Frank Craig

Frank Craig (April 1, 1868 – January 1, 1943) was an American boxer who was the colored middleweight champion of the world in the Gay Nineties. The 5′10" Craig fought at a weight of between 153 and 169 lbs. as a middleweight and light-heavyweight during his career. Known as "The Harlem Coffee Cooler", Craig was regarded as a smart and quick fighter. He later worked in Britain as a stage entertainer. Early life Craig was born in Columbus, Georgia on April Fool's Day 1868 (some sources claim he was born on 1 April 1870 in New York City while other sources put his birthplace as Columbus, Ohio). From the age of 13 he gave exhibitions of boxing at fairs and in halls, before turning professional. He gained the nickname "The Coffee Cooler" following an incident in a restaurant when a local fighter, Bully Singleton, who had ordered a cup of coffee, began hectoring Craig and invited him to fight in the adjoining alleyway. Craig called his bluff, went into the alley, and Singleton told the restaurant patrons that the coffee would still be hot when he returned. However, Craig quickly knocked Singleton out, Craig commenting that "the coffee will be cool enough when he gets round to drinking it". Colored Championship Craig fought colored middleweight champ Joe Butler on 18 March 1893 in Philadelphia and was defeated in the second round. The two met again in a title match in Philadelphia on 20 February 1894 in Philadelphia, and this time, Craig emerged the victor, winning in the fourth round.