WILLIE WARD - KID NORFOLK
YES, THE GREAT KID NORFOLK WAS BORN IN BELMONT
Great Moments in Sports
By David Brewster
Express Section 2
December 19, 2001
Page 3
An interesting piece of boxing folklore would have been lost had it no been for local boxing historians Vernon "Jabber" Romney and Hubert Francis.
It concerned the birthplace of one Willie Ward, known in the USA as Kid Norfolk.
This great light heavyweight was born on July 10, 1893.
But his place of birth had always remained a mystery. It was never listed in annual editions of the "Ring" Encyclopaedia, published in the USA where Kid Norfolk did most of his fighting.
Kid Norfolk's name popped up here in 1976 when the late trainer JM Douglas named his number ten local fighters. A local sports enthusiast Eric Wills of Sporting Club, who worked at Alstons at the time, was appalled, and enquired in Letters to the Editor, why Kid Norfolk had been left out?
It triggered a controversy. The St Lucia-born Douglas insisted that Norfolk was Panamanian, while Wills, who was born around 1901, said he knew Norfolk ... and he was born on Norfolk Street, Belmont.
The Wills-Douglas debate raged for weeks in the Express letters pages.
It was halted when the late Sunday Express Editor Kitty Hannays thought it went "too far" when Wills got personal, referring to Douglas' ancestry.
The issue has been settled almost two decades later.
Romney, nicknamed The Walking Boxing Encyclopaedia and Francis, top track and field coach and retired teacher at St Mary's College, did an exhaustive search at the Red House.
Norfolk's birth certificate was located ... born July 10, 1893, on Norfolk Street, Belmont. Apparently, he left here as a teenager to work in the building of the Panama Canal where he launched his boxing career, before leaving for New York.
He adopted the nickname Kid Norfolk after the name of the street he was born. A further check revealed that he was a member of the Ward clan, a prominent Belmont family still living in the Ward Lane area.
Described by USA ring historians as a "rough and tumble" light heavyweight, Norfolk compiled one of the finest records in ring history from 1914 to when he retired in 1926 because of failing vision in his right eye.
He purchased an apartment house in Harlem from his ring earnings, and converted it into furnished rooms, and lived on its income.
For a while, to keep active, Kid Norfolk worked as a porter at Yankee Stadium. No mention was made of his passing.
His greatest feat was a 10-round decision over harry Greb on April 19, 1924 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Greb, who held the world middleweight title and USA light heavyweight crown, is still widely considered as one of the great fighters of all time, and was listed behind only Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Louis on the all-time boxing poll taken at the turn of the century.
Greb fought Gene Tunney five times, losing twice, winning once and the other two were no decisions.
Kid Norfolk also had a 15-round victory over battling Siki in New York on November 20, 1923, in addition to a first round knockout over Tiger Flowers on May 8, 1923.
The Trinidadian also had tremendous victories against heavyweights Arthur Pelky (KO 13 in Panama); Billy Miske (Won 12 in Boston), Clay Turner (KO 4 in Boston), Jamaica Kid (KO 2 in New York).
He also fought legendary black American heavyweights like Joe Jeanette, Sam Langford, Harry Wills, and Gunboat Smith.
Norfolk compiled a log of 106 bouts, winning 40 by knockout, 29 by decision, had one draw, lost three decisions, lost three on fouls, was knocked out only six times, had 21 no decision bouts and one no contest.