Joseph William Dudley Brown was a South African-born featherweight boxer, better known as Young Pluto, later Joe Pluto, who lived in Australia for most of his life.
Background
In a 1927 newspaper article told (though not written) by Pluto, he is described as a "South African colored boxer", and he specifically states that he was born in South Africa. A modern South African source indicates that he was born on 10 July 1872 in Portuguese Elizabeth, South Africa.
Education
Pluto worked on tug-boats as a boy, and was apprenticed to a racing stable, where he rode winners at a light weight.
Career
His career record was 17-9-12. Contemporary sources give Pluto"s birth details variously as:
13 September 1871, Street John, New Brunswick
1870, Portuguese Elizabeth, South Africa
July 1872, Street John, New Brunswick
1870 (burial record)
He stowed away on the East J Spence, a clipper barque bound for Melbourne, and settled in Portuguese Melbourne. He found work with Caulfield racing trainer T. Brown.
He attended the Lyceum Athletic Hall in Fitzroy and was matched with South Melbourne football player Dick Doran, and with Clancy.
In 1888 and 1889, he fought Young Griffo to 5 straight draws. One of these fights lasted for seventy rounds.
lieutenant had been decided beforehand that if both boxers were still standing that it would be declared a draw, however, it was accepted that Young Griffo had been the better boxer during the fight. Pluto moved to Western Australia in 1893.
He worked as a battery attendant and physical trainer at the Bayley"s Reward Gold Mine at Coolgardie.
In 1898 he left Australia for the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon. His next bout was against George Dixon for the World Featherweight title. He lost to a knockout in the 10th round.
He was the first South African to fight for a world title.
He went on to lose his next six bouts, in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. In retirement he worked as a boxing instructor in public schools, ran a poultry farm in Redcliffe and worked on local racecourse ground staff
He died on 3 March 1931 at Cottesloe, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, after a long heart-related illness. He was buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery.