Harris Martin

Harris Martin (April 2, 1865 – April 26, 1903) was an American boxer known as "The Black Pearl". He declared himself the first colored middleweight champion of the world after a fight with "Black Frank" Taylor in Minneapolis in 1887. Harris' legacy is that of being one of the first African-American boxing celebrities in the United States, with public acclaim during his time extending throughout the Midwest region. Over a century after his death, Harris was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.

Early life
Harris Martin was born in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 1865. There is little historic record of his pre-boxing career life.

Career
Harris' boxing acumen was discovered while he worked as a waiter at a hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As Harris began boxing in backrooms and outside saloons, he gained a reputation for his "sledgehammer" punches and came to be known as "The Black Pearl". At just 5ft 6in tall and weighing 150 pounds, Martin was a muscular and compact fighter. Charles Hadley and George Phillips, two other prominent African American boxers, served as his trainers.

Martin declared himself the world colored middleweight champion after beating "Black Frank" Taylor in Minneapolis on May 2, 1887, when he knocked out Taylor in the 38th or 40th round of their bout. Harris and Taylor had fought six times between December 22, 1886, and the title bout; Martin lost their first fight, won the second, then drew the next four contests. (They then fought an exhibition.)

After beating Taylor, Martin declared himself the World Colored Middleweight Champion. (They fought one more time that December, a bout that resulted in a draw.) Harris lost his title to Ed Binney on November 30, 1891, in San Francisco, California. On February 29, 1892, he was defeated by Charley Turner, "The Stockton Cyclone", who claimed the title but never defended it. Binney was considered the lineal champ.

Martin racked up a career record of 53 wins (with 39 K.O.s) against 11 losses (K.O.-ed seven times) and 15 draws. He lost one newspaper decision.

Personal life and death
Harris was married, but later divorced. Drinking and socializing dominated the later part of his boxing career and post-career life. After several arrests, he was banned from being in the City of Minneapolis. In 1900, after he retired from his 15-year boxing career, he moved to Seattle, Washington. He later moved back to Minnesota and resided in Saint Paul.

Harris died from heart failure on April 26, 1903, in Saint Paul at the age of 38. His funeral was a major event in the Twin Cities. He was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Maplewood.

Legacy
Harris is considered a pioneer in the sport of boxing around the turn of the 20th century alongside Oscar Gardner, Danny Needham, Patrick Killen, and others. He was one of the first notable African American athletes in the Midwestern United States. Harris was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.

Professional boxing record
All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated.

Official record
All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted to the win/loss/draw column.

Unofficial record
Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions to the win/loss/draw column.