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A working cowboy, he
did not begin boxing until he was almost thirty years old.
Despite his late start, Jess Willard
proved successful as a boxer, defeating top-ranked
opponents to earn a chance to fight for the championship.
On
April 5,
1915
in front of a huge crowd at the Vedado Racetrack in
Havana, Cuba,
in the 26th round he knocked out champion
Jack Johnson
to win the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship.
Johnson spread rumors that he
took a dive, but Willard is widely regarded as winning
fairly. Johnson found that he could not knock out the
giant Willard, who fought as a counterpuncher, making
Johnson do all the leading. Johnson began to tire after
the 20th round, and was visibly hurt by heavy body punches
from Willard in rounds preceding the 26th round knockout.
At 6' 6 1/2" (2.01 m), Jess
Willard was the tallest heavyweight champion in boxing
history,until 6' 7" Primo Carnera won the title. The
37-year-old champion lost his title to
Jack Dempsey
on
July 4,
1919
in
Toledo, Ohio.
Dempsey knocked Willard down for the first time in his
career with a left hook in the first round. Dempsey
knocked Willard down 7 tiimes in the first round, winning
the title when Willard was unable to continue after the
third round. In the fight Willard suffered a broken jaw,
cheekbone, and ribs as well as losing several teeth.
Willard parlayed his boxing fame
into an acting career of a sort. He acted in a
vaudeville
show, had a role in
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show,
and starred in a
1919
feature film
The Challenge of Chance.
In
1933,
he appeared in a bit part in a boxing movie,
The Prizefighter and the Lady,
with
Max Baer
and
Myrna Loy.
On his passing in 1968, Jess
Willard was interred in the
Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills
Cemetery in
Los Angeles, California.
In 2003, he was inducted
posthumously into the
International Boxing Hall of Fame. |
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