Joe Walcott (March 13, 1873 – October 1, 1935), also known as Barbados Joe Walcott to distinguish him from the more contemporary American boxer known by the same name, was a Bajan professional boxer who reigned as the World Welterweight Champion from 1901 to 1906, becoming the first black man ever to capture the title. He was elected to The Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1955 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. Walcott was a formidable fighter with exceptional power to his punch. His manager was Tom O'Rourke. In evidence, his wins were an impressive 60% by knockout. Nat Fleischer rated Walcott as the greatest welterweight of all time, and in 2003 he was included in the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. He was elected to The Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1955 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. "Barbados" Joe Walcott was the idol of the more contemporary boxer Arnold Cream, who adopted his idol's real name as his own, going by Jersey Joe Walcott in the ring. Early life and career Walcott was born on March 13, 1873, in Barbados. As a youngster he set out to see the world and got a job as a cabin boy on a ship sailing to Boston that arrived around 1887. He soon settled in Boston as a piano mover and porter and took other odd jobs as well. Later, he landed a job in a gym and became popular with even the best of the boxers as an able opponent before turning professional. His amateur boxing and wrestling years spanned roughly from 1887 to 1889. Professional career The focus of his early professional boxing years, between 1890 and 1896, were in the areas of Boston and New York City. One of his more noteworthy bouts included a 15-round draw with Mysterious Billy Smith and a 15-round loss to George "Kid Lavigne" in March and December 1895, respectively. He lost to Welsh-born middleweight Tommy West in 1894 and 1897. West acted as a sparring partner for Walcott in late October 1904. First attempts at the world lightweight and welterweight championships Walcott first challenged for the lightweight championship on October 29, 1897, at the Lennox Athletic Club in New York, but he was TKO'ed by the champion George "Kid" Lavigne in the 12th round. He was also unsuccessful in