Tag Archives: Jack Johnson
Harry Wills
Harry Wills (Boxing. Born, New Orleans, LA, May 15, 1889; died, New York, NY, Dec. 21, 1958.) It could reasonably be argued that Harry Wills might have won the world heavyweight boxing champion had Jack Johnson not held the title from 1908-15. Johnson so incited popular racist elements that boxing authorities vowed not to allow another black […]
Joe Jeanette
Joe Jeanette (Boxing. Born, North Bergen, NJ, Aug. 26, 1879; died, Weehawken, NJ, July 2, 1958.) Despite being hampered by the endemic racism of his time, Joe Jeanette became successful as both an athlete and a businessman. Jeanette apprenticed as a blacksmith with his father and then drove a coal delivery wagon but turned to […]
Sam McVey
Sam McVey (Boxing. Born, Oxnard, CA, May 17, 1885; died, New York, NY, Dec. 21, 1921.) In a pro career that spread over more than 17 years, Sam McVey (sometimes spelled McVea) was among the most popular and widely-travelled boxers of his day. To some degree, the racism then endemic in American society forced McVey […]
