 Dickson arrived in France from Missouri in 1917 as a "sammie".Sammies, named after the owner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, were cameramen sent from the U.S. to film American soldiers in World War I.

Dickson stayed on in France after the war and began promoting boxing in the Wagram area of Paris.He and Desgrange got on and the two agreed he should organise a first boxing tournament at the Vel' d'Hiv' in 1929.