Noah
Brusso NICKNAMED:
Ed Burns The Little
Giant of Hanover
Tommy Burns HeavyWeight
Champ: 1906-1908
Why Are We
Talking Boxing?
Boxing has been
a popular sport for well over 100 years, the concept of two individuals
getting into a ring to have one emerge the winner is still exciting
to sports fans and boxers themselves.
John L. Sullivan,
“The Boston Strong Boy”, won the first Heavyweight title
in 1885 and relinquished his title to “Gentleman Jim” Corbett
in 1892. These fighters were at the beginning of an era of world-class
boxing for the upper weight ranges.
It was not until
1906 that Tommy Burns would claim the Heavyweight title. So you may
question what is so important about Tommy Burns? First and foremost,
this was a Canadian, born and bred in Chesley, Ontario on June 17, 1881.
Starting out in his career under his real name “Noah Brusso”, he would
end his career known as Tommy Burns. On May 10, 1955, while living in
Vancouver, British Columbia, Tommy would make his final exit from the
ring of life.
Outside of being
Canadian why is Tommy Burns an important icon in the history of boxing?
Noah, also known as Tommy, was the only Canadian to ever win the World
Heavyweight Boxing Crown. This is a distinction that still attests to
the talent he possessed as well as the dogged determination that followed
him throughout his career.
The Early Years:
Noah Brusso was
making a name for himself in the boxing ring. His style of fighting
was very effective, ending nearly every fight by knocking out his opponent.
Brusso’s boxing
record read like a who’s who of “KO’s”. In his first match, 1900, his
opponent would last five rounds before Brusso would knock him out. In
1901 Brusso continued to do his magic, winning all four of his bouts
by knockout. Billy Walsh fought Brusso twice during this year and managed
to hold Brusso off until the 5th and 6th rounds before being “KO’d”.
Brusso was strong
in the first three matches of 1902, wherein he proceeded to knockout
each of his opponents before they could reach the 6th round. What seemed
like a golden streak was somewhat tarnished May 16th when he met with
Ed Sholtreau of Detriot. Ed tested Tommy’s stamina by lasting for 10
rounds before Tommy was declared the winner of the match. Of particular
interest was that Brusso did not manage to knock out this fighter.
Brusso’s next
match, June 1902, was against Dick Smith of Mt. Clemens Michigan. It
would appear that Tommy’s magic was back as Dick was KO’d in the second
round. In a rematch July 1902, Smith pushed Burns’ limits by going ten
rounds before Burns was declared the winner of the match; knockout was
not the deciding factor in this match.
December 8th of
that year, Tommy would go up against “Gentleman Jim” Corbett. Burns
would fight an icon of boxing in an exhibition match. On December 26th,
Burns would KO Tom McCune of Detroit in the 7th round, winning the Michigan
State Middleweight Title.
Things seemed
to be going along well, with Brusso continuing to win matches, until
January 28, 1904 when he met with boxer Ben O’Grady in the ring. During
the match Ben was KO’d in the third round, but the injuries sustained
were severe enough to leave O’Grady in a state of near death. In order
to remain in fighting, Brusso decided to leave town and change his name.
He began to fight under the name of Ed Burns and later changed to Tommy
Burns.
The Boxer Develops:
Brusso changed
his name so that he could continue to participate in the sport he enjoyed.
First calling himself ED BURNS and then emerging as TOMMY BURNS, he
would continue to provide fierce competition in the ring.
Tommy Burns took
a leave from his boxing from 1915-1917, coming back to fight for another
three years. The title matches and the boxers he encountered included
many legendary figures.
The following
table lists the individuals that Noah/Tommy stepped in the ring against.
As was common in those days, fighters would often meet on more than
one occasion, sometimes even within a couple of months of the original
match. The dates of these fights and the importance of the different
matches can best be found by visiting Cyber Boxing Zone.
Fred Thornton,
Billy Walsh(2), Archie Steele, Ed Sholtreau, Fred Thornton, Harry Peppers,
George Steele, Ed Sholtreau, Dick Smith(3), Jack O'Donnell(2), Earl
Thompson(2), Billy Moore(2), Reddy Phillips(2),“Gentleman Jim” Corbett,Tom
McCune(2), Mike Schreck(2), Jim O'Brien(2), Jimmy Duggan, Jack Hammond,
Jack Butler, Ben O’Grady, George Shrosbree, Tony Caponi(2), Joe Wardinski,
Klondike Mike Mahoney, Cyclone Kelly, Billy Woods(2),“Phila. Jack O’Brien”(3),“Indian
Joe” Schildt, Jack “Twin” Sullivan(2), Dave Barry(2), Hugo Kelly(2),
Marvin Hart, James J. Walker, Fireman Jim Flynn, Joe Grim, Bill Squires(3),
James “Gunner Moir”, Charlie Wilson, Jack Palmer, Jem Roche, Johnny
Douglas, Jewey Smith, Bill Lang(2), Jack Johnson, Larry Foley, Bill
Rickard, Arthur Pelkey, Battling Brant, Tex Foster, Joe Beckett
