[2] Rice fought Boston featherweight Dave Sullivan a total of four times, with the first bout coming on September 15, 1896, in a ten round draw in Queens, New York.

On December 19, 1901, Rice fought and defeated former World Bantamweight and Featherweight Champion George Dixon in a classic twenty round match at the Grand Opera House in his hometown of New London, Connecticut.

Connecticut's Meriden Weekly Republican, wrote "Mr. Pollack (referee) announced Rice the victor and the crowd cheered itself hoarse although a few crawled through the ropes to sympathize with Dixon.

Dixon held the featherweight championship of the World from 1891 until losing it only a month earlier to Abe Attell on October 28, 1901.

Yanger, though never confirmed as a featherweight champion, beat boxing Hall of Famer Abe Attell by TKO in a close and historic nineteen round match on April 24, 1902, in St. Louis.

The Topeka State Journal wrote that "George Siler gave the decision to Yanger, but not without protest from the majority of the sporting writers of the Chicago dailies."

[4][5][6][7][8] Twice, Rice fought Billy Barrett, a competent New York featherweight in Stafford Springs and Middletown, Connecticut, on October 2 and May 1, 1901.

[11] Rice was first scheduled for a 20 round exhibition with Young Corbett II, featherweight champion, in Waterford, Connecticut, on November 6, 1902.

[12][13] Fellow New London boxer Mosey King made the trip with Rice to Hot Springs, Arkansas, riding the trains day and night to meet featherweight champion Young Corbett II.