Friday essay: Peter Jackson, the Black Australian boxing champion you’ve never heard of

Friday essay: Peter Jackson, the Black Australian boxing champion you’ve never heard of

As we approach the headstone of Peter Jackson’s grave, we glimpse a flash of red at its base. Getting closer, we see that it’s a pair of boxing gloves. They are brand-new Fila gloves that retail for around A$80, so someone has spent a bit of money. The gloves pay tribute to the late 19th-century Australian boxing champion and have been placed just below an inscription taken from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra: “This was a man.” Above the ins…