John Walter Roxborough (February 21, 1892 - December 13, 1975) was an American

bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...

, boxing manager and professional sports gambler who, alongside boxing promoter Julian Black, managed the career of Joe Louis. Roxborough and Black were responsible for developing Louis' public image from Louis' rise from amateur status to the end of his heavyweight career in 1949.

Early life

Roxborough was one of four children born to lawyer Charles A. Roxborough II (1856-1908) and Virginia Gertrude Roxborough (1863-1935) in

Plaquemine, Louisiana Plaquemine is a city in and the parish seat of Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area. At the 2010 United States census, the population was 7,119; the 2020 census determined its ...

, both of whom were of European and African descent. The family relocated from Louisiana to

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

in 1899. One of his brothers,

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

, later became the first Black person elected to the Michigan Senate.

Career

Roxborough, in his youth and early adulthood, played basketball, and would assist youth sports programs in predominantly-Black areas of Detroit in the 1920s. He also ran a real estate office in Detroit's Paradise Valley which moonlighted as a front for an illegal numbers ring. Roxborough first came across Joe Louis when Louis was competing in amateur boxing in 1931. As Louis explained in his autobiography, Roxborough convinced the young fighter that white managers would have no real interest in seeing a black boxer work his way up to title contention:

oxboroughtold me about the fate of most black fighters, ones with white managers, who wound up burned-out and broke before they reached their prime. The white managers were not interested in the men they were handling but in the money they could make from them. They didn't take the proper time to see that their fighters had a proper training, that they lived comfortably, or ate well, or had some pocket change. Mr. Roxborough was talking about Black Power before it became popular.

Roxborough recruited

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lawyer and numbers runner Julian Black to help develop Louis' career, and also recruited

Jack Blackburn Charles Henry "Jack" Blackburn (May 20, 1883 – April 24, 1942) was an American boxer and boxing trainer. Fighting in the first half of his career as a lightweight and later a welterweight, he was known for an exceptional defense and fought m ...

to coach Louis. In 1935, after Louis turned 21, Roxborough and Black convinced Louis to sign a contract which collectively dedicated half of Louis' future income to the pair. Roxborough and Black were aware of the blowback against Jack Johnson's life and lifestyle, and heavily regulated Louis' behavior in public in order to avoid scrutiny from white audiences. Roxborough became rich from Louis' career in the ring, but continued to operate a numbers racket. He was eventually convicted and sent to a two-and-a-half year sentence in state prison in 1944. After his release, Roxborough continued as Louis' co-manager until after Louis' last fight with

Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the onl ...

in 1949. Roxborough provided Louis with a lifetime position as vice president and director of youth activities at the Superior Life Insurance Society of Michigan.

Personal life

Roxborough married Wilhelmina Morris in 1937 and divorced in 1954 with no children. Roxborough died in Detroit on December 1, 1975 at the age of 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roxborough, John American boxing managers Bookmakers Joe Louis People from Detroit People from Plaquemine, Louisiana Roxborough family 1892 births 1975 deaths