James Obed Howard, alias ''Richie "Kid" Howard'' (October 9, 1928 – January 4, 1975), was a

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Personal life

James Howard was born in Terrace Bay, Nova Scotia, but his residence is given by boxrec.com as Halifax. His birth name was James Obed Howard. He was known as Dicky Howard to family and friends. Confirmed by his niece, Ruth Bungay.

Professional career

Howard made his professional debut at the age of seventeen on January 1, 1945 with a four rounds points win against Lloyd Martin. After winning his first six fights, Howard lost for the first time on April 1 of 1946, to Isaac Thomas. Fighting mostly in Halifax, Howard had compiled an impressive record of 24-4 before making an unproductive foray into

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He returned to Halifax with a record of 26-6 to face Crosby Irvine for the Maritime Lightweight Championship on October 22, 1949, which he won with a second-round knockout. Howard continued to face tougher competition, making further ventures into New York and fighting such names as Buddy Hayes,

Ralph Dupas Ralph Dupas (October 14, 1935 – January 25, 2008) was an American boxer from New Orleans who won the world light middleweight championship. Early boxing career Dupas was the second of eleven children of a New Orleans fisherman, Peter Dupas. H ...

Dennis Pat Brady Denis Pat Brady (January 18, 1928-August 6, 2010) was a lightweight professional boxer from Connecticut. Personal life Brady, a resident of Bronx, New York, was born in New York, New York. Professional career Brady made his professional de ...

Kenny Lane Kenny Lane (April 9, 1932 – August 5, 2008) was an American southpaw (left-handed) boxer. He fought for lightweight and light welterweight titles of the world, once against Joe Brown and twice against Carlos Ortiz. Early life Lane was rai ...

, Redtop Davis,

Glen Flanagan Glen Flanagan (November 16, 1926 – January 28, 1979) was a featherweight professional boxer from Minnesota. Personal life Glen Flanagan was born and raised in St Paul, Minnesota. He and his wife Betty had six children, and Glen went on to ha ...

, and

Willie Toweel Willie Michael Toweel (6 April 1934 – 25 December 2017) was a Boxing, boxer from South Africa, who won the bronze medal in the flyweight division (– 51 kg) at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, FInland. Personal life Willi ...

. Howard retired after a July 1959 loss to Tommy Tibbs, having compiled a career record of 77 wins (17 by

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

), 26 losses, and 5 draws.

Notes

1928 births 1975 deaths Sportspeople from Nova Scotia Canadian male boxers Lightweight boxers {{Canada-boxing-bio-stub