881-06-17)June 17, 1881 Hanover, Ontario
Died	May 10, 1955(1955-05-10) (aged 73) Vancouver, British Columbia
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	61
Wins	47
Wins by KO	35
Losses	5
Draws	9

Tommy Burns (born Noah Brusso; June 17, 1881 – May 10, 1955) was a famous Canadian professional boxer. He is the only person born in Canada to become the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.

Tommy Burns was the first heavyweight champion to travel around the world to defend his title. He defended his title 13 times against 11 different boxers. This was amazing because he was often smaller than his opponents. Burns was known for saying he would fight anyone, no matter their background. He said he wanted to be the champion of the world, not just of one group of people. He fought boxers of different backgrounds, including a Jewish challenger and a Native American boxer. He even had black sparring partners.

Early life

Noah Brusso was born in Normanby Township, near Hanover, Ontario. He was the twelfth of thirteen children in a family from Italian-Canadian background. His family moved to different places in Ontario before settling in Galt, Ontario. Noah grew up in tough times, and several of his brothers and sisters died young.

He started his boxing career in 1900 in Detroit, Michigan. In 1903, he was found playing lacrosse for a Detroit team in Chatham, Ontario, using a different name.

Boxing career

Noah Brusso started boxing under his real name. But in 1904, he changed it to Tommy Burns, which sounded Scottish. He was about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed around 175 pounds. Even though he was quite small for a heavyweight, he became the world champion.

On February 23, 1906, Burns fought Marvin Hart for the heavyweight championship in Los Angeles. Many people thought Burns would lose. But Burns won the fight after 20 rounds! He then defended his title eleven times in less than three years.

Before Burns, most world champions were from the U.S. or Europe. They usually only fought other white boxers. But Burns traveled all over the world. He beat champions from England, Ireland, France, and Australia. He was the first heavyweight champion to fight a Jewish challenger, Joseph "Jewey" Smith, in Paris in 1908. He also fought and won against a Native American boxer.

Burns once defended his title twice in one night! Some people say these were just practice fights, but newspapers at the time called them real title fights. If those count, he defended his title 13 times.

Burns (left) during a sparring session

In December 1908, Burns agreed to fight Jack Johnson. This was a very important moment because Burns was the first white fighter to agree to a heavyweight championship fight against an African American boxer. The fight happened in Sydney, Australia. Burns lost his title to Johnson. The fight was stopped in the 14th round because Burns was not able to continue. Burns had asked for $30,000 for the fight, while Johnson received $5,000.

Later, Jack Johnson himself said that Tommy Burns deserved credit. He said Burns was the only white heavyweight who gave a black man a chance to win the championship. Johnson said, "He was beaten, but he was game."

Burns kept boxing sometimes after losing his title. During World War I, he joined the Canadian army. He worked as a fitness instructor for soldiers in Canada. In 1920, when he was 39, Burns fought British champion Joe Beckett. Burns lost in the seventh round when his team stopped the fight.

Life after boxing

After he stopped boxing, Tommy Burns helped organize some boxing shows. In 1928, he moved to New York City. He had made a lot of money from boxing, but he lost most of it.

Burns then worked as an insurance salesman and a security guard, among other jobs. In 1948, Burns became a minister. He was working as an evangelist in Coalinga, California, when he died. He passed away from a heart attack at age 73 while visiting a friend in Vancouver, British Columbia. Only a few people attended his burial in an unmarked grave. In 1961, a sports writer from Vancouver raised money to put a special plaque on Burns' grave.

Legacy

Tommy Burns is sometimes forgotten in boxing history. He is often remembered as the boxer Jack Johnson beat to become the first black heavyweight champion. However, Burns was the first truly international heavyweight champion. He defended his title in America, England, Ireland, France, and Australia. His fight in London in 1907 was the first World Heavyweight championship fight held outside the United States.

At just 5 feet 7 inches tall, Burns is the shortest heavyweight champion ever. Only Bob Fitzsimmons weighed less in a world heavyweight title fight than Burns did when he lost to Jack Johnson. Burns usually weighed between 170-180 pounds during his time as champion. His reach was 74 inches, which is longer than Mike Tyson's.

Burns' record of 8 wins in a row by knockout or stoppage is a record for the heavyweight division, shared with Larry Holmes. Burns was also the first World Heavyweight champion to win his title by points. Even though he was much smaller than Johnson, Burns did not lose by stoppage again until his very last fight, when he was 39 years old.

Burns was heavyweight champion for almost three years. His eleven successful title defenses in a row are the fourth highest in heavyweight history. Many of the boxers Burns fought for his title were not top-level challengers. He often fought the best local heavyweights while traveling. For example, in his first title defense, he knocked out James J. Walker in the first round. Walker had a record of 1 win and 5 losses before that fight.

Burns also defended his title three times against Bill Squires. Squires was the Australian heavyweight champion. Their three title fights took place on three different continents (America, Europe, and Australia). This is the only time in history two boxers have fought three times for a world title with each fight on a different continent. Burns' best win as champion was against Philadelphia Jack O'Brien. O'Brien had won the World light-Heavyweight championship two years earlier.

Despite his impressive numbers, Burns is not always seen as one of the greatest heavyweight champions. This is partly because many of his challengers were not very strong. Also, his smaller size makes it hard for boxing experts to imagine him competing with much larger champions from later times. His loss to Johnson, where Johnson clearly dominated, might also make people think less of him. However, Burns was a very skilled fighter. He would likely be a super-middleweight today, where his punching power and long reach would be very effective. Videos of his fights show he was an aggressive counter-puncher who was strong up close and good at finishing fights.

While Trevor Berbick and Bermane Stiverne also won a version of the World Heavyweight Championship as Canadian citizens, Tommy Burns is the only Canadian-born heavyweight champion in history.

Honours

An Australian boxer named Geoffrey Mostyn Murphy later fought under the name "Tommy Burns" to honor the Canadian champion.

Tommy Burns has been added to several important sports halls of fame:

• The Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame
• The Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1955
• The International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 9, 1996
• The Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2012

Professional boxing record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
61	Loss	47–5–9	Joe Beckett	RTD	7 (20)	16 Jul 1920	Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada	For Commonwealth heavyweight title
60	Win	47–4–9	Bob Bracken	KO	4 (10)	19 Sep 1918	Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
59	Win	46–4–9	Battling Brandt	KO	4 (10)	26 Jan 1914	Taft, California, U.S.
58	Draw	45–4–9	Arthur Pelkey	PTS	6	2 Apr 1913	Manchester Arena, Calgary, Canada
57	Win	45–4–8	Bill Rickard	TKO	6 (15)	8 Aug 1912	Saskatchewan, Canada	Won vacant Canadian heavyweight title
56	Win	44–4–8	Bill Lang	PTS	20	11 Apr 1910	Sydney Stadium, Sydney, Australia	Won Commonwealth and Australian heavyweight titles
55	Loss	43–4–8	Jack Johnson	PTS	14 (20)	26 Dec 1908	Sydney Stadium, Sydney, Australia	Lost world heavyweight title
54	Win	43–3–8	Bill Lang	KO	6 (20)	3 Sep 1908	West Melbourne Stadium, Melbourne, Australia	Retained world heavyweight title
53	Win	42–3–8	Bill Squires	KO	13 (20)	24 Aug 1908	Sydney Stadium, Sydney, Australia	Retained world heavyweight title
52	Win	41–3–8	Bill Squires	KO	5 (10)	13 Jun 1908	Neuilly Bowling Palace, Paris, France	Retained world heavyweight title
51	Win	40–3–8	Jewey Smith	KO	5 (10)	18 Apr 1908	Neuilly Bowling Palace, Paris, France	Retained world heavyweight title
50	Win	39–3–8	Jem Roche	KO	1 (20), 1:28	17 Mar 1908	Theatre Royal, Dublin, Ireland	Retained world heavyweight title
49	Win	38–3–8	Jack Palmer	KO	4 (20)	10 Feb 1908	Wonderland London, England	Retained world heavyweight title
48	Win	37–3–8	Gunner Moir	KO	10 (20)	2 Dec 1907	National Sporting Club, London, England	Retained world heavyweight title
47	Win	36–3–8	Bill Squires	KO	1 (45), 1:28	4 Jul 1907	Mission Street Arena, Coma, California, U.S.	Retained world heavyweight title
46	Win	35–3–8	Philadelphia Jack O'Brien	PTS	20	8 May 1907	Naud Junction Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Retained world heavyweight title
45	Draw	34–3–8	Philadelphia Jack O'Brien	PTS	20	28 Nov 1906	Naud Junction Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Retained world heavyweight title
44	Win	34–3–7	Fireman Jim Flynn	KO	15 (20)	2 Oct 1906	Naud Junction Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Retained world heavyweight title
43	Win	33–3–7	James J Walker	KO	1 (10), 2:55	28 Mar 1906	National Athletic Club, San Diego, California, U.S.	Retained world heavyweight title
42	Win	32–3–7	Jim O'Brien	KO	1 (10), 2:18	28 Mar 1906	National Athletic Club, San Diego, California, U.S.	Retained world heavyweight title
41	Win	31–3–7	Marvin Hart	PTS	20	23 Feb 1906	Pacific Athletic Club, Los Angeles, California, U.S.	Won world heavyweight title
40	Loss	30–3–7	Jack Twin Sullivan	PTS	20	17 Oct 1905	Pacific Athletic Club, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
39	Win	30–2–7	Dave Barry	TKO	20 (20), 2:18	31 Aug 1905	Woodward's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, U.S.	Retained Pacific Coast middleweight title
38	Draw	29–2–7	Hugo Kelly	PTS	20	28 Jul 1905	Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
37	Draw	29–2–6	Hugo Kelly	PTS	10	7 Jun 1905	Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
36	Win	29–2–5	Dave Barry	PTS	20	2 May 1905	Germania Hall, Tacoma, Washington, U.S.	Won Pacific Coast middleweight title
35	Draw	28–2–5	Jack Twin Sullivan	PTS	20	7 Mar 1905	Tacoma Athletic Club, Tacoma, Washington U.S.
34	Win	28–2–4	Joe Schildt	KO	6	31 Jan 1905	Ballard, Seattle, Washington U.S.
33	Loss	27–2–4	Philadelphia Jack O'Brien	NWS	6	7 Oct 1904	Panorama Building, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
32	Draw	27–1–4	Billy Woods	PTS	15	16 Sep 1904	Seattle Theater, Seattle, Washington, U.S.
31	Win	27–1–3	Cyclone Kelly	KO	4 (20)	19 Aug 1904	Germania Hall, Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
30	Win	26–1–3	Hans Erickson	KO	3	9 Jul 1904	Kemmerer, Wyoming, U.S.
29	Win	25–1–3	Joe Wardinski	KO	1	1 Jul 1904	Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
28	Win	24–1–3	Tony Caponi	PTS	6	9 Apr 1904	Chicago Athletic Association, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
27	Draw	23–1–3	Tony Caponi	PTS	6	18 Mar 1904	Battery D Armory, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
26	Draw	23–1–2	Mike Schreck	PTS	6	27 Feb 1904	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
25	Win	23–1–1	George Shrosbree	KO	5	26 Feb 1904	Battery D Armory, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
24	Win	22–1–1	Ben O'Grady	KO	3 (10)	28 Jan 1904	Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
23	Win	21–1–1	Tom McCune	PTS	10	31 Dec 1903	Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	Retained Michigan State middleweight title
22	Win	20–1–1	Jack O'Donnell	KO	11	25 Nov 1903	Evanston, Illinois, U.S.	Retained Michigan State middleweight title
21	Win	19–1–1	Jack Butler	KO	2	8 Nov 1903	Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.	Retained Michigan State middleweight title
20	Draw	18–1–1	Billy Moore	PTS	10	24 Oct 1903	Amphidrome, Houghton, Michigan, U.S.	Retained Michigan State middleweight title
19	Win	18–1	Jack Hammond	KO	3 (10)	12 Oct 1903	Soo Opera House, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.	Retained Michigan State middleweight title
18	Win	17–1	Jim Duggan	KO	9	25 Sep 1903	Amphidrome, Houghton, Michigan, U.S.	Won Michigan State middleweight title
17	Win	16–1	Earl Thompson	KO	3	18 Apr 1903	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
16	Win	15–1	Dick Smith	KO	3 (6)	25 Mar 1903	Delray Athletic Club, Delray, Michigan, U.S.
15	Win	14–1	Reddy Phillips	DQ	2 (6)	25 Mar 1903	Delray Athletic Club, Delray, Michigan, U.S.
14	Win	13–1	Jim O'Brien	PTS	10	13 Feb 1903	Handloser Hall, Delray, Michigan, U.S.
13	Loss	12–1	Mike Schreck	PTS	10	16 Jan 1903	Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Tom McCune	KO	7 (10)	26 Dec 1902	Light Guard Armory, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Reddy Phillips	TKO	9 (10)	6 Nov 1902	Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Jack O'Donnell	KO	11	19 Sep 1902	Butler, Indiana, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Dick Smith	PTS	10	8 Jul 1902	Mount Clemens, Michigan, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Dick Smith	KO	2	27 Jun 1902	Nelson's Opera House, Mount Clemens, Michigan, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Ed Sholtreau	PTS	10	16 May 1902	Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Ed Sholtreau	TKO	1 (10), 1:35	18 Apr 1902	Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Billy Walsh	PTS	6	4 Apr 1902	Handloser Hall, Delray, Michigan, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Archie Steele	DQ	2 (6)	5 Mar 1902	Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Harry Peppers	RTD	2 (8)	3 Mar 1902	Weyler's Hall, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Billy Walsh	TKO	5 (8)	5 Feb 1902	Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Fred Thornton	TKO	5 (10)	16 Jan 1902	Handloser Hall, Delray, Michigan, U.S.

See also

In Spanish: Tommy Burns para niños