on september 27, 1901, walcott impressively defeated irish boxer george gardner in a twenty-round points decision at the mechanic's pavilion in san francisco, california. the pre-fight betting was light before the match with gardner a 10-8 favorite. gardner, at just under six feet, and holding a serious reach advantage over walcott, would briefly hold the light heavyweight championship of the world from july through november 1903. walcott was the aggressor throughout the bout, landing more clean blows, though there was a great deal of clinching and wrestling throughout the furious bout, likely a result of the mismatch in reach between the two opponents. in the first round, walcott brought gardner to his knees from a left and right to the head for a nine count, though gardner returned to the fighting unfazed.