Did great black fighters such as Sugar Ray Robinson...

[Clegg]

...fight white boxers on the way up?

Was it that Robinson only got a chance against white boxers once he proved himself to be the best black boxer in the division, or did journeymen white boxers fight black boxers on a regular basis?

I am using Robinson as an example but am curious to know if the same is true of others such as Joe Louis, Tiger Flowers etc.

[JAB5239]

...fight white boxers on the way up?

Was it that Robinson only got a chance against white boxers once he proved himself to be the best black boxer in the division, or did journeymen white boxers fight black boxers on a regular basis?

I am using Robinson as an example but am curious to know if the same is true of others such as Joe Louis, Tiger Flowers etc.

I know for a fact that Joe Louis fought both white and black fighters on his way up. I'm sure Robinson did also, but not so sure about Flowers.
I don't think it was uncommon for whites and blacks on their way up in bye-gone eras, but black weren't allowed title shots nearly as often against whites. There are some exceptions to this rule, but more times than not people of color were kept out of the picture for either racial or financial reasons. Hell, Robinson didn't get a shot at the welterweight title until he had already fought Jake LaMotta 4 times. At Middleweight.
He should have been given a shot years earlier. There is no doubt in my mind many were made to wait, and some like Langford and Burley were never given their chance at all.

[Reggie Miller]

black fighters had no choice but to fight white fighters during that era, it was the only way to get more money, white fighters brought tons of money.

[Thread Stealer]

Of course, if they could get the fights. The black fighters like Ray Robinson wanted to fight more white fighters. They paid more.

Ray Robinson wasn't too anxious to fight guys like Charley Burley or Cocoa Kid....the reward/risk was better to fight white boxers.

[Froch You]

I read in Ring ****zine a while back that some states back in the day had a ban on interracial boxing matches. Up until like the 60s. So I think it depends on where they fought.

[randy johnson]

Joe Louis did not fight black fighters on the way up. Joe Louis pretty much avoided fighting black fighters until his last couple of fights and he got away with this because he was half white. Sugar Ray Robinson had 200 fights and maybe 10 against black fighters.

[ben41193]

Black igghters had to fight white ones, its the only way to get money, Back then noone wanted to pay to see black fighters fight each other

[ben41193]

Of course, if they could get the fights. The black fighters like Ray Robinson wanted to fight more white fighters. They paid more.

Ray Robinson wasn't too anxious to fight guys like Charley Burley or Cocoa Kid....the reward/risk was better to fight white boxers.

Pefrect reply thread ought to be clossed

[Thread Stealer]

Black igghters had to fight white ones, its the only way to get money, Back then noone wanted to pay to see black fighters fight each other

Yeah, unfortunately sometimes the black fighters had to just fight each other over and over again.

Sam Langford fought Harry Wills almost 20 times, Joe Jeannette 14 times, Sam McVea 14 times. Langford ended up broke and blind.

Holman Williams fought Charley Burley 7 times or so...and fought Lloyd Marshall, Archie Moore, Jack Chase, Cocoa Kid all multiple times.

[Devils Advocate]

Joe Louis was half Native-American, no one gave 2 ****s that he was half anything anyway back then!!