Panama Joe Gans

Panama Joe Gans was a black boxer who held the World Colored Middleweight Championship for four years, shortly before it was discontinued. Born Cyril Quinton Jr. on 14 November 1896, in Barbados, British West Indies and raised in the Panama Canal Zone, the 5'7" Quinton originally fought out of Panama and then New York City. He took his ringname from boxing great Joe Gans, the first black American fighter to win a world boxing title. He found his greatest fame fighting as a middleweight at between 147 and 160 lbs, but in his early career he took the Panamanian Lightweight Title and contended for the Panamanian Welterweight Title at weights roughly between 130 and 147 pounds.

Early life Panama Joe Gans was born Cyril Quinton Jr. on 4 November 1896, on the small tropical Island of Barbados. His family moved to Colon, Panama while he was still a child. After his father died when he was very young, he was detained by local authorities for stealing fish and spent the next five years in a detention center. At the center, he learned the basic aspects of boxing by partaking in bouts organized by his classmates. Under the guidance of H.R. Cambridge, a local Panamanian business manager, and real estate developer, Quinton adopted his ring name, and became a successful boxer in the Canal Zone where he fought his first thirty fights with considerable success.

Moving to New York in 1917 In 1917, Panama Joe was brought to New York by the talented boxing manager Leo P. Flynn, and settled in Harlem. Some of his important early victories were against the Jamaica Kid, Cleve Hawkins and Battling Thomas.

World Colored Middleweight defense, December 1920 On 19 December 1920, Panama Joe defeated Sailor Darden in a ten-round points decision for the Colored World Middleweight Championship title at New York's Madison Square Garden. Darden was a sailor who had been released by the Navy from his service on the USS Charleston. One key to Gans' victory may have been the ten pound weight advantage he had at 149 1/2 pounds, as Darden put up an exceptionally strong fight. After the fight, manager Tex Rickard presented Panama Joe with a diamond studded belt signifying his possession of the Colored Middleweight Title.

In a twelve-round newspaper decision by the Pittsburgh Post on 6 December 1921, Gans defeated Allentown Joe Gans at McGuigan Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

Contracting pneumonia, 1921 In January 1921, Panama Joe contracted pneumonia, affecting his long-term career ambitions. In 1920 he had won all of his fights, showing his mastery of the boxing world, and his potential as a true World Middleweight Champion.

Knockout win over Jack Blackburn, July 1922 Panama Joe defeated black Kentuckian boxer Jack Blackburn at Tomlinson Hall On 24 July 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana in a fourth-round knockout. Gans had come from the West Coast where he won two four round bouts in Oakland against Frank Barrieau and Frankie Denny. Blackburn was fighting one of the last matches of his career and was 40 at the time of the bout, ancient for a highly rated boxer, even in 1922. He had a three-inch advantage in reach and height, but it did not compensate for his age and declining stamina. Blackburn had fought many of the greatest boxers of his era, including Sam Langford, Kid Norfolk, and champions Joe Gans, Harry Greb, Harry Lewis, and Mike Twin Sullivan.

Bouts with future World Champion Tiger Flowers, 1921–23 Panama Joe fought Tiger Flowers in Toledo, Ohio, on 25 May 1923, in a twelve-round, no-decision bout, in which the Toledo News Bee reported that Flowers seemed to have had an edge in every round, but Gans' World Middleweight Title was not at stake as Ohio did not allow decisions. Flowers had a three-inch reach advantage over Gans, and may have fought with a weight advantage in the bout as well. Even though Gans had beaten Flowers twice previously, Gans' manager, Leo Flynn refused to have Panama Joe meet Flowers for a fourth time, though the purse offered was very large.

Win over future World Champion Tiger Flowers, 1921 Impressively, on 8 August 1921, Panama Joe knocked out Flowers in the sixth round at the Auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia. Famed sportswriter Damon Runyon noted prior to the fight that Panama Joe had a better claim to the Middleweight Title than two of the primary white contenders, Bostonian Italian Johnny Wilson, who first took the title in 1920, and Bryan Downey, who contended for the title once in July 1921 against Wilson. On 15 December 1921, Gans had decisively beaten Flowers in a fifth-round knockout at the Auditorium in Atlanta, Georgia. These were impressive wins as Flowers would become the first African American to hold the World Middleweight Championship in 1926.

At 149 1/2 pounds, on 18 November 1922, Gans defeated Jewish New York boxer Marty Cross before a large crowd in twelve rounds at the Commonwealth Sports Club in the Bronx in a twelve-round points decision. Cross had a three-inch reach advantage over Gans. He was a brother of the great lightweight boxer Leach Cross. Gans was the winner on points in every round, but in the ninth he was nearly knocked out by a single punch to the midsection. Gans recovered from the blow and came back strongly in the following round, continuing to press his advantage and bringing Cross close to a knockout. Gans had promised to forfeit his Middleweight Championship bout if he lost the fight.

On 30 May 1923, Panama Joe defeated well known competitor Willie Walker in New York in a ninth-round knockout. Panama Joe had previously lost to Gans on 6 February 1923, in a twelve-round points decision at New York's Pioneer Sporting Club.

Losing the Colored World Middleweight Championship, June 1924 Only six months after his second battle with pneumonia, Panama Joe lost his title to Larry Estridge in a decisive ten round unanimous decision at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on 26 June 1924. Panama Joe was floored three times in the bout, and was cut by the swinging jabs of his southpaw challenger. Gans was down by the second round, and may have been woozy in the remaining eight, where he gamely took a serious battering, but fought on. Estridge was twenty-two to Panama Joe's twenty-eight years and had a six-pound weight advantage which may have played a factor in the bout.

Estridge successfully defended the title in a rematch with Gans at Queensboro Stadium in Long Island City, Queens, New York on 11 August 1924, before a crowd of 16,000. Panama Joe once again took a battering in the match. It was Estridge's sole title defense. The title went into abeyance after Tiger Flowers became the first black boxer to win the world middleweight championship when he defeated Harry Greb in 1926.

According to BoxRec, Panama Joe's last recorded fight was at Balboa Stadium in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico against Francisco Soler on 10 June 1928. Panama Joe lost the ten round bout.

Panama Joe's professional boxing career extended for a period of roughly fifteen years. Little has been published about his later life or his death.

Professional boxing record All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated.

Official record

All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as "no decision" bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.

Unofficial record

Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.

Achievements