[professordp]

Of the dozen or so boxers who've traded off the name of the charismatic Confederate general, late 1940s-early 1950s welterweight Louis Jackson was by far the most colorful and prolific

A Max Baer-type clown in the ring, Jackson was an entertaining character, joking, dancing, and mugging during his bouts. According to a brief profile that appeared in the November 1948 issue of The Ring, Stonewall would occasionally enter the ring with a cat drapped around his shoulders.

During his matches, he was a flashy boxer, throwing bolo punches and displaying fancy footwork. In 1951, Hall of Famer Joe "Old Bones" Brown found Stonewall so entertaining that he broke Jackson's jaw in the fourth round and cruised to TKO victory when the Washington, D.C. prankster couldn't come out for the next heat.

That was one of only five stoppages suffered by Stonewall in his fifty-one fight career. Besides Brown, only Chico Varena, Peter Mueller, Terry Moore, and the star-crossed Sonny Boy West sent Jackson home early, so Jackson did have a decent chin.

He compiled a respectable 32-17-2 record in a career that ran from 1946 until late 1953. His flair in the ring could not hide the fact that Stonewall was a light puncher. Jackson only stopped his opponents in seven fights. At best he was a prelim fighter who faced a qualitry fighter every now and then.

From his record, you get the sense that Stonewall was somewhat of a free spirit who couldn't be too bothered polishing his skills which is often the case with ring clowns.

The charm of boxing seemed to wear thin in his final year as a pro when he went 2-4 in a series of undercard matches. After dropping a six round decision to the unheralded Tommy Maddox, Stonewall called it a career.