Gene Hairston

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Gene "Silent" Hairston boxer
Data
Birth Name Eugene Hairston Jr.
Weight class medium weight
nationality US-american
birthday July 1, 1929
place of birth Harlem , New York City
size 1.77 m
Combat Statistics
Struggles 63
Victories 45
Knockout victories 24
Defeats 13
draw 5

Eugene Hairston Jr. (Born July 1, 1929 in Harlem , New York City ) is a former American professional boxer . He was one of the first professional athletes with a handicap .

At the age of two, Gene Hairston developed polio and lost his hearing . He attended school for the deaf until he was 15, but then had to leave school to support his family. Black, deaf and from a poor family, he lived isolated and shy of people in Harlem until boxing coach Mike Steel from the Tremont Athletic Club took him off the street. Steel taught his protégé not only boxing, but also lip reading .

Within three years, Hairston, nicknamed "Silent", developed into an excellent boxer. As an amateur, he won the " Golden Gloves " tournament in 1947 and was American amateur champion. That same year he turned pro and fought 63 fights, of which he won 45, 24 by knockout . Since Hairston could not hear the gong at the end of a round, a light signal was switched on for him. One of his best known opponents was his sparring partner Jake LaMotta , against whom he fought twice; one fight ended in a draw, the other Hairston lost.

In 1952, Hairston was forced to quit boxing because of an eye injury. He then worked for UPS for many years . He is now retired and lives on Roosevelt Island with his wife, who is also deaf . He visits deaf children in schools to motivate them. In 1975 he was inducted into the American Athletic Association of the Deaf Hall of Fame .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ usdeafsports.org ( Memento from August 18, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (English)

Web links
personal data
SURNAME Hairston, Gene
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hairston, Eugene Jr.; Silent (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American boxer
DATE OF BIRTH July 1, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Harlem , New York City