Eugene Hairston, aka Silent Hairston, was the first deaf African American boxer. Eugene was born on 1 July in Harlem New York, at 12 months old Eugene became deaf due to spinal meningitis. He attended deaf public schools until the age of 15 which is when he dropped out to earn more money for his family. He did many jobs before finally deciding to try to be a professional boxer. Eugene began going to a fighting club in NY but was never taken seriously because he was deaf. But, eventually two club trainers decided to let him train with the other boxers. The trainers were so impressed by his boxing ability they decided to become his mangers. Before going pro a local promoter gave him the name Eugene "The Silent" Hairston because of the fact he could not hear or nor speak. Soon, in , Eugene started as a professional boxer, winning 45 fights and defeated 2 world champions. In , when Eugene was 22, he had to stop boxing because doctors told him if he was hit in the head anymore he could end up blind. His legacy still lives on, even though Eugene died in November of when he was 85, people will remember him at boxing matches by the flashing lights in the corners of the ring
This week I chose Gene "Silent" Hairston for my Deaf Hero profile. He was born in Harlem in , and became deaf from spinal meningitis when he was only twelve months old. As a child he attended a public "deaf" school, then dropped out in order to take care of his younger brothers and sisters. After working at several odd jobs, he decided to try fighting like his boyhood hero Joe Louis.
Each morning for six months he showed up at the Tremont Fighting Club in the Bronx with a note saying he wanted to fight. At first the owners of the club refused to allow him to fight because of his deafness, but they eventually gave in. He fought so well they decided to train him.
As an amateur Hairston quickly moved up the ranks and won two impressive titles: New York Golden Gloves Champion, lb Welterweight Open Division; and Chicago Intercity Golden Gloves (lb.) Welterweight Champion. He lost only one out of sixty-one amateur bouts. Then he started playing professionally. During his professional boxing career he recorded forty-five wins, twenty-four knock-outs, thirteen losses and five draws, and he went up against some of the toughest Middleweights in the world including Jake LaMotta (aka R
Eugene Hairston facts for kids
Eugene "Silent" Hairston (born /) was the first American professional Black Deaf boxer. He was born in Harlem in and became deaf at 1 year old due to a case of spinal meningitis. Growing up, he went to P.S. 47 until he was 15, when he had to drop out to help support his family. He started boxing as an amateur in , winning 59 out of his 60 matches. In , Hairston became a professional boxer. During his time as a boxer, his most famous fight was against Jake LaMotta which ended in a draw. He was also the Golden Glove champion in In , Hairston had to retire due to injuries. After his time as a boxer, Hairston worked for UPS.
Eugene Hairston is a source of pride for the Black Deaf community and it is said that he proudly claimed the nickname "Silent Hairston" as a descriptor of himself. Additionally, it is said that Eugene Hairston needed flashing lights to indicate when matches were over, something that fans fondly remember him for.
Early life
There are contradicting sources on if Hairston was born in or However, it is clear that he became deaf during his first year of life and had to drop out of school at 15 years old. Hairston's father hoped
Black Deaf History: Eugene “Silent” Hairston
Tiffany Freeman: Here’s some Black Excellence! Eugene “Silent” Hairston was the first Black Deaf American boxer.
[Image of Hairston in his boxing gloves and trunks. Credit: BoxRec]
He was born in Harlem, New York in He attended the P.S. 47 school in New York City but only stayed there until he was 15 years old. He had to leave to support his family. He turned into a pro boxer in and fought until When he was 22 years old, he retired from boxing due to injuries. He then went to work with the UPS.
[Portrait image of Hairston in a suit. Credit: WorthPoint]
The nickname “Silent Hairston” was given by other people, but he proudly claimed it because he said it was part of his identity.
[Image of Hairston boxing in a ring. Credit: JoSportsInc]
[Sponsored Video from GlobalVRS: ]
Today, at boxing arenas, we see flashing lights to signal the end of a round. Cool! We have to thank Eugene for that!
Biographies you may also like
Ferdinand victor eugene delacroix biography Eugène Delacroix was born in , the son of Charles Delacroix who had served briefly as minister of foreign affairs under the Directory and who was on a mission to Holland, as the .
Geleen eugenio biography sample Newsweek’s list of the 75 Best Biographies of All Time, features a great selection of real-life stories about key figures in history from Nelson Mandela to Anthony g: geleen eugenio.
Bessie waldo allison biography of albert einstein He is best known for his theory of relativity, which holds that measurements of space and time vary according to conditions such as the state of motion of the observer. Albert Einstein was Missing: bessie waldo allison.
Jesus alberto navarro rosas biography Jesús Navarro, cuyo nombre verdadero es Jesús Alberto Navarro Rosas, es un cantante y compositor mexicano. Nació en Mexicali, México, el 9 de julio de Ganó éxito por su .
Robert von neumann biography of albert einstein Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc, which arises from special relativity, has been called "the world's most famous See more.
Yheen valero biography of albert einstein He is best known for his theory of relativity, which holds that measurements of space and time vary according to conditions such as the state of motion of the observer. Albert Einstein was Missing: yheen valero.
Def leppard vivian campbell biography of alberta Vivian Patrick Campbell (born 25 August ) is a Northern Irish musician. He came to prominence in the early s as the guitarist of Dio. He has also been the guitarist of Def Missing: alberta.
Castello di pippo baudo biography Nel cuore della Sicilia sorge il borgo natale di Pippo Baudo, ricco di storia e fascino barocco. Inserito tra i borghi più belli d’Italia, è una gemma da scoprire tra chiese, Missing: biography.