Gene Hairstone
Gene Hairstone
Was watching a programme on Jake La motta last night and they showed his fight (the draw) against Eugene Hairstone.This fella was a deaf mute but gave La motta a very tough fight.He seemed to be a good boxer with a solid chin who could keep it together under pressure .Anyone know what happened to him?
I saw that fight a few months back and did a bit of searching on Hairston. A few fights after LaMotta he was hit near the eye by Bobo Olsen and suffered some nerve damage that ended his career at age 22. Aside from finding that he was inducted into the Deaf Athletes HOF in 1975 or thereabouts I could find too much about what happened to him after he quit the ring. He was at a jake laMotta "tribute dinner" in 2003 so he was still alive at that stage. Below is a cut & paste from a bio I found...
"Eugene Hairston was born on July 23, 1930 in Harlem. He became deaf at the age of 1 after a fight with spinal meningitis. He showed talent in art, much to his father’s delight—he wanted his son to become an artist. Art was not what Hairston wanted however, he wanted to fight. He aspired to become a great boxer like Joe Louis, whom he admired. At 15, Hairston quit school to help support his family and went through a series of dead-end jobs before deciding he wanted to start boxing for a living. The Miele brothers, owners of a Bronx gym, met Hairston in 1945 and were dubious of the boy’s handwritten request—he wanted to fight. After six months the Miele brothers finally relented and let him parry punches with some members at the gym. The brothers watched Hairston go against four opponents and were convinced of his potential. They went to work with him as manager and trainer. In 1947, Hairston fought his way through the amateur boxing ranks, winning two distinguished boxing titles. After 61 bouts, Hairston won all but one and made a name for himself: Silent Hairston. From 1947 to 1953, Hairston appeared on television a total of 13 times and fought against the leading middleweight contenders of his time: Kid Gavilan, Johnny Bratton, Paul Pender and Paddy Young. He appeared in Ebony, billed as the only fighter who could beat Sugar Ray Robinson and The Ring, where he was credited as the second-leading middleweight contender in the world. Flashing lights were added to the ring posts of the arenas Hairston fought in, to alert the deaf boxer the end of a round. Flashing lights are now standard equipment for many arenas, along with the bell. In 1952 he fought against La Motta, who later wrote Raging Bull and mentioned the infamous 10-round fight with Hairston. During a bout with Carl “Bobo” Olson, Hairston received a nerve-damaging hit above his right eyebrow, ending his career at age 22"
"Eugene Hairston was born on July 23, 1930 in Harlem. He became deaf at the age of 1 after a fight with spinal meningitis. He showed talent in art, much to his father’s delight—he wanted his son to become an artist. Art was not what Hairston wanted however, he wanted to fight. He aspired to become a great boxer like Joe Louis, whom he admired. At 15, Hairston quit school to help support his family and went through a series of dead-end jobs before deciding he wanted to start boxing for a living. The Miele brothers, owners of a Bronx gym, met Hairston in 1945 and were dubious of the boy’s handwritten request—he wanted to fight. After six months the Miele brothers finally relented and let him parry punches with some members at the gym. The brothers watched Hairston go against four opponents and were convinced of his potential. They went to work with him as manager and trainer. In 1947, Hairston fought his way through the amateur boxing ranks, winning two distinguished boxing titles. After 61 bouts, Hairston won all but one and made a name for himself: Silent Hairston. From 1947 to 1953, Hairston appeared on television a total of 13 times and fought against the leading middleweight contenders of his time: Kid Gavilan, Johnny Bratton, Paul Pender and Paddy Young. He appeared in Ebony, billed as the only fighter who could beat Sugar Ray Robinson and The Ring, where he was credited as the second-leading middleweight contender in the world. Flashing lights were added to the ring posts of the arenas Hairston fought in, to alert the deaf boxer the end of a round. Flashing lights are now standard equipment for many arenas, along with the bell. In 1952 he fought against La Motta, who later wrote Raging Bull and mentioned the infamous 10-round fight with Hairston. During a bout with Carl “Bobo” Olson, Hairston received a nerve-damaging hit above his right eyebrow, ending his career at age 22"
Thanks John, I have also been looking and found a news article which stated he attends functions by a society called RING 8 .. He is married and lives in New york. I feel it was a fantastic achievement to be a top contender at that time (Robinson ,La motta ect) with his disability.As i say,I only see the Lamotta fight but was very impressed with his ability,Jake Lamotta was a very powerful ,tough fighter and this fella really fought well against him.Very sad the way he had to retire .
Yes, i agree. I used to follow the game quite intently from the mid 50s thru 1960s but I have to admit that I'd never heard of Hairston till I saw that fight with LaMotta a few months back. Just shows the depth of the various divisions in those days.... BTW if what you're watching is the same series of fights that I saw keep an eye out for Joey Giardello in a fight against (I think ot was) Al Andrews....Giardello looked very skilled.