For the English footballer, see Jess Willard (footballer).
Jess Willard
Willard in 1915
Born
Jess Myron Willard
(1881-12-29)December 29, 1881
Saint Clere, Kansas, US
Died
December 15, 1968(1968-12-15) (aged 86)
Los Angeles, California, US
Other names
Great White Hope[2] Pottawatomie Giant[3]
Statistics
Weight(s)
Heavyweight
Height
6 ft 6+1⁄2 in (199 cm)[1]
Stance
Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights
34
Wins
25
Wins by KO
20
Losses
7
Draws
2
Jess Myron Willard (December 29, 1881 – December 15, 1968) was an American world heavyweight boxing champion billed as the Pottawatomie Giant.[3][4] He won the world heavyweight title in 1915 by knocking out Jack Johnson.
Willard was known for size rather than skill, and though he held the championship for more than four years, he rarely defended it. In 1919, when he was 37 years old, he lost the title in an extremely one-sided loss by declining to come out for the fourth round against Jack Dempsey, who became a more celebrated champion. Soon after the bout, Willard began accusing Dempsey of using something with the effect of a knuckle duster. Dempsey did not grant Willard a return match, and at 42 years old he was KO'd, following which he retired from boxing, although for the rest of his life he continued to claim Dempsey had cheated. Ferdie Pacheco expressed the opinion in a book that the surviving photographs of Willard's face during the Dempsey fight indicate fractures to Willard's facial bones suggesting a metal implement, and show he was bleeding heavily.[5] The matter has never been resolved, with contemporaneous ringside sports journalist reporting in The New York Times that Willard spat out at least one tooth and was "a fountain of blood" increasingly discounted in favor of a view that he had only a cut lip and a little bruising.[citation needed]
^"BoxRec: Jess Willard". boxrec.com. BoxRec.
^"'Great White Hope' Jess Willard Succumbs". Ocala Star-Banner. December 16, 1968. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
Jess Myron Willard (December 29, 1881 – December 15, 1968) was an American world heavyweight boxing champion billed as the Pottawatomie Giant. He won the...
Havana, Cuba, in 1915, where they co-promoted the 45-round fight between JessWillard and then-champion Jack Johnson. In the 1930s, the McMahons operated the...
Rogers argue passionately over legal procedures. Rogers defended boxer JessWillard on charges of second-degree murder stemming from the death of his opponent...
Jack Johnson". Retrieved March 14, 2020. "Professional boxing record: JessWillard". Retrieved March 14, 2020. "Professional boxing record: Jack Dempsey"...
formerly a highly ranked contender who had beaten both World Champion JessWillard and Hall of Famer Sam Langford. Dempsey beat Smith for the third time...
purpose of the list, draws are also included "Professional boxing record: JessWillard". Retrieved 14 March 2020. "Professional boxing record: Tyson Fury"....
J. Corbett". Retrieved March 14, 2020. "Professional boxing record: JessWillard". Retrieved March 14, 2020. "Professional boxing record: Max Schmeling"...
artist Jess Walter (born 1965), American author Jess Walton (born 1949), American actress Jess Weixler (born 1981), American actress JessWillard (1881–1968)...
JessWillard in an eleventh-round TKO before a crowd of around 63,000 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The bout was an impressive comeback for Willard...
of 1924's California Proposition 7. Allen, Arly; Mace, James Willard (2017). JessWillard: Heavyweight Champion of the World (1915–1919). Jefferson, N...
timekeeper for many prize fights, most notably for the Jack Johnson—JessWillard title fight in Havana, Cuba, on April 5, 1915. A newsreel featuring the...
French. In 1916, Rickard returned to the United States. On February 3, JessWillard agreed to Rickard's offer to fight Frank Moran in New York City. The...
White Hope may refer to: James J. Jeffries (1875–1953), American boxer JessWillard (1881–1968), American boxer William Warren Barbour (1888–1943), American...
scorecards. It was the first time since 1919—when Jack Dempsey defeated JessWillard—that a world heavyweight champion had quit on his stool. Liston said...
Watson Jim Watt Ray Wheatley Chuck Wepner Pernell Whitaker Deontay Wilder JessWillard Aaron Williams Danny Williams Holman Williams Ike Williams Jeremy Williams...
military with the outbreak of World War I. When "The Great White Hope" JessWillard beat Jack Johnson for the world heavyweight title on 5 April 1915, the...
Johnson, the world heavyweight champion, defended his title against JessWillard. Willard won the title by a 26th. round knockout. The fight between the two...
Johnson's title was eventually lost to JessWillard, a white boxer, in 1915. There was some controversy surrounding Willard's win, with Johnson claiming he threw...
against heavyweight champion JessWillard. The Day Book reported Fulton having an arm span of 84.5 inches, exceeding Willard's 83.5 inches, suggesting Fulton...
Cowpuncher Willard Drops the Brooklyn Heavyweight with a Blow to Jaw". The New York Times. 28 December 1912. Retrieved 19 March 2020. "JessWillard". International...
April — JessWillard, the latest "Great White Hope", defeats Jack Johnson with a 26th-round knockout in sweltering heat at Havana, Cuba. Willard becomes...
heavyweight champion July 18, 1951 – September 23, 1952 Records Previous: JessWillard Oldest world heavyweight champion July 18, 1951 – November 5, 1994 Next:...
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