From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)
Watts, Jim
(born: 1871)*Jim Watts and James D. Watts may be the same person, but since this has not been definitively determined, entries have been created for both names.
Jim Watts began his boxing career as a welterweight in Louisville, KY. He quickly moved up to fight as a middleweight. For a brief period, he competed as a heavyweight before returning to the middleweight division. Watts' boxing career spanned from 1895 to 1916, and one fight in 1919. His career can be followed in newspaper articles with the name "Jim Watts," and in one fight he is accused of fighting under the name "Jim Austin."
One of Jim Watts' early matches was a March of 1896 exhibition that was scheduled against Scott Collins in the Navarre Athletic Club in Lexington, KY. In 1897, Watts called for clarification in a letter to the Louisville Courier-Journal explaining that he had not drawn the color-line or refused to fight other African American boxers. Watts had supposedly not lost a fight in Louisville. In April of 1897, Jim Watts was in New York and managed by Paddy Gorman, an Australian. While in New York, Watts defeated George Blakely in a bareknuckle fight in July of 1897. Watts had previously fought Joe Walcott in April of 1897. The fight was held at the Broadway Athletic Club and ended in a tie in the fourth round after a dispute about a foul against Walcott. In October of 1897, Jim Watts was defeated by Tommy West at Maspeth, NY. Watts was knocked out in the fourth round.
When Watts returned to Louisville, he was defeated by Jim Ryan from Australia in March of 1898. It was said to be his first loss in Louisville. In January of 1898, Watts had also lost to Jim Janey in Washington, D. C. Later that year, Watts defeated Janey in Louisville. The following year, Watts was defeated by John Larue in Louisville. In March of 1899, Watts defeated Paddy Purtell in Indianapolis. He then lost to Billy Swift in Louisville in May of 1899. In July of 1900, Jim Watts was boxing as a heavyweight. He was knocked out in the 4th round by George Grant. The fight took place in Springfield, OH. Several months later, in March of 1901, Jim Watts was knocked out in the second round of the fight with George Byers. The fight took place in Paducah, KY. A year later, Watts was knocked out in the third-round while sparring with New York heavyweight Bob Armstrong.
In January of 1902, Jimm Watts said that his picture was used in the promotion of the fight between Jim Austin and Young Peter Jackson in Baltimore, MD. After the fight, Watts denied that it was him in the ring. Whoever that fighter may have been, he had quit the fight in the fourth round and Young Peter Jackson was determined the winner. Al Herford, Jackson's manager, stood by his story that Jackson had fought and won against Jim Austin. In March of 1902, Jim Watts issued the threat that he would retire from boxing if he could not book fights with star opponents. Jim Watts was said to have taken a break from boxing.
He was back in the ring at the end of June in 1902. Watts and Jimmy Ryan had a ten-round draw in Peoria, IL. In August of that year, Watts was seeking an opponent at the middleweight level. Watts lost to Jack Bonner in Peoria, IL, in October of 1902. Watts was said to be overweight and out of shape. In December of 1902, Watts fought against Jack O'Brien, the heavyweight champion from England. The bout was stopped by the referee in the fourth round after Jim Watts had been knocked down 14 times. The fight took place in Philadelphia. Watts retired from boxing after his bout with Jack O'Brien.
But Jim Watts could not stay out of the ring. In January of 1903, he lost the fight with George Cole. The fight was called in the fourth round. The fight took place in Shamokin, PA. About twenty days later, Watts was defeated by Cyclone Bill Larry in the third round. The fight took place in Philadelphia, PA. In February, Watts was determined the winner over Jack McKenzie when the fight was stopped in the third round. Watts also won his fight against Yock Hayden in Edwardsville, PA, in May of 1903. In August of 1903, Jim Watts was in Battle Creek, MI, where he had planned to open a boxing school.
The boxing school in Battle Creek didn't pan out, and Watts located the school in Sandusky, OH. He had brought out Jack Blackburn from Versailles, KY, who defeated Joe Gans, and Steve Crosby from Louisville who had also defeated Gans. Jim Watts was still an active boxer and was open to any takers. In March of 1904, Watts, who was also billing himself as a wrestler, was to meet in the ring with a local wrestler named Callahan, but his opponent did not show up. In 1905, Watts was referred to as Jim Watts, the old Louisville fighter. Two years later, Watts was passing through Cincinnati and attempted to set up a fight with Jack Lavey.
In August of 1909, Jim Watts lost on a foul to Jim McElroy in Evansville, IN. McElroy was from Henderson, KY. The following month, Jim Watts and Billy Griffith put on an exhibition fight in Evansville. It was said to be evident that Watts was a much slower fighter than previously in his career. Jim Watts and wrestler Leo Ferraro were to have a preliminary boxing contest, but the fight became too much of a rough wrestling match and the preliminary was stopped in the third round and the fight was called a draw. In 1910, Watts had been living in Columbus, OH, for two years when he opened a boxing academy at 7 N. 7th Street. Watts was also participating in exhibition fights and professional fights. In February of 1910, the fight between Jim Watts and Jimmy Albanese was stopped in Oakley, OH, by Sheriff Hamman and a posse. The sheriff's action was in response to a recent boxing match that had ended in a riot where several people were injured.
Watts and Albanese fought again in May of 1912 in Columbus, OH. Albanese won the fight in seven rounds. In July of 1912, Jim Watts was declared the winner of the bout with Roy Charleston in Indianapolis, IN. Jim Watts continued boxing with a few bouts each year from 1913-1916. After having not competed for a few years, it was in February of 1919 when Watts returned to the ring to fight Bill Mercer. The fight took place at the Academy Theater in Pittsburgh, PA. Watts was said to be 44 or 48 years old. Jim Watts was knocked down six times before the fight was stopped in the second round by referee Yock Henninger. It is thought to be Jim Watts' last fight.
In some sources, Jim Watts is referred to as the "Pendennis Pet." The name comes from the Pendennis Club for whites in Louisville where Watts is said to have worked as a waiter. Knowing that Watts was a good boxer, members of the Pendennis Club had backed Watts in local fights during the early part of his career. In 1913, Bill Lewis wrote in the Indianapolis Freeman that Jim Watts had had over 400 prize fights. At the time, Jim Watts was doing manual labor and lived in Indianapolis. Author Louis Moore credits Watts with more than 100 career fights.
In 1923, Jim Watts was a traveling shoe polish salesman in Ohio. He stopped in Fremont and was hired on as a handyman at a cafe owned by former boxer Tommy Finn. After working a few weeks, Watts disappeared one day and his whereabouts were unknown. It has been written that Jim Watts was born in Louisville, KY. Nothing is known at this time about the parents or family members of the boxer "Jim Watts." It is not known where he died or where he is buried.
Sources:
"Fine boxing," The Leader, 03/22/1896, p.2; "Gossip of the ring," The Sun (New York), 04/06/1897, p.5; "Lasts only four rounds," The Boston Daily Globe, 04/21/1897, p.2; "Watts wins another: whips "Evil Eye" Blakely in two minutes with bare knuckles," The Courier-Journal, 07/02/1897, p.6; "Both in training," The Courier-Journal, 10/24/1897, p.11; "To=Night: Jim Watts knocked out in four rounds," The Daily Leader, 10/29/1897, p.3; "Jimmy Ryan: bested Watts and had him all but out," The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), 03/19/1898, p.3; "Watts and Janey," Kentucky Irish American, 10/22/1898, front page; "Jim Janey, colored, of Baltimore," Indianapolis Freeman, 11/05/1898, p.5; "The Watts - - Purtell fight," Indianapolis Freeman, 03/11/1899, p.8; "Billy Swift of Chicago ...," Indianapolis Freeman, 05/27/1899, p.6; "Sporting carnival," The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 09/21/1899, p.12.
"George Grant, colored heavy-weight," Indianapolis Freeman, 07/07/1900, p.6; "The Prize fight at Paducah, KY," Indianapolis Freeman, 03/30/1901, p.7; Long Shot. "Sporting news that's up-to-date" see "The "Jim Austin" who quit," Buffalo Evening Times, 01/11/1902. p.6; "Sporting briefly told," The Beacon Journal, 01/16/1902, p.5; "Notes from the Colored Stock Company, Louisville, Ky." Indianapolis Freeman, 03/01/1902, p.5; "Watts may retire from ring," The Courier-Journal, 03/11/1902, p.7; See Jim Watts in "Pick Corbett," The Boston Globe, 06/30/1902, p.6; "Jack Bonner has best of Watts," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/17/1902, p.10; "Dropped," The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), 12/19/1902, p.4; "Sure enough, Watts retires," The World (New York), 12/20/1902, front page; "In a bout at Shamokin," The Pittsburgh Post, 01/03/1903, p.8; see Jim Watts in "Bennent fails to stop Grim," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 01/24/1903, p.10; see Jim Watts in "Phillips lasts out," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 02/20/1903, p.10; "Yock Hayden down and out in the 11th," Wilkes-Barre Leader, 05/01/1903, p.6; "Big Jim Watts," The Morning Enquirer (Battle Creek, MI), 08/06/1903, p.4.
"Watts at Sandusky," The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), 01/04/1904, p.3; "Callahan," Sandusky Evening Star, 03/08/1904, p.2; "Ring chatter," The Indianapolis News, 03/28/1905, p.11; "Watts after Lavey," The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), 04/07/1907, p.10; see Jim Watts in "Second defeat for Bryson at hands of Italian boxer," The Evansville Press, 08/18/1909, p.6; see Jim Watts in "Griffith wins in the second round," The Evansville Courier, 09/09/1909, p.2; "Sheriff stops bout," The St. Louis Star, 02/12/1910, p.6; "Jim Watts opens a boxing school here," The Zanesville Signal, 12/02/1910, p.6; "Jim Watts," The Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH), 12/22/1910, p.8; see Jim Watts in "Fight like wildcats." The Boston Globe, 05/10/1912, p.12; "Veteran wins fight," The Indianapolis News, 07/05/1912, p17; Billy Lewis. "A Voice from the past," Indianapolis Freeman, 02/22/1913, p.7; Harry Keck. "Among the Boxers: bouts at Academy Theater tonight." The Pittsburgh Post, 02/21/1919, p.11; "Mercer stops Watts," The Pittsburgh Post, 02/22/1919, p.8; "Many old time stars used to gather here," Fremont Daily Messenger, 01/11/1928, p.8; "Speaking about boxers," The Fremont Messenger, 05/03/1928, p.7; I Fight for a Living by Louis Moore.