Bob Scanlon (7 February 1886date of death unknown) was an American boxer who partook in over 125 bouts and spent three years fighting in the French Army during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

. He was born in Mobile, Alabama, as Benjamin Lewis and changed his name to Bob Scanlon at an unknown date. He found success as a boxer in Europe, with most of his fights happening in England or France. He lived in Paris for most of his life. He was one of the first Americans to join the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...

after the start of the First World War.

Early life

He left for Mexico at age 16, becoming a cowboy. He soon headed to England on a ship. As soon as he arrived, he became sick with an unknown illness. He then tried to move to Canada; he was unable to secure passage, but was able to join a ship as a crew member. He spent two years before coming back to the UK. With no previous experience, he started training as a boxer in Cardiff, Wales. His first bout took place on 15 August 1904. He continued to fight in matches for almost 20 years with 59 wins, 54 losses, and 13 draws. In February 1912, Scanlon delivered an eighth-round knock-out punch to "Blink" McCloskey that reportedly left the man unconscious for a half hour. He was a

sparring partner Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate ...

of Jack Johnson and later

Battling Siki Louis Mbarick Fall (16 September 1897 – 15 December 1925), known as Battling Siki, was a French light heavyweight boxer born in Senegal who fought from 1912 to 1925, and briefly reigned as the World light heavyweight champion after knocking ...

. While living in London, Scanlon met another African-American boxer,

Eugene Bullard Eugene Jacques Bullard (born Eugene James Bullard; October 9, 1895 – October 12, 1961) was one of the first black American military pilots, although Bullard flew for France, not the United States. Bullard was one of the few black combat pilo ...

. Owing to their similar backgrounds, they became good friends.

World War I

In June 1914, Scanlon was in Paris as part of Johnson's entourage for the fight with

Frank Moran Francis Charles Moran (18 March 1887 – 14 December 1967) was an American boxer and film actor who fought twice for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and appeared in over 135 movies in a 25-year film career. Sports career Born ...

. As World War I broke out, Scanlon remained in Paris and joined the French Foreign Legion in late August. He was one of 10 African Americans who joined around the same time, including his friend Bullard. Scanlon and Bullard later both transferred to the . While in the Legion, Scanlon became friends with the poet

Alan Seeger Alan Seeger (22 June 1888 – 4 July 1916) was an American war poet who fought and died in World War I during the Battle of the Somme, serving in the French Foreign Legion. Seeger was the brother of Charles Seeger, a noted American pacifi ...

. According to one account of Scanlon's life, he had a major interest in flying and was able to build an airplane while he was living in London. A newspaper column claimed that Scanlon was the first African American to shoot down a plane while he was flying as a gunner with Norman Prince. In his own personal account, Scanlon was wounded at the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

in 1916 and spent the next 18 months recovering until being discharged from the army. Newspapers accounts in 1918 claim he wanted to continue to fight in the war and went to a hospital in London to have a doctor amputate his forefinger so he could keep fighting in the army. He was most likely in London for a boxing match.

Later life

Scanlon remained in Paris after the war. He continued to fight several more matches and acted as a sparring partner for Battling Siki. In September 1926, he was shot four times by a woman who was his lover. He was taken to the hospital but Scanlon considered the wounds to be superficial. She later apologized and was cleared of charges as it was considered a crime of passion. The remaining part of Scanlon's life, including when he died or his place of death, is not known.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlon, Bob 1886 births Date of death unknown African Americans in World War I 20th-century African-American sportspeople African-American boxers French military personnel of World War I Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion American male boxers Boxers from Alabama African-American aviators