Tommy Freeman (January 22, 1904 – February 20, 1986) was an American professional boxer who competed in the 1920s and 1930s. He won the welterweight world championship on September 5, 1930, when he defeated reigning champion Young Jack Thompson. He lost the title to Thompson the following year, on April 14, 1931. Remarkably, the majority of his recorded wins were by knockout, and his losses were few, at under ten percent of his total fights.^[1]

He was rated by The Ring magazine as a top ten welterweight contender from 1926 to 1931. His impressive win and extraordinary knockout record might be explained by the limited quality of competition he faced in his native Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he fought many of his fights.^[2]

Freeman's amateur boxing career began around the age of sixteen in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Between 1920 and 1922, he lost only two of twenty of his better publicized local bouts and won six by knockout. He fought most of these bouts in the lightweight to super-lightweight division.

Around 1923, at 19, he began fighting in the Welterweight division, and often out of state in Memphis, Tennessee, and parts of New Orleans. His few losses during this period were often to heavier or more experienced boxers, and included Al Monroe, Dude Martinez, and Frankie Jones. His loss to Jimmy King in January 1923 was a rare TKO, in which Freeman sprained his hip and was very reluctant to have his manager call the fight.^[1]

He achieved some early recognition on New Years Day in 1926, when he knocked out Sergeant Sammy Baker in seven rounds at Madison Square Garden.^[3]

On October 25, 1926, Freeman fought a well attended match against Jack Zivic of Pittsburgh in Cleveland, Ohio. Both fighters were recognized as leading contenders for the Welterweight title then held by Pete Latzo. The bout was a thrilling spectacle and the substantial crowd of twelve thousand loudly opposed the draw verdict as they favored the local boxer Zivic.^[4]

On June 22, 1926, Freeman defeated Pinky Mitchell in Brooklyn, Ohio, in ten rounds by Newspaper Decision of the Associated Press. Mitchell had held the Light Welterweight (Super Lightweight) Championship from 1922 to 1926 when he was defeated by Mushy Callahan. Freeman weighed in over the required weight and the fight, originally scheduled for the Jr. Welterweight title, became a non-title fight.

On August 18, 1927, Freeman beat noted British boxer Harry Mason in a ten-round welterweight bout at Madison Square Garden. Mason had a neat right-hand that countered Freeman, but he could not match him in close quarters. Mason was well known in London where he had taken the British Lightweight Championship, known as the Lonsdale Belt in February 1926. Mason, a Jewish boxer, had been a stablemate of Jewish welterweight champion Jack "Kid" Berg under trainer Alec Goodman.^[5][6]

Freeman defeated Jewish welterweight contender Georgie Levine in a ten-round points decision on October 14, 1929, at Motor Square Garden in Pittsburgh. Now a rising star, Freeman boxed elegantly conserving his energy to last the full ten rounds, and slipped most of the punches of Levine while landing his own with accuracy. He appeared to fight without dealing unnecessary punishment to Levine, whom he easily outpointed.^[7]

All information in this section is derived from BoxRec,^[9] unless otherwise stated.