into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. A bronze statue of Joe Gans stands in the suite floor at Madison Square Garden but was previously outside of the locker rooms. Modern day boxers would traditionally bump the statue's outstretched left fist for good-luck before matches. Gans’ legendary fight on September 3, 1906 with Battling Nelson was commemorated with a memorial located in Goldfield, Nevada at the site of the fight. Gans was the first African-American to win a World Boxing Championship and the first to win a Lightweight Boxing title. Gans' achievements not only set new records, but gave African Americans hope in the early twentieth century. In a time of racial segregation, champion Joe Gans somehow emerged victorious. Gans was rated the greatest Lightweight boxer of all-time by boxing historian and Ring Magazine founder, Nat Fleischer. One boxing historian writes about Gans saying: "through his ring accomplishments, Gans put into action what others could only theorize. The articulation of the black quest for social equality reached large audiences through the pulpits, and the most authoritative sermons were published in newspapers and religious quarterlies". Motion picture The Gans-Nelson battle in Colma, California was the subject of a four-reel motion picture that played in major cities around the country. Hemingway connection Ernest Hemingway utilized Joe Gans as a character in his 1916 short story 'A Matter of Colour'. This early story set the stage for Hemingway's famous 1927 parable 'The Killers'. Professional boxing record All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated. Official record All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column. Unofficial record Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column. Sports achievements See also Lineal championship References Further reading Miles, J.H., Davis, J.J., Ferguson-Roberts, S.E., and Giles, R.G. (2001). Almanac of African American Heritage. Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall Press. Potter, J. (2002). African American Firsts. New York, NY: Kensington Publishing Corp. Aycock, Colleen and Mark Scott (2008), Joe Gans: A Biography of the First African American World Boxing Champion. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. The Longest Fight: In the Ring with Joe Gans, Boxing’s First African-American Champion. By William Gildea. Farrar, Straus & Giroux; 256 pages External links Analyzing the Subtle Sophistication of Joe Gans Nelson Whips Gans in the Seventeenth: Veteran Colored Champion Shows His Cleverness in the Early