Tommy Burns

[HomicideHenry]

I don't think it would have helped that much. He was effective at darting in and out and it actually helped him being shorter.

I tend to think the same way. I also think had he been taller, etc he'd of never been the p4p fighter that he was. He was a good Middleweight and he did beat the best Light Heavyweight of his era; he could have easily claimed both championships after the rematch with Philadelphia Jack. At heavyweight, his best asset was speed and movement. Just against Johnson it didn't work. Against anyone else in the division, he probably would have came out on top.

[Kalan]

his best asset was speed and movement. Just against Johnson it didn't work. Against anyone else in the division, he probably would have came out on top.

He certainly would have lost badly to Joe Jeannette, Sam Langford, and Sam McVey as well -- because Jack Johnson obliterated him.. It wasn't a contest.

[Chuck1052]

Tommy Burns may have been small for a heavyweight, but he was very active as a world heavyweight champion, especially for his time.

- Chuck Johnston

[Cap]

Yeah, Tommy was one of the all-time greats. He got shellacked by the racist Yankee press and guys like Jeffries and Sullivan simply because, unlike American heavyweights, he agreed with Bob Fitzsimmons that every man deserved consideration, regardless of colour. Considering he was outweighed by almost thirty pounds and gave away six inches in height, Burns gave Johnson a better fight than that big stiff Jeffries did. When the police stopped their match in the 14th round Burns was still standing and fighting back. Pretty darn good considering he'd just got over the flu, which was a huge deal back in the days before antibiotics.

Yes sir, Tommy Burns was one of the best of his era.

[Kalan]

Burns was a racist however... And Johnson could have finished him at any time, but chose to carry him and punish him badly.. "I certainly intended to give him his 30,000 dollars worth." Johnson followed Burns halfway around the world, tormenting and goading him into defending his title against him... Who was the referee for that fight for instance??? It was a close friend of Burns... It was written that Burns once greeted Johnson by saying "How you doing (N-word)?" ... Johnson replied with, "How YOU doing you yellow Canuck bastard?" Burns wrote that he never intended to defend the title against Johnson but that racial hatred got the better of him. He asked for a ridiculous sum of money to defend against Johnson -- an asking price he was confident would never be met.

But he was also very confident he could beat Johnson when the fight started.. He even hurled racial slurs at Johnson during the fight -- for which he was earning 30,000 dollars, more than double what any prize fighter had ever gotten for a fight to that date.

http://www.thefightcity.com/dec-26-1908 ... s-johnson/

[Cap]

Burns was a racist however... And Johnson could have finished him at any time, but chose to carry him and punish him badly.. "I certainly intended to give him his 30,000 dollars worth." Johnson followed Burns halfway around the world, tormenting and goading him into defending his title against him... Who was the referee for that fight for instance??? It was a close friend of Burns... It was written that Burns once greeted Johnson by saying "How you doing (N-word)?" ... Johnson replied with, "How YOU doing you yellow Canuck bastard?" Burns wrote that he never intended to defend the title against Johnson but that racial hatred got the better of him. He asked for a ridiculous sum of money to defend against Johnson -- an asking price he was confident would never be met.

But he was also very confident he could beat Johnson when the fight started.. He even hurled racial slurs at Johnson during the fight -- for which he was earning 30,000 dollars, more than double what any prize fighter had ever gotten for a fight to that date.

http://www.thefightcity.com/dec-26-1908 ... s-johnson/

[Kalan]

Right!!! Cap becomes another kindergartener at recess -- with no intelligent reply for Burns' racism, ineptitude, and Johnson obviously carrying him.