Young Peter Jackson II’s California Ring Battles
Young Peter Jackson II was the ring name of Peter Martin, a Los Angeles boxer whose career included California championships in two weight classes and a challenge for the Colored Welterweight Championship. Contemporary and later records document his rise from lightweight contender to welterweight titleholder.
Peter Martin and the Young Peter Jackson name
A 1933 profile in The Advocate identified the young fighter as Peter Martin and described him as a Los Angeles boxer. That name matters: he was a different fighter from the earlier Young Peter Jackson, who competed from 1895 to 1914. BoxRec lists Augusta, Georgia, as Martin’s birthplace, while the contemporary profile places him in Los Angeles; the available records do not resolve that difference, so the career account here focuses on the documented fights and titles.
California lightweight champion
Jackson turned professional in the late 1920s and established himself among California’s lightweights. In 1932, he outpointed Manuel Villa over ten rounds to win the California State Lightweight Championship. BoxRec’s career summary credits him with nine successful defenses. His standing rose further in 1933, when The Ring ranked him No. 2 in the world at lightweight.
That summer, Jackson met Portland favorite Ah Wing Lee for the Pacific Coast lightweight championship. The bout drew attention beyond California: The Advocate reported Jackson’s knockout victory over Lee and previewed his next Portland appearance against Billy Townsend. BoxRec’s profile of Lee records that he was stopped in four rounds. The result strengthened Jackson’s reputation as a champion who could win on the road as well as at home.
A second championship at welterweight
Jackson later moved up to welterweight. BoxRec: Peter Martin’s regional titles. On April 10, 1934, he knocked out Ceferino Garcia in the third round to claim the California State Welterweight Championship. Garcia would become a major figure in the division, making the win one of the most notable results in Jackson’s record. BoxRec also credits Jackson with the Pacific Coast welterweight title, which he held until 1936.
The Cocoa Kid bout and later career
In 1936, Jackson challenged Herbert “Cocoa Kid” Hardwick in New Orleans for the Colored Welterweight Championship. Hardwick stopped him in the second round. The Colored Welterweight Championship belonged to boxing’s segregated era and was separate from the generally recognized modern world welterweight title. Jackson continued to box after the loss, and the surviving bout record follows him through 1939.
Jackson’s record shows a career built on sustained activity, regional titles and difficult tests against leading fighters of his time. His wins over Villa, Lee and Garcia mark three distinct steps in that run, while the Cocoa Kid bout records the challenge that ended his claim to the colored welterweight crown.
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Young Peter Jackson II, Boxing, Boxing History, Championship Results
