| Denver Ed Martin | |
| Realname: | Edward Martin |
| Nickname: | The Colorado Giant |
| Weight: | Heavyweight |
| Birth Date: | 10 September 1881 or 1877 |
| Birth Place: | Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Death Date: | (aged 56 or 59) |
| Death Place: | Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Style: | Orthodox |
| Total: | 42 |
| Wins: | 26 |
| Ko: | 17 |
| Losses: | 10 |
| Draws: | 4 |
| No Contests: | 2 |
Edward "Denver Ed" Martin (September 10, 1881, or 1877 – May 11, 1937) was an American boxer who was the World Colored Heavyweight Champion from February 24, 1902, when he beat Frank Childs, until February 5, 1903, when he lost his title to Jack Johnson, the only Colored Heavyweight Champion (and first African American) to win the world's heavyweight championship.
Known as "Denver Ed Martin" and "The Colorado Giant", Martin was born in Denver, Colorado, on September 10, 1881 (or 1877). His father was born in Alabama and his mother in Georgia.[1] His height was listed as 6inchesftNaNinchesin (ftin), while some sources report that he was 6' 6" or 6' 6½" tall.[2] Martin was a strong boxer with renowned footwork who was a strong puncher.
Martin made his debut against former colored heavyweight champ Bob Armstrong on June 6, 1899, at the Lenox Athletic Club in New York City and was knocked out in the second round. He became the colored heavyweight champ when he beat title-holder Frank Childs in a bout in Chicago on February 25, 1902, out-pointing the champ in a six-round contest.
He defended the colored heavyweight title against rival Bob Armstrong at the Crystal Palace in London on July 25, 1902. According to the Associated Press coverage of the fight:
"Martin proved the cleverer and never gave his opponent a chance, being declared an easy winner on points at the close of the fifteenth round; Martin, it is announced, will challenge the winner of the Jeffries-Fitzsimmons fight in San Francsico."
World heavyweight champ James J. Jeffries, who had fought Armstrong and other African American boxers on the way up through the ranks, maintained the color bar erected by bare-knuckles champ John L. Sullivan, though Martin was not given a title shot. Instead, he met Armstrong for a rematch in Philadelphia on December 10. According to the Daily Gazette and Bulletin:
"The bout was fast from the start and both men narrowly escaped a knockout. The bell saved Armstrong in the third and fifth and Martin was floored six times in the fourth round."
The six-round bout ended in a no decision. In his next fight, Martin lost his title to Jack Johnson in a decision after 20 rounds. The two fighters treated each other cautiously in the first 10 rounds, but Johnson dropped Martin in the 11th with a right hand to the neck. It was the first of five times he hit the canvas in that round. With his footwork, Martin managed to go the distance, but lost the title.[3]
Martin met Johnson in a rematch for the colored heavyweight title match in Los Angeles on October 18, 1904, and was knocked out in the second round. In addition to the colored heavyweight title, he shared the distinction with Johnson of having beaten future Oscar winner Victor McLaglen in the ring, before the pugilist turned to acting. Johnson beat McLaglen in a six-round exhibition in 1909, while Martin knocked out McLaglen in the third round of a scheduled 20-round bout in Aberdeen, Washington the year before.
Johnson broke the color bar in 1908 when he beat Canadian Tommy Burns and became the first African American heavyweight champion of the world. As the heavyweight champ, Johnson dodged African American heavyweights too, though it was on the basis that a fight between two black boxers would prove a bust at the box office. Just like Jeffries, he did not give Martin a shot at the world heavyweight title, either.
Martin retired in 1914, after a loss to Englishman Tom Cowler, "The Cumberland Giant", who knocked him out in the second round. He moved to the Portland, Oregon area, where he kept his hand in the fight game and refereed fights. He staged a comeback in Oregon in 1921, winning three fights, all by knock-outs. None of the fights went more than four rounds.
Martin's last fight was similar to his first in that it involved a fellow colored heavyweight champ. On November 18, 1921, he met colored heavyweight champ Harry Wills in a ten-round bout in Milwaukie, Oregon. Wills knocked Martin down six times before knocking him out in the first round. He retired with a record of 23 wins (17 by KO), nine losses (eight by KO) and three + draws. He also won two newspaper decisions.[4]
In 1933, Martin was living in Oakland, California where he ran a cigar shop.[5] [6] He died on May 11, 1937, in Oakland and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in that same city.[7] [8]
All information in this section is derived from BoxRec,[9] unless otherwise stated.
All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Loss | 23–10–3 | Harry Wills | KO | 1 (10), | Nov 18, 1921 | ||
| 41 | Win | 23–9–3 | 'Sergeant' Ray Smith | KO | 3 (10) | Oct 19, 1921 | ||
| 40 | Win | 22–9–3 | Tiny Jim Herman | KO | 4 (10) | Sep 21, 1921 | ||
| 39 | Win | 21–9–3 | Young Hector | KO | 2 (10) | Sep 7, 1921 | ||
| 38 | Win | 20–9–3 | 'Young' Sam McVey | TKO | 3 (8) | Jan 31, 1916 | ||
| 37 | Loss | 19–9–3 | Tom Cowler | KO | 2 (15) | Mar 7, 1914 | ||
| 36 | Draw | 19–8–3 | Ed Hagen | PTS | 6 | Jul 3, 1913 | ||
| 35 | Draw | 19–8–2 | White Hope | PTS | 4 | Mar 3, 1912 | ||
| 34 | 19–8–1 | Tommy Ryan | NC | 6 | Nov 29, 1911 | |||
| 33 | 19–8–1 | Ed Hagen | ND | 6 | Feb 22, 1911 | |||
| 32 | Win | 19–8–1 | Ed Hagen | DQ | 3 (4) | Jan 20, 1911 | ||
| 31 | Win | 18–8–1 | Gunboat Smith | NWS | 4 | Jul 16, 1909 | ||
| 30 | Draw | 18–8–1 | Benjamin Roller | PTS | 6 | Jan 19, 1909 | ||
| 29 | Win | 18–8 | Cupid Stupid | TKO | 3 (?) | Jan 2, 1909 | ||
| 28 | Win | 17–8 | Victor McLaglen | KO | 3 (20) | Aug 10, 1908 | ||
| 27 | Win | 16–8 | Spike Kennedy | TKO | 6 (10) | Nov 2, 1907 | ||
| 26 | Loss | 15–8 | Sam McVey | KO | 16 (20) | Feb 28, 1907 | ||
| 25 | Loss | 15–7 | Tom Costello | KO | 2 (4) | Jan 23, 1907 | ||
| 24 | Loss | 15–6 | Sam McVey | KO | 4 (20) | Jan 25, 1906 | ||
| 23 | Win | 15–5 | Frank Childs | PTS | 6 | Nov 1, 1904 | ||
| 22 | Loss | 14–5 | Jack Johnson | KO | 2 (20) | Oct 18, 1903 | ||
| 21 | Win | 14–4 | Sam McVey | PTS | 10 | Aug 12, 1903 | ||
| 20 | Loss | 13–4 | Sam McVey | KO | 1 (20) | Sep 15, 1903 | ||
| 19 | Loss | 13–3 | Bob Armstrong | KO | 3 (12) | Jun 10, 1903 | ||
| 18 | Loss | 13–2 | Jack Johnson | PTS | 20 | Feb 5, 1903 | ||
| 17 | Win | 13–1 | Bob Armstrong | NWS | 6 | Dec 10, 1902 | ||
| 16 | Win | 13–1 | Frank Craig | KO | 4 (10) | Aug 30, 1902 | ||
| 15 | Win | 12–1 | Frank Craig | TKO | 3 (10) | Aug 16, 1902 | ||
| 14 | Win | 11–1 | Bob Armstrong | PTS | 15 | Jul 25, 1902 | ||
| 13 | Win | 10–1 | Sandy Ferguson | TKO | 5 (15), | Jun 25, 1902 | ||
| 12 | Win | 9–1 | Frank Childs | PTS | 6 | Feb 24, 1902 | ||
| 11 | Win | 8–1 | Hank Griffin | TKO | 7 (20) | Oct 2, 1901 | ||
| 10 | Win | 7–1 | Fred Russell | DQ | 10 (20) | Aug 12, 1901 | ||
| 9 | Win | 6–1 | Denis Ike Hayes | TKO | 2 (4) | Jul 17, 1901 | ||
| 8 | Win | 5–1 | Yank Kenny | KO | 1 (25), | Aug 31, 1900 | ||
| 7 | Win | 4–1 | Jim Galvin | TKO | 1 (25) | Aug 20, 1900 | ||
| 6 | Win | 3–1 | Frank Skelley | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 7, 1900 | ||
| 5 | Draw | 2–1 | Bob Armstrong | NWS | 6 | Mar 23, 1900 | ||
| 4 | Win | 2–1 | Klondike Haynes | NWS | 6 | Jan 27, 1900 | ||
| 3 | Win | 2–1 | Walter Johnson | TKO | 7 (20), | Aug 25, 1899 | ||
| 2 | Win | 1–1 | Charley Stevenson | TKO | 14 (15), | Jul 24, 1899 | ||
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Bob Armstrong | KO | 2 (20) | Jun 6, 1899 | ||
Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Loss | 26–10–4 | Harry Wills | KO | 1 (10), | Nov 18, 1921 | ||
| 41 | Win | 26–9–4 | 'Sergeant' Ray Smith | KO | 3 (10) | Oct 19, 1921 | ||
| 40 | Win | 25–9–4 | Tiny Jim Herman | KO | 4 (10) | Sep 21, 1921 | ||
| 39 | Win | 24–9–4 | Young Hector | KO | 2 (10) | Sep 7, 1921 | ||
| 38 | Win | 23–9–4 | 'Young' Sam McVey | TKO | 3 (8) | Jan 31, 1916 | ||
| 37 | Loss | 22–9–4 | Tom Cowler | KO | 2 (15) | Mar 7, 1914 | ||
| 36 | Draw | 22–8–4 | Ed Hagen | PTS | 6 | Jul 3, 1913 | ||
| 35 | Draw | 22–8–3 | White Hope | PTS | 4 | Mar 3, 1912 | ||
| 34 | 22–8–2 | Tommy Ryan | NC | 6 | Nov 29, 1911 | |||
| 33 | 22–8–2 | Ed Hagen | ND | 6 | Feb 22, 1911 | |||
| 32 | Win | 22–8–2 | Ed Hagen | DQ | 3 (4) | Jan 20, 1911 | ||
| 31 | Win | 21–8–2 | Gunboat Smith | NWS | 4 | Jul 16, 1909 | ||
| 30 | Draw | 20–8–2 | Benjamin Roller | PTS | 6 | Jan 19, 1909 | ||
| 29 | Win | 20–8–1 | Cupid Stupid | TKO | 3 (?) | Jan 2, 1909 | ||
| 28 | Win | 19–8–1 | Victor McLaglen | KO | 3 (20) | Aug 10, 1908 | ||
| 27 | Win | 18–8–1 | Spike Kennedy | TKO | 6 (10) | Nov 2, 1907 | ||
| 26 | Loss | 17–8–1 | Sam McVey | KO | 16 (20) | Feb 28, 1907 | ||
| 25 | Loss | 17–7–1 | Tom Costello | KO | 2 (4) | Jan 23, 1907 | ||
| 24 | Loss | 17–6–1 | Sam McVey | KO | 4 (20) | Jan 25, 1906 | ||
| 23 | Win | 17–5–1 | Frank Childs | PTS | 6 | Nov 1, 1904 | ||
| 22 | Loss | 16–5–1 | Jack Johnson | KO | 2 (20) | Oct 18, 1903 | ||
| 21 | Win | 16–4–1 | Sam McVey | PTS | 10 | Aug 12, 1903 | ||
| 20 | Loss | 15–4–1 | Sam McVey | KO | 1 (20) | Sep 15, 1903 | ||
| 19 | Loss | 15–3–1 | Bob Armstrong | KO | 3 (12) | Jun 10, 1903 | ||
| 18 | Loss | 15–2–1 | Jack Johnson | PTS | 20 | Feb 5, 1903 | ||
| 17 | Win | 15–1–1 | Bob Armstrong | NWS | 6 | Dec 10, 1902 | ||
| 16 | Win | 14–1–1 | Frank Craig | KO | 4 (10) | Aug 30, 1902 | ||
| 15 | Win | 13–1–1 | Frank Craig | TKO | 3 (10) | Aug 16, 1902 | ||
| 14 | Win | 12–1–1 | Bob Armstrong | PTS | 15 | Jul 25, 1902 | ||
| 13 | Win | 11–1–1 | Sandy Ferguson | TKO | 5 (15), | Jun 25, 1902 | ||
| 12 | Win | 10–1–1 | Frank Childs | PTS | 6 | Feb 24, 1902 | ||
| 11 | Win | 9–1–1 | Hank Griffin | TKO | 7 (20) | Oct 2, 1901 | ||
| 10 | Win | 8–1–1 | Fred Russell | DQ | 10 (20) | Aug 12, 1901 | ||
| 9 | Win | 7–1–1 | Denis Ike Hayes | TKO | 2 (4) | Jul 17, 1901 | ||
| 8 | Win | 6–1–1 | Yank Kenny | KO | 1 (25), | Aug 31, 1900 | ||
| 7 | Win | 5–1–1 | Jim Galvin | TKO | 1 (25) | Aug 20, 1900 | ||
| 6 | Win | 4–1–1 | Frank Skelley | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 7, 1900 | ||
| 5 | Draw | 3–1–1 | Bob Armstrong | NWS | 6 | Mar 23, 1900 | ||
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Klondike Haynes | NWS | 6 | Jan 27, 1900 | ||
| 3 | Win | 2–1 | Walter Johnson | TKO | 7 (20), | Aug 25, 1899 | ||
| 2 | Win | 1–1 | Charley Stevenson | TKO | 14 (15), | Jul 24, 1899 | ||
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Bob Armstrong | KO | 2 (20) | Jun 6, 1899 | ||