Luckett Davis Papers - Accession 1561

Authors

Luckett Vanderford Davis

Files

Identifier

Accession 1561

Inclusive Dates

late 1800s-2017

Restrictions

Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections

Collection Size

224,000 pieces

Language

English; French; Spanish;

Historical Note

Dr. Luckett V. Davis was a Professor of Biology at Winthrop University. He was born in Smyrna, Tennessee on October 16, 1932. After receiving his B.S. degree from Middle Tennessee State in 1955, his M.S. degree from Duke University in 1958, and his Ph.D. from Duke in 1962, he taught at Vanderbilt Univ., Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, and the Univ. of the Pacific before joining Winthrop in 1964. Dr. Davis served as Chair of the Biology Department 1976-1998. Upon his retirement he was named Emeritus Professor of Biology. For many years, he was an avid runner and ran in 407 races. He was a Charter Member of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) and maintained membership from 1975 until his death. Dr. Davis passed away on December 1, 2022.

Scope and Content Note

The Dr. Luckett Davis Boxing Research Collection documents the extensive research of Luckett Vanderford Davis (1932-2022), longtime Professor of Biology at Winthrop University, whose scholarly interests extended beyond biology to include the history and statistics of professional boxing. A charter member of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO), Dr. Davis conducted decades of detailed research on boxing history, compiling statistical records, historical narratives, and documentary sources from around the world.

The collection consists primarily of research files, statistical records, correspondence, publications, and reference materials related to professional boxing. A substantial portion of the collection is devoted to statistical records of individual boxers from numerous countries, including the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, and several regions of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. These files contain compiled fight records, career summaries, and statistical data that Dr. Davis arranged alphabetically by boxer and often organized by country or geographic region.

Also included are extensive compilations of boxing match results transcribed from newspapers across the United States and abroad. These materials document boxing matches from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries and were derived from newspapers such as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and numerous regional publications. Many of these records were transcribed by Dr. Davis from microfilm or photocopied newspaper sources and arranged chronologically according to his research system.

The collection also contains research correspondence between Dr. Davis and boxing historians, researchers, and former boxers from around the world. These letters and emails discuss historical boxing records, disputed fight results, and statistical corrections. Correspondents include numerous members of the international boxing research community and contributors to boxing publications and record books.

Supporting materials include newspaper and magazine clippings, photocopies of articles and books, boxer biographies, transcripts of boxing bouts, and Dr. Davis’s notes for articles and biographical entries on prominent fighters. The collection further includes copies of many professional boxing publications and record books from the United States and internationally, such as issues of The Ring, Boxing News, Boxing World, and various national boxing yearbooks and record compilations.

Additional formats within the collection include microfilm reels of newspapers used for research, photographs of newspaper articles, VHS recordings of boxing matches, and numerous bound volumes of boxing magazines, record books, and historical works. Together these materials reflect Dr. Davis’s systematic effort to document professional boxing history and maintain comprehensive statistical records of fighters and bouts worldwide.

Overall, the collection represents a significant resource for the study of professional boxing history, particularly the statistical documentation of fighters, bouts, and boxing organizations from the late nineteenth century through the early twenty-first century. It also illustrates the collaborative nature of boxing research and the international network of historians and collectors who contributed to documenting the sport’s historical record.

Provenance

The Luckett Davis Papers were given to the Archives on September 27, 2016 and October 13, 2007 by Dr. Luckett Davis.

Keywords

Boxing History, Boxing Statistics, Boxers

Copyright

For information concerning copyright please contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University.

Finding Aid Citation

Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University, "Luckett Davis Papers - Accession 1561". Finding Aid 893.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/893