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Harry "The Black Panther" Wills (May 15, 1889 – December 21, 1958) was perhaps the most well known victim of the "color line" drawn by white heavyweight champions after the title reign of
Jack JohnsonJohn Arthur Johnson , better known as Jack Johnson and nicknamed the “Galveston Giant”, was an American boxer and arguably the best heavyweight of his generation. He was the first black world heavyweight boxing champion...
. Wills fought for over twenty years (1911-1932), was ranked as the number one challenger for the throne, but was never given the opportunity to fight for the title.
Wills fought many of the top heavyweights of his era.
240px
Harry "The Black Panther" Wills (May 15, 1889 – December 21, 1958) was perhaps the most well known victim of the "color line" drawn by white heavyweight champions after the title reign of
Jack JohnsonJohn Arthur Johnson , better known as Jack Johnson and nicknamed the “Galveston Giant”, was an American boxer and arguably the best heavyweight of his generation. He was the first black world heavyweight boxing champion...
. Wills fought for over twenty years (1911-1932), was ranked as the number one challenger for the throne, but was never given the opportunity to fight for the title.
Wills fought many of the top heavyweights of his era. He defeated Willie Meehan, who had decisioned
Jack DempseyJack "Manassa Mauler" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records...
,
Gunboat SmithEdward Smith was an American boxer and later a boxing referee.- Boxing career :Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent much of his youth in orphanages, working on farms and on the railroads. He joined the U.S...
and Charley Weinart. He also fought
Luis FirpoAlias: El Toro Salvaje de las PampasNationality: ArgentinianBirthplace: Junín, Buenos AiresHometown: Buenos Aires, ArgentinaBorn: 1894-10-11Died: 1960-08-07Age at Death: 65Stance: OrthodoxHeight: 6′ 2½″Division: Heavyweight...
in a match that ended in No Decision. Wills faced future heavyweight champion
Jack SharkeyJack Sharkey was an American heavyweight boxing champion...
in 1926, and was being clearly defeated when he was disqualified. The next year, Wills was knocked out by heavyweight contender Paolino Uzcudun in a bout that signalled the end of his career as a title threat. His final record was 75 wins (with 47 knockouts), 9 losses and 2 draws. In 2003, he was named to the Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
The top black fighters of Wills' era were forced to continuously fight each other, as many white fighters also drew the "color line". As a result, Wills fought the redoubtable
Sam LangfordSam Langford was an African Canadian boxing standout of the early part of the 20th century. Called the "Greatest Fighter Nobody Knows," by ESPN. He was rated #2 by Ring Magazine on their list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". Langford was originally from Weymouth Falls, a small community in...
22 times. His record against Langford was 6 wins, 2 losses and 14 No Decisions, although the two losses were by knockout. Wills also defeated
Sam McVeySam McVey or Sam McVea was a famous heavyweight contender in boxing during the early 20th century. He fought out of Oxnard, California. McVey ranked alongside Sam Langford and Joe Jeanette as one of the top black fighters during a famed career that took him across the globe...
three times and fought two No Decision bouts with
Joe JeanetteJeremiah "Joe" Jeannette is considered one of the best African-American heavyweight boxers of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:...
.
Wills spent six years (1920-1926) trying to land a title fight with
Jack DempseyJack "Manassa Mauler" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records...
. Dempsey was willing to fight Wills and contracts for the bout were signed by both fighters. The fight, however, never took place, and Dempsey forfeited the $50,000.00 guarantee he posted for the match. Instead, Dempsey met
Gene TunneyJames Joseph "Gene" Tunney was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1926-1928 who defeated Jack Dempsey twice, first in 1926 and then in 1927. Tunney's successful title defense against Dempsey is one of the most famous bouts in boxing history and is known as The Long Count Fight...
, and was outpointed by the ex-marine. The Dempsey-Tunney match was held in Philadelphia, as the bout could not be held in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, due to litigation filed by Wills over Dempsey's breach of contract.
Wills retired from boxing in 1932, and ran a successful real estate business in
HarlemHarlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African-American residential, cultural, and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands.Harlem has been defined by a series...
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He was known for his yearly fast, in which, once a year, he would subsist on water for a month. Wills admitted that his biggest regret in life was never getting the opportunity to fight Dempsey for the title. Wills was confident that he would have won such a match.