May 24th, 1913: Anniversary of Sidney, Ohio's World Champion

[HomicideHenry]

Sidney, Ohio was once a well known fight town. Matches were held on the Court House square, and at the local YMCA. All of these matches were organised by the Sidney Boxing Commission, and up until the 1960's Sidney High School had a boxing team. What few today would imagine, let alone remember, is that Sidney was also home to one of the leading heavyweight contender's of the 20th century, the "White Hope" Luther McCarty.

In less than two years, he amassed a staggering $1,000,000 fortune and was the hottest ticket in North America; traveling from coast to coast defending his claim as the 'White Champion of The World', as well as starring on the stage and the rodeo arena. In a time when sports was highly politicized, Luther McCarty the native of Sidney, was the hero of millions. Talks of facing the true champion Jack Johnson, the first black man to hold the Heavyweight title, were all the rage. All he had to do was defend the title once more in Canada, and then it would be off to Cuba to bring the title back home.

It was never meant to be... at the age of 21 McCarty's life was cut short, dying beneath the bright lights of Tommy Burns Arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. How could this of happened, to a man in the prime of his life? Such was the anger and pain, over this young man's death, that the Arena was burned to the ground and never rebuilt. The next best qualified "Hope" Jess Willard (a man who McCarty defeated) was sent to Cuba, and won the title for White America.

If only the Sidney native of not done that rodeo stunt the day before fighting in Canada, the history of Sidney and the world would of been radically different. Instead, a seldom visited grave in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Piqua, and a few yellowed antique newspaper clippings are all that survive of the legend that was once Luther McCarty. In present day Sidney, fight fans clamour around big screen televisions inside the confines of their favorite bar and grill restaraunt (most favorably Buffalo Wild Wings) and watch UFC mixed martial arts. It seems, too, boxing along with Luther McCarty is fading away from the long and storied history and culture, that once made Sidney, Ohio the place to go for adventure and excitement. However, let it be noted, eighteen days from now May 24th, 1913 the champion of the world, our champion, Sidney's one and only champion, died aged 21.