Marvin Hart (September 16, 1876 – September 17, 1931) was the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion from July 3, 1905, to February 23, 1906.
Boxing career
Hart, nicknamed "The Louisville Plumber" because of his former trade, gained considerable prominence after a 1905 win over future champion
Jack Johnson. That year, the heavyweight title was left vacant as a result of the retirement of champion
James J. Jeffries
James Jackson "Jim" Jeffries (April 15, 1875 – March 3, 1953) was an American professional boxer and World Heavyweight Champion.
He was known for his enormous strength and stamina. Using a technique taught to him by his trainer, former Welte ...
and Hart's record earned him a chance to fight for the championship against top-ranked
Jack Root
John Arthur Root, known professionally as Jack Root (May 26, 1875 – June 10, 1963) was an American boxer. He was the first world light heavyweight champion as well as a challenger for the world heavyweight title. He fought out of Chicago. He wa ...
(1876–1963), a much more experienced boxer, who had already beaten Hart in November, 1902.
Jeffries, the retiring champ, refereed the championship fight on July 3, 1905, in
Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
. Hart knocked out Jack Root in the 12th round to win the vacant championship. After one successful exhibition match, Hart lost his championship to
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
Tommy Burns on February 23, 1906, in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Burns won the 20-round fight by decision.
Death
Hart died the day after his 55th birthday of an enlarged liver and high blood pressure. He was interred in the Resthaven Memorial Park, in his hometown of
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
.
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of heavyweight boxing champions
References
External links
Marvin Hart - Cyber Boxing Zone Profile*
*
1876 births
1931 deaths
Boxers from Louisville, Kentucky
Heavyweight boxers
World heavyweight boxing champions
American male boxers
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