Tommy Burns (Canadian boxer)

Common card · No. 334383

Tommy Burns (born Noah Brusso; 17 June 1881 – 10 May 1955) was a Canadian professional boxer. He remains the only Canadian-born fighter to win the World Heavyweight Championship and is the shortest champion in the division's history. Starting out at welterweight, he is the lightest boxer to eventually become heavyweight champion, and he is one of only two heavyweight champions to have fought below middleweight; the other boxer to do so was Roy Jones Jr., who began at light middleweight. The first to travel the globe in defending his title, Burns made 13 title defences against 11 different boxers, despite often being smaller than his opponents. Burns took on all challengers as Heavyweight Champion, leading to his legendary bout with the African-American Jack Johnson. According to his biographer, Burns insisted, "I will defend my title against all comers, none barred. By this I mean white, black, Mexican, Indian, or any other nationality. I propose to be the champion of the world, not the...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain