Known as "Little Chocolate" he stood 5 feet 3.5 inches (1.613 m) tall and weighed only 87 pounds (39 kg) when he began his professional boxing career.

[1] Dixon claimed the world bantamweight title on May 10, 1888, after a bout with Tommy "Spider" Kelly,[3] and was officially considered the champion after knocking out Nunc Wallace of England in 18 rounds two years later on June 27, 1890.

On October 4, 1897, he lost the featherweight title by decision in a rematch bout with Solly Smith, who he had previously defeated by seventh-round technical knockout.

In a close bout, he lost to the British featherweight champion Ben Jordan on July 1, 1898, at New York's Lenox Club in a classic twenty five round points decision by referee Charley White.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "Dixon did the leading but unlike many of those who had previously met the little Colored fighter, Jordan went at him and mixed it all the time."

[6] Dixon instead turned his attention to newly crowned champion Sullivan, and on November 11, 1898, he reclaimed the world featherweight title by decisively defeating him in a tenth round disqualification at New York City's Lenox Club.

Attempts by Dixon's fans to get him back on his feet failed and the media reported the end was near for the former champion who had fallen on dark times.

[9] Part of his hospital bills for the illness that took his life were paid for by a charity boxing tournament put on in January 23, 1908, at Bower's Minery Theatre in New York.

Dixon appears in "Glory Days" (October 20, 2014), episode 3 of season 8 of the Canadian television period drama Murdoch Mysteries.