BoxRec

I was wondering if someone might be able to offer some insight here: during Jack Dempsey's reign as champion, there was talk of him giving a title shot to Harry Wills, the great black heavyweight of the time. Unfortunately, though, the fight never happened.

I've heard conflicting reasons as to why--I've heard that Dempsey drew the color line and refused to fight black challengers, but I've also heard that Dempsey was eager and willing to fight Wills but political circumstances prevented the fight from taking place. I was wondering if anyone was familiar with the true circumstances behind one of the biggest fights-that-never-was...

Also, if you'd like to speculate, who do you think would have won if the fight had taken place?

Johnny Carwash wrote:I was wondering if someone might be able to offer some insight here: during Jack Dempsey's reign as champion, there was talk of him giving a title shot to Harry Wills, the great black heavyweight of the time. Unfortunately, though, the fight never happened.

I've heard conflicting reasons as to why--I've heard that Dempsey drew the color line and refused to fight black challengers, but I've also heard that Dempsey was eager and willing to fight Wills but political circumstances prevented the fight from taking place. I was wondering if anyone was familiar with the true circumstances behind one of the biggest fights-that-never-was...

Also, if you'd like to speculate, who do you think would have won if the fight had taken place?

From "An Illustrated History of Boxing" by Fleischer and Andre:

When Dempsey decided to return to the ring in 1925, he was pressed by the New York State Athletic Commission to accept Harry Wills, a Negro of national prominence, as his challenger, but he refused. This was done after a previous agreement for such a match had fallen through. His decision resulted in Jack's being barred from the Empire State. Tex Rickard was appealed to by the Boxing Board and he decided against staging a mixed bout, declkaring that he had received a hint from Governor Al Smith that such a contest was not desired in New York, but James A. Farley, Chairman of the New York Commission, emphatically denied the report.

And from "The Boxing Register":

(On William Muldoon)Muldoon was opposed to mixed-race bouts and was voted out of the chairmanship [EDITOR NOTE: of NYSAC] after he refused to approve a fight between heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey and the great black fighter Harry Wills.

Hope this helps.

Was allegedly involved in making the match?

The Original Hurricane wrote:Was allegedly involved in making the match?

Now that I've done a little more research, I've found that Dempsey pulled out of the fight a week before it was supposed to happen. Rumors at the time suggested Dempsey's "back injury" may have been the result of a tryst with Clara Bow.