Larry Williams

Name: Larry Williams
Birth Name: Lafayette Palmer Wiliams
Hometown: Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
Pro Boxer: Record

Movie Appearance and Association with Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney

Larry Williams was of Hebrew heritage. He was one of Jack Dempsey's sparring partners in 1921. Williams, according to The "Times Recorder" of Zanesville, Ohio, pg 13, for Sunday, September 11, 1938, "Wildly Heralded Attractions are Billed", sparred with heavyweight champion Gene Tunney as well. He was an acquaintance of Abe "The Newsboy" Hollandersky, another Jewish boxer originally from Connecticut. Hollandersky featured several photos of Williams and him together, as well as photos of Hollandersky and Dempsey in his 1930 autobiography, "The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy". Hollandersky and Williams appeared together in MGM's successful boxing movie, 1938 "The Crowd Roars" starring Robert Taylor, along with boxers Maxie Rosenbloom, Abie Bain, Phil Bloom and Joe Glick, as well as the better known Jimmy McLarnin, Jack Roper, and Tommy Herman. [1] ("Pretty Boy to HeMan", Dallas Morning News, pg. 12, Dallas, TX., 9 August 1938). Many newspapers of the era featured descriptions of the upcoming move, as Taylor was a well known and popular actor of the period. Dempsey may have helped Williams get into movies as Dempsey appeared in several himself during the period. He may have appeared in one with Hollandersky, according to Hollandersky's autobiography.

Benefit for United War Workers, November 16, 1918

Hollandersky and Williams likely first met in a benefit for the United War Workers in Lawrence Hall in New London, Connecticut. The "Norwich Bulletin" for Monday, November 18, 1918, page 3, in the article “Fast Bouts Staged at New London” noted that “another bout in which considerable interest was manifested was between Abe the Newsboy and Joe Walcott, ex-world’s welterweight champion. The main bout was between the Jewish boxer “Blonde” Larry Williams of Bridgeport, Connecticut and Sailor Chamberlain of the Sub Base and probably lasted four rounds. The benefit was held the previous Saturday, November 16, 1918. A picture of Larry Williams and heavyweight champion Gene Tunney with Hollandersky appears in most editions of Abe’s books and the photo may have been taken near the time of their charity bout. Williams started training other fighters before retiring from boxing in 1923. And apparently pursued this career into the 1930's.

• Harry Greb.com's "Williams" page: [2]