Today in Sports History: George Dixon becomes first black world champion
Today’s Sports Highlight in History:
In 1890, Canadian boxer George Dixon becomes first black world champion when he stops English bantamweight champion Edwin “Nunc” Wallace in 18 rounds in London, England.
On this date:
1903 — Willie Anderson captures the U.S. Open with a two-stroke victory over David Brown in a playoff.
1914 — Jack Johnson wins a 20-round referee’s decision over Frank Moran at the Velodrome d’Hiver in Paris.
1924 — Walter Hagen wins his second British Open. Hagen finishes with a 301 to edge Ernest Whitcombe by one stroke at Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, England. Hagen, who won in 1922, was the Open’s first winner born in the United States.
1936 — Alf Padgham beats Jimmy Adams by one stroke to win the British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.
1950 — Chandler Harper wins the PGA championship by beating Henry Williams Jr., 4 and 3 in the final round.
1959 — Mickey Wright beats Louise Suggs by two strokes for her second straight U.S. Women’s Open title.
1971 — JoAnne Carner wins the U.S. Women’s Open with a seven-stroke victory over Kathy Whitworth.
1979 — Heavyweight Muhammad Ali confirms that his 3rd retirement is final (it isn’t).
1984 — UEFA European Championship Final, Parc des Princes, Paris, France: Michel Platini & Bruno Bellone score as France beats Spain, 2-0.
1988 — Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spink in 91 seconds, in Atlantic City.
1990 — NBA Draft: Syracuse power forward Derrick Coleman first pick by New Jersey Nets.
1992 — Top-seeded Jim Courier, the Australian and French Open champion, loses 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to qualifier Andrei Olhovskiy of Russia at Wimbledon. It’s the first time in Wimbledon history that a qualifier beat the top seed.
1998 — NHL Draft: Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) center Vincent Lecavalier first pick by Tampa Bay Lightning.
1999 — Juli Inkster shoots a 6-under 65 to win the LPGA Championship, becoming the second woman to win the modern career Grand Slam. Pat Bradley won her Grand Slam 13 years earlier.
2001 — NBA Draft: Glynn Academy center Kwame Brown first pick by Washington Wizards.
2006 — Roger Federer wins his record 42nd straight grass-court match, beating Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to open his bid for a fourth consecutive Wimbledon championship. Federer breaks the record he shared with Bjorn Borg, the five-time Wimbledon champion who won 41 straight matches on grass from 1976-1981.
2008 — Zheng Jie completes the biggest victory of her career at Wimbledon, beating new No. 1 Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4 in the third round. The 133rd-ranked Zheng’s victory, her first against a top-10 player, is the earliest exit by a top-ranked woman at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis lost in the first round in 2001.
2010 — Cristie Kerr cruises to a 12-stroke victory in the LPGA Championship in one of the most lopsided wins at a major. Kerr leads wire-to-wire, closing with a 6-under 66 for a 19-under 269 total. Kerr breaks the tournament record for victory margin of 11 set by Betsy King in 1992 and matches the second-biggest victory in a major.
2013 — NBA Draft: UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett first pick Cleveland Cavaliers.
2017 — Florida scores four runs in the eighth inning to pull away from LSU, and the Gators beat their Southeastern Conference rival 6-1 to complete a two-game sweep in the College World Series finals for their first national title in baseball. LSU loses for the first time in seven appearances in a championship game.
2021 — Nelly Korda beats Lizette Salas by 3 strokes to win the Women’s PGA Championship. The win is Korda’s first major title.