Boxer Hank Griffin trainer of Bob Fitzsimmons?

[Benny The Kid]

I haven't got a recent book on Bob Fitzsimmon's lately.
I was not aware that Boxer Hank Griffin was training bob Fitzsimmons in 1902.

I found a newspaper article that states quite clearly that Griffin was his trainer Prior to the bout with Hank Griffin vs Johnson in June 1902. It really makes you wonder if Training Fitz really helped Griffin with his success against a Young Jack Johnson.

Griffin still has his career going in 1902 it seems a bit strange he was Fitz trainer. They don't say * sparring partner they specifically refer to him as his trainer.

Anyone know if They talk about this in the Adam Pollock book...i haven't read it.

It was news to me upon reading it.

Was anyone aware of this fact?

[Ambling Alp II]

Have not heard of this at all. It is pretty surprising. first an foremost, a white having a black trainer would have been unheard of. Though i have read that Fitzsimmons was not a racist like many people of his time.

Also a little strange for an active fighter training another fighter.

Makes me think of a couple of possibilities: When it calls him a trainer, is it possible that they meant to say that he trained with Fitzsimmons? As in doing road work together, working out at the gym together etc?

Is it possible that there was another person named Hank Griffin that was Fitzsimmons's trainer?

[Caractacus]

well "Griffin" is a Welsh surname and Fitzsimmons was a "Cornishman".
would there have been an "ethnic" rivalry between the two ?

[Caractacus]

Don't know why that would appear so strange anyway even if it was the real Hank griffin.
Joe Jeanette was hired numerous times to train Caucasian fighters back then.
and I think Bob Armstrong was also hired to train White fighters too.
(although he may have just been an "assistant" trainer)

[Benny The Kid]

Have not heard of this at all. It is pretty surprising. first an foremost, a white having a black trainer would have been unheard of. Though i have read that Fitzsimmons was not a racist like many people of his time.

Also a little strange for an active fighter training another fighter.

Makes me think of a couple of possibilities: When it calls him a trainer, is it possible that they meant to say that he trained with Fitzsimmons? As in doing road work together, working out at the gym together etc?

Is it possible that there was another person named Hank Griffin that was Fitzsimmons's trainer?

It's the real Hank Griffin. It has pictures of him fake fighting a realtor Hank Griffin looks like a 70's pimp in 1902.
I'm telling you the sparring must of paid off for Griffin
I have griffin wining the dec tilt with Johnson this fight Friday 27, December 1901 - Reliance A.C., Oakland 15R draw.

They have the round by round Griffin has this bout won. It's only the 3rd encounter when Johnson has some sucuess.

Hank Griffin was definitely with Fitz in DEc 1901. All the way up until Fitz vs Jeffries.
Hank Griffin has the be his 2nd in the fight Fitz vs Jeffries. Even in griffin Bio on here they mention his as the sparring partner but the article refers to his as his sole trainer. This was also a fight Fitz did excellent in due to Griffin's training.

They must of really been helping each other...together Griffin & Fitz almost took out Johnson & Jeffries. The two top dogs both were seriously close to wins. Griffin in dec 1901 & Fitz in 1902

If you recall in Sep 1901 Jeffries takes on Fitz' trainer in Hank Griffin a mere few months before Griffin gets a close win over Johnson 3 months later.
Then Jeffries goes right on to Fitz in July 1902 with Jeffries previous opponent working as 2nd Hank Griffin.

I'm not sure everyone was aware of the connection's going on here between the 4 men. Johnson still has a very difficult time with Griffin in June 1902 a month before Jeffries & Fitz.
I would think Fitz is in Griffin corner for the 3rd Johnson fight for sure. Fighters often take other fighters as a 2nd. Nonpariel Jack Dempsey was Choynski's 2nd often. The tradition was passed on.

Griffin had to be a master boxer to have so much respect from Fitzsimmon's he had to be a marvel the way he worked Johnson.

I wish I knew how to post pics. I will make a short here some day soon so you can see 1902 Pimp looking Hank Griffin he even has cowboy boots on. He looks right out the jive 70's you would never believe it. He a big looking dude he had to be just as tall as Johnson. He far bigger than you'd expect. You'll love the pic. I'll have to refind it.
He looks like a bona fide bad ass. Like Clubber Lang or something.
Can you imagine Hank Griffin with cowboys boots on saddling up to the bar with his sidekick Bob Fitzsimmons man the stories those guys could tell...

[pound per pound]

Very good summary, Benny. Griffin was a boxer who prime was in the 1890's.

[Caractacus]

Hank Griffin was also a second in the corner for Bob Fitzsimmons in the second fight with Jim Jeffries.
BTW I had read that in the book LANKY BOB by J.K Robinson (2008)
have you seen a copy of that ? It's got a sh*tload of newspaper excerpts,
particularly from Fitzsimmons series of articles MY 369 FIGHTS ,that ran in the London's Weekly Dispatch in 1908.
GO GET A COPY !

[Benny The Kid]

Hank Griffin was also a second in the corner for Bob Fitzsimmons in the second fight with Jim Jeffries.
BTW I had read that in the book LANKY BOB by J.K Robinson (2008)
have you seen a copy of that ? It's got a sh*tload of newspaper excerpts,
particularly from Fitzsimmons series of articles MY 369 FIGHTS ,that ran in the London's Weekly Dispatch in 1908.
GO GET A COPY !

Thanks for the Info. I take any book recommendations serious I will go get it.

[Caractacus]

hey, you'll wish you had gotten the book 17 years ago.
( I got mine in 2020 during the covid shut-down)
the only draw back is even tho it has many photographs in it,
only a few are of Bob Fitzsimmons ( the rest are of other fighters he fought)
there is one really cool photograph of Fitz in his younger days with a mustache in a fighting pose
(they should have made it a full page photograph)

[Ambling Alp II]

The is pretty interesting. A little different (but not unheard of) for an active fighter to be training someone else. but for a black guy training a white guy that long has to be pretty rare.

[Benny The Kid]

I also Read that Denver Ed Martin (who fought at same time as Griffin) Served at least for a short time as Jeffries sparring partner. I lost the article i meant to save it. Perhaps Jeffries took the cue from Fitzsimmons

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

- Jeff fought approx 1/3rd of his bouts vs what is now the Sociologic "Persons of Color" with better results than Jack Johnson did later before Jeff retired.

American Bill Richmond braved the pitching frothing Wind Schooners of the Day to fight England's best and became a well respected trainer of legend afterwards.

Fitzsimmons mentored Joe Gans.

Jack Dempsey was mentored by Young Peter Jackson, and as champ employed a majority of Black Fighters as sparring partners where they got to earn their chops against Dempsey.

I could go on, but clearly black trainers and sparring partners are nothing new.

To Wit:
Between 1900 and 1905, Jackson knocked out four future Hall of Famers: Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, Mysterious Billy Smith, Barbados Joe Walcott and Sam Langford. During his career, Jackson went 1-3 against O'Brien, 1-1 against Smith, 1-2-2 against Walcott and 1-4-1 against Langford.

Jackson fought Walcott to a 20-round draw in a 1903 bout for the World Welterweight Championship. One year later, he fought a 15-round draw against Dixie Kid, Walcott's successor as World Welterweight Champion, in a non-title match.

In 1905, Jackson fought the much larger Jack Johnson for the World Colored Heavyweight Championship and lost by a six-round newspaper decision.

World Lightweight Champion Joe Gans, a friend and fellow Baltimore native, employed Jackson as a sparring partner and second.

In the latter part of his career he was often referred to as "heavyweight" Young Peter Jackson.

It was said that Jackson discovered Jack Dempsey. Jackson owned the gym in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Dempsey trained and performed odds jobs when the future World Heavyweight Champion was a teenager. Dempsey biographer Randy Roberts wrote: "Occasionally, when Jackson ran short of boxers, he allowed Dempsey to fight in a preliminary bout for the standard fee of $2.50."

However, it must be said clearly This Young Peter Jackson stands out from the other namesakes and belongs in the IBHOF had those cretins had any honor or honesty.
Young Peter Jackson
78-26-28
59 KOs 4 KO Losses