* Born in 1869 in Bay City and raised in the milltown of Melbourne (near Zilwaukee)

*Introduced to boxing by his older brother, Billy Lavigne, at 5-feet, 3 1/2 inches and 132 pounds, he fought mostly in the lightwieght division.
 

*Turned Professional in 1886 at the age of 16

*Picked up the nickname "The Saginaw Kid" because many of his fights were in Saginaw, and his young age

*Became the Lightweight Champion of the World in 1896 by scoring a 17 round knockout over British champion Dick Burge

*Went unbeaten in 46 fights and did not suffer his first loss until 1899

*Retired after 55 professional bouts with a record of 35 wins, (19 knockouts), 6 loses, 10 draws and 4 no decisions

*Enshrined into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and the Saginaw Hall of Fame