Boxing Great Harry Wills
African-American Heavyweight Was Denied Title Shot by Jack Dempsey
Sep 9, 2009
Wills was an African-American, and he was in his prime during a period when boxing’s powers-that-be did not want a Black man holding the world heavyweight title.
It wasn't that it hadn't happened before. Jack Johnson reigned from 1908 to 1915, and was a dominant titleholder. But his non-conformist behavior angered much of White America, and when his reign ended, a common thought was that no Black should become champion again.
Wills certainly gave it a try. He and his manager Paddy Mullins repeatedly lobbied champion Jack Dempsey for a title shot in the 1920s. The quest became major news, and even drew popular support.
"The great yearning of Harry Wills, heavyweight Negro, to clamber into a ring with Champion Dempsey has almost been equaled in recent months by the yearning of a great portion of the fight public to see Wills do so," read a Time magazine article in 1923. "So far Dempsey's sagacious management has been able to sidestep.”
Dempsey's management kept sidestepping until Wills was past his prime – until, in fact, Dempsey was no longer champion. And Wills, instead of perhaps becoming one of boxing's great heavyweight champions, had to settle for being one of the greatest heavyweights never to win a world title.
Who Was Harry Wills?
Wills was a former longshoreman from New Orleans whose boxing career lasted from 1911 until 1932. His record, as documented by BoxRec.com, is 82-10-5, with 54 knockouts.
Known as the "Black Panther" or the "Brown Panther," Wills lost just once over a 53-bout span that ran from 1917 to 1925. The streak also included two draws, four no-decisions and three no contests. The lone defeat was a 1922 disqualification for knocking down an opponent on the break.
Wills stood 6-foot-3 and weighed around 215 pounds during his prime. He could certainly hit. In 2003, The Ring magazine ranked him No. 67 on its list of all-time greatest punchers. But he also developed solid boxing skills later in his career.
"Wills, while capable at close quarters and in rough going, prefers the long range style, where he can bring into play his speed, skill and cleverness," a 1922 New York Times article said.
Because of boxing's color barrier, Wills had to repeatedly fight other Black pugilists. He won a majority of his 18 bouts with the great Sam Langford, who was six years older.
Wills Pursues Title Shot
But Wills' big string of victories propelled him to mainstream prominence, and he found an ally in The Ring editor Nat Fleischer, who felt boxing was again ready to test the color barrier.
"The outspoken editor had assured his readers that Wills, who was bright articulate and humble, was “a credit to the game and his race,' Jeffrey T. Sammons wrote in his book, Beyond the Ring: The Role of Boxing in American Society. "Wills himself reinforced that image by downplaying the significance of race in his quest for the title.”
Ring consistently listed Wills among its top contenders, and calls began for a Wills-Dempsey bout. In July of 1922, the two signed to fight , but the New York Times questioned the validity of the agreement.
"In reality, the articles amount to little more than an indication of good faith on the boxers, for of necessity, the three all-important details – terms, time and place – are left blank," a Times story read.
The skepticism turned out to be well-founded. A year went by before Dempsey fought again, and Wills wasn't his opponent. It was Tommy Gibbons, a blown-up middleweight Dempsey defeated by a 15-round decision..
Dempsey fought again two months later, scoring his famed second-round knockout of Luis Firpo on Sept. 14, 1923 bout. He did not step into the ring for another three years.
The End of the Line for Wills
Wills, hitting his mid 30s, continued fighting; and manager Mullins kept clamoring for a title bout. Eventually, the New York State Athletic Commission ruled that it would not give Dempsey a license unless he fought Wills.
Instead, Dempsey went to Chicago and lost his title to Gene Tunney in a one-sided 10-round decision. A month later, a 37-year-old Wills was badly beaten by future champion Jack Sharkey, and got disqualified for use of a backhand blow in the 13th round.
A knockout loss to Paulino Uzcudun in 1927 finished Wills as a contender. He fought five more times before retiring.
Was Dempsey Afraid of Wills?
Dempsey had good reason to be wary of Wills. For one, he had trouble with fighters who had speed and boxing skill; like Tunney, Gibbons and Bill Brennan.
Wills not only had boxing skill, but he was taller than the 6-1, 190-pound Dempsey, outweighed him by 25-30 pounds, and could hit substantially harder than Tunney, Gibbons or Brennan.
On the other hand, Dempsey expressed little fear of Wills. "Just let me get in the ring with Harry Wills and I'll win in a round or two," a Time article quoted Dempsey as saying in 1924.
If Dempsey was willing, others were not. Powerful promoter Tex Rickard and Dempsey manager Jack Kearns showed repeatedly that they wanted no part of Wills. Neither did some politicians, who feared a race riot.
Dempsey, in any case, got to become a legend, part of a Golden Age that also showcased Babe Ruth, tennis star Bill Tilden and golfer Bobby Jones. Harry Wills could have been a big part of it, too – perhaps becoming a Joe Louis before there was a Joe Louis.
Instead, Wills went into real estate and lived comfortably. He died in 1958 at age 69. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.
Sources
Dempsey and Wills Agreement Signed, New York Times, July 22, 1922
Roberts, James; Skutt, Alexander; The International Hall of Fame Record Book, McCook Press Inc., 2006
Sammons, Jeffrey T.; Beyond the Ring: The Role of Boxing in American Society, University of Illinois Press, 1990
Sport: Dempsey Talk, Time, Jan. 7, 1924
Sport: Wistful, Time, Oct. 1, 1923
