Name: TOMMY (HURRICANE) JACKSON
Born: 9 AUGUST 1931 SPARTA, GEORGIA, USA
Died: 14 FEBRUARY 1982 NEW YORK AGED 50
Career: 1952 TO 1960
Record: 44 FIGHTS 34 WINS (16 BY KO/TKO), 9 LOSSES (4 BY KO/TKO), 1 DRAW
Division: HEAVYWEIGHT
Stance: ORTHODOX
Titles: NONE
Major Contests
Scored wins over: Archie McBride(twice), Rex Layne(twice), Clarence Henry, Dan Bucceroni, Charley Norkus, Jimmy Slade, Ezzard Charles ** (twice), Bob Baker(twice), Johnny Williams, Howard King.
Lost against: Bert Whitehurst, Jimmy Slade (twice), Nino Valdes, Floyd Patterson**(twice), Eddie Machen*, Howard King, Hans Kalbfell.
Drew with: Shirley Pembleton.
**Past/ future holder of a version of a world title
* Unsuccessful challenger for a version of a world title
Hurricane Jackson’s Story
There is a classic self-pitying line that moans “If it wasn’t for bad luck I would have no luck at all” and that line could sum up the life of Tommy “Hurricane” Jackson. He was born and raised in poverty. He chose for his profession a sport for which he had no natural ability. He over achieved for the ability he did have. was too brave for his own good, had to be protected from himself, was dogged by troubles outside the ring and died in an accident at the age of 50.
Jackson was born on 9 August 1931 in Sparta, Georgia and was one of eight children, 4 boys and 4 girls, raised by his mother. The family moved to Far Rockaway, Queens and Jackson grew up there. He had very little education and was illiterate throughout his life. He had no idea of what he wanted to do with his life and had few choices but that changed when he saw a film of the second Joe Louis vs. Jersey Joe Walcott fight and decided he wanted to be a boxer. With very little preparation he competed at the 1951 New York Golden Gloves losing in the semi-finals of the 175 lbs Sub-Novices category-Floyd Patterson-won the 160 lbs Open category at the same tournament.
With only a few amateur fights behind him Jackson tuned professional on 14 July 1952 at the Eastern Parkway Arena in Brooklyn. His eccentric style quickly made him a favourite with the small hall circuit in New York. He even developed an uppercut in which he propelled both hands simultaneously. His wild, windmilling, non-stop attacks disguised his many technical faults and greatly lessened his power.
After winning his first six fights he was put on a card in Madison Square Garden (MSG) against Shirley Pembleton and they fought a six round draw.
He suffered his first defeat on 30 June 1953 dropping a decision to Bert Whitehurst but was back at MSG in August 1953 scoring a couple of wins. In his fifteenth fight in January 1954 he took part in his first main event flooring experienced Rex Layne twice and stopping him in six rounds at the Eastern Parkway Arena. That was followed by wins over good level opposition in Clarence Henry and 50-3 Dan Bucceroni. Now he was flying and Ring Magazine named him Fighter of the Month. The flaws were still there and even future Hall of Fame trainer Whitey Bimstein could not correct them and light-punching Jimmy Slade exposed them in outpointing Jackson in April 1954.
He was back at MSG in May stopping Charley Norkus in five rounds but was then over-matched by being put in with Cuban Nino Valdes in July. Jackson had said he did not use the punch bag as the bag could not fight back and he liked to be hit! Valdes gave him plenty to enjoy flooring Jackson three times in the second round for an automatic finish. With the Jim Norris/Frankie Carbo run International Boxing Club behind him Jackson put together a nine-bout winning streak in 1955 including a revenge victory over Slade, two points wins over a very faded Ezzard Charles and a cut eye stoppage of Rex Layne. He had risen to No 3 in the Ring Magazine ratings and in November 1955 was featured on the front page of the magazine. Despite those accolades the pesky Slade rained on the parade by outpoint Jackson at the end of 1955.
Jackson started 1956 with a points win over Bob Baker and a stoppage of Welshman Johnny Williams. World champion Rocky Marcian had retired in April 1956 and in June 1956 Jackson and unbeaten Floyd Patterson fought an eliminator with the winner to fight Archie Moore for the vacant title. Over 11,000 attended the fight which Patterson won on a split decision with most seeing Patterson a clear winner. In November 1956 Patterson knocked out Archie Moore to win the vacant title. The heavyweight title had been under the fiefdom of the IBC but Patterson’s manager Cus D’Mato refused to sign Patterson over to the IBC. The IBC wanted control of the title again so Patterson was ordered to make his first defence against their man Jackson. D’Mato refused to deal with the IBC and for the first time in eight years a heavyweight title fight was not promoted by the IBC. Given the scoring in their eliminator D’Mato was very concerned that Patterson would be robbed but in the fight in front of a crowd of 18,000 in New York Polo Grounds on 29 July 1957 Patterson stopped Jackson in the tenth round. He dropped Jackson in the first, second and ninth rounds. Jackson soaked up punishment and was taken to hospital after the fight. Under the complicated approach to a 10 point system backed up by fractions Patterson was ahead 9-0 ¼ on all three cards.
Jackson had taken a serious beating in those ten rounds and just four months later suffered ten more rounds of damage in losing to Eddie Machen on a retirement.
Much of Jackson’s erratic and frenzied wide open style had been seen as entertaining but now there was genuine concern for Jackson’s health. The New York State Athletic Commission’s head pleaded with Jackson to retire and after the Machen fight the California Commission suspended Jackson with the New York Commission then also suspending him. There was a proposal for Jackson to fight in Britain but the British Board honoured the decisions made by California and New York. His time as a hight profile boxer was over and he was reduced to fighting for small purses against modest opposition ending his career on 1 October 1960 being knocked out in eight rounds by Hans Kalbfell in Germany and ended his career at the age of 29.
I guess today that Jackson’s eccentric, high-octane ring style and personality would be classified as attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) but such a condition was unknown in Jackson’s day.
Whilst the above may cover the ring misadventures of Jackson it is not the full extent of his troubles. In January 1957 whilst driving his car Jackson struck and killed a female pedestrian. He was cleared of blame for the death but was charged with driving with a false driving licence. He avoided any serious consequences as in an explanation for letting Jackson off the judge said “I suppose a fellow like him would be stupid enough to accept a license like that, so I’ll excuse him this time. Six months later Jackson was fighting Floyd Patterson for the world title. He was arrested in 1962 for assault but drifted out of the news working at shining shoes and driving a cab. He suffered a stroke in 1981 and on 20 February 1982 he was hit by a car and died from his injuries.