Joe Gans captured the world lightweight title in 1902, becoming the first black American world title holder in any sport. Gans was a master strategist and tactician, and one of the earliest practitioners of "scientific" boxing. As a black champion reigning during the Jim Crow era, he endured physical assaults, a stolen title, bankruptcy, and numerous attempts to destroy his reputation. Four short years after successfully defending his title in the 42-round "Greatest Fight of the Century," Joe Gans was dead of tuberculosis.

This biography features original round-by-round ringside telegraph reports of his most famous and controversial fights, a complete fight history, photographs, and early newspaper drawings and cartoons.

“wonderful...expertly crafted...it is quite simply one of the most engrossing boxing books I have ever read...highly recommend[ed]”—BoxingTalk; “compelling and informative...a first-rate account of the life and times of Gans...a wonderful book, which rightly gives Joe Gans the respect and admiration he so richly deserves”—Examiner.com; “Colleen Aycock and Mark Scott, and McFarland, deserve our warm thanks in spotlighting the short, but singular, career of one of America’s least well-known athletes, a lightweight boxer named Joe Gans…[who] became the first black American world-title holder in any sport.”—Journal of Sport History; “finally! Someone has written a book about boxing’s first African American world champion...marvelous...well written...very enjoyable and educational...highly recommend”—International Boxing Research Organization; “the most thorough and meticulously researched volume on this fighter to date...a must-have...interesting and informative...very detailed”—Cyber Boxing Zone; “probably nobody knows more about Joe Gans than Aycock”—Albuquerque Journal and Mas New Mexico.

Colleen Aycock, co-editor for the International Boxing Research Organization, was named to the New Mexico Boxing Hall of Fame and is the author, co-author or co-editor of five books on boxing. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mark Scott, a novelist and former Golden Gloves boxer, lives in Austin, Texas. He is a contributor to other publications on the history of boxing.