By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com
Many have asked me this question: Who were the first fighters from the different countries around the globe to be a title claimant to a world championship? The fighters on this list were born in the country concerned, though some may have emigrated later to other lands. Here listed are the major nations, the fighter, the year of winning their title, and the weight division of each champion.
Algeria – Marcel Cerdan (1948) Middleweight
Argentina – Pascual Perez (1954) Flyweight
Australia – Young Griffo (1890) Featherweight
Austria – Jack Root (1903) Light Heavyweight
Barbados – Joe Walcott (1901) Welterweight
Brazil – Eder Jofre (1960) Bantamweight
Canada – George LaBlanche (1889) Middleweight
Colombia – Antonio Cervantes (1972) Junior Welterweight
Cuba – Kid Chocolate (1931) Junior Lightweight
Denmark – Battling Nelson (1908) Lightweight
Dominican Republic – Carlos Cruz (1968) Lightweight
France – Georges Carpentier (1920) Light Heavyweight
Germany – Max Schmeling (1930) Heavyweight
Ghana – David Kotey (1975) Featherweight
Greece – Anton Christoforidis (1941) Light Heavyweight
Ireland – Jack “Nonpareil” Dempsey (1884) Middleweight
Italy – Johnny Dundee (1921) Junior Lightweight
Japan – Yoshio Shirai (1952) Flyweight
Mexico – Baby Arizmendi (1932) Featherweight
New Zealand – Billy Murphy (1890) Featherweight
Nicaragua – Alexis Arguello (1974) Featherweight
Nigeria – Hogan “Kid” Bassey (1957) Featherweight
Panama – Panama Al Brown (1929) Bantamweight
Philippines – Pancho Villa (1923) Flyweight
Puerto Rico – Sixto Escobar (1934) Bantamweight
South Africa – Vic Toweel (1950) Bantamweight
South Korea – Kim Ki-Soo (1966) Middleweight
Spain – Baltazar Sangchilli (1935) Bantamweight
Sweden – Ingemar Johansson (1959) Heavyweight
Switzerland – Frank Erne (1899) Lightweight
Thailand – Pone Kingpetch (1960) Flyweight
Uganda – Ayub Kalule (1979) Junior Middleweight
United Kingdom – Ike Weir (1889) Featherweight
United States – Paddy Duffy (1888) Welterweight
USSR – Louis “Kid” Kaplin (1925) Featherweight
Virgin Islands – Emile Griffith (1961) Welterweight
Yugoslavia – Mate Parlov (1978) Light Heavyweight
Great info David. Thank you!