Tiger Flowers

Theodore "Tiger" Flowers (August 5, 1895 – November 16, 1927) was the first African-American middleweight boxing champion, defeating Harry Greb to claim the title in 1926. Nicknamed the "Georgia Deacon", he was a devoutly religious man who would recite a passage from Psalm 144 before every bout. The International Boxing Research Organization rated Flowers as the #12 ranked middleweight of all-time, while boxing historian Bert Sugar placed him 68th in his Top 100 Fighters catalog. The Bleacher Report named him the #6 greatest southpaw in boxing history. He was inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1971, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1976, the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.