Tommy Burns (Canadian boxer)

Tommy Burns
Tommy Burns, circa 1912
Born	Noah Brusso (1881-06-17)June 17, 1881 Hanover, Ontario, Canada
Died	May 10, 1955(1955-05-10) (aged 73) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Other names	The Little Giant of Hanover
Statistics
Weight(s)	Welterweight Middleweight Heavyweight
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Reach	73 in (185 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	61
Wins	47
Wins by KO	35
Losses	5
Draws	9

Tommy Burns (born Noah Brusso; June 17, 1881 – May 10, 1955) was a Canadian professional boxer. He is the only Canadian-born World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. The first to travel the globe in defending his title, Burns made 13 title defences against 11 different boxers, despite often being the underdog due to his size. Burns took on all challengers as Heavyweight Champion, leading to his legendary bout with the African American Jack Johnson.^[1] According to his biographer, Burns insisted, "I will defend my title against all comers, none barred. By this I mean white, black, Mexican, Indian, or any other nationality. I propose to be the champion of the world, not the white, or the Canadian, or the American. If I am not the best man in the heavyweight division, I don't want the title."