Harry Wills

Who was Harry Wills?

Harry "The Black Panther" Wills was a heavyweight boxer who three times held the World Colored Heavyweight Championship. Many boxing historians consider Wills the most egregious victim of the "color line" drawn by white heavyweight champions. Wills fought for over twenty years, was ranked as the number one challenger for the throne, but was denied the opportunity to fight for the title. Of all the black contenders between the reigns of Jack Johnson and Joe Louis as world heavyweight champions, Wills came closest to securing a title shot.