Back by popular request. The data is based on information provided to me by K Smith. THE COLORED HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP LINEAGE 1876 Charles C. Smith The Black Thunderbolt claims the title after offering to take on all comers. 1878 Morris Grant claims title in New York. 1881 Jan 14 Prof. Charles Hadley W3 Morris Grant, New York, NY Sep George Godfrey claims title when, after stripping to fight John L. Sullivan, the Heavyweight Champion refused to fight. 1882 Apr 6 Hadley KO2 Morris Grant, New York, NY Dec 7 Hadley KO3 Morris Grant, New York, NY 1883 Jan 10 Hadley KO2 Harry Woodson, New York, NY Feb 22 George Godfrey KO6 Charles Hadley, Boston, MA -Billed as a battle for the colored heavyweight title. 2oz gloves were used. 1884 Oct 5 Godfrey D4 McHenry Johnson, Boston, MA 1888 Jan 25 Godfrey KO4 McHenry Johnson, Boston, MA -Godfrey knocked down Johnson in the fourth and the latter and his seconds claimed foul. Initially, the referee ruled the bout in Johnsons favor, but the club eventually changed the ruling. Aug 8 Peter Jackson KO19 George Godfrey, San Francisco, CA Jackson never defended the title and it lapsed for close to eight years. 1896 Dec 21 Bob Armstrong KO19 Charley Strong, New York, NY -This was billed as for the vacant title. 1897 Mar 6 Armstrong KO6 Joe Butler, Philadelphia, PA 1898 Jan 29 Frank Childs KO2 Bob Armstrong, Chicago, IL Feb 26 Frank Childs WF3 Klondike Haynes, Chicago, IL Jun 4 Frank Childs D6 Charley Strong, Chicgo, IL Sep 14 George Byers W20 Frank Childs, Chicago, IL 1899 Mar 4 Frank Childs KO6 Bob Armstrong, Cincinnatti, OH KO6 -Fight billed as being for the colored heavyweight title. Jul 24 George Byers KO9 Charley Strong, Brooklyn, NY 1900 Mar 16 George Byers D6 Frank Childs, Chicago, IL 1901 Mar 16 Frank Childs KO17 George Byers, Hot Springs, AR 1902 Feb 24 Denver Ed Martin W6 Frank Childs, Chicago, IL Jul 25 Denver Ed Martin W15 Bob Armstrong, London, Eng Aug 30 Denver Ed Martin KO4 Frank Craig, Newcastle, Eng 1903 Feb 3 Jack Johnson W20 Denver Ed Martin, Los Angeles, CA Feb 27 Jack Johnson W20 Sam McVey, Los Angeles, CA Oct 27 Jack Johnson W20 Sam McVey Los Angeles, CA 1904 Apr 22 Jack Johnson KO20 Sam McVey, San Francisco, CA Oct 18 Jack Johnson KO2 Denver Ed Martin, Los Angeles, CA 1905 Dec 2 Jack Johnson ND6(W) Joe Jeanette, Philadelphia, PA 1906 Jan 16 Jack Johnson W15 Joe Jeanette, Baltimore, MD Apr 26 Jack Johnson W15 Sam Langford, Chelsea, MA 1907 Feb 19 Jack Johnson KO1 Peter Felix, Sydney, NSW, AUS 1908 Jack Johnson wins world heavyweight title in December. 1909 Feb 20 Sam McVey W20 Joe Jeanette, Paris, FR Apr 9 Sam McVey KO2 Cyclone Billy Warren, Paris, FR Apr 17 Joe Jeanette KO49 Sam McVey, Paris, FR ---Sam Langford claims title after Johnson refuses to face him for the world title. Dec 11 Joe Jeanette D30 Sam McVey, Paris, FR 1910 Sep 6 Sam Langford W15 Joe Jeanette, Boston, MA Nov 10 Sam Langfrod KO2 Jeff Clarke, Joplin , MO 1911 Jan 10 Sam Langford W12 Joe Jeanette, Boston, MA Apr 1 Sam Langford D20 Sam McVey, Paris, FR Dec 26 Sam McVey W20 Sam Langford, Sydney, NSW, AUS 1912 Apr 8 Sam Langford W20 Sam McVey, Sydney, NSW, AUS Dec 26 Sam Langford KO13 Sam McVey, Sydney, NSW, AUS 1913 Dec 20 Sam Langford W20 Joe Jeanette, Paris, FR 1914 May 1 Harry Wills W10 Sam Langford, New Orleans, LA Nov 26 Sam Langford KO14 Harry Wills, Los Angeles, CA 1916 Jan 3 Harry Wills W20 Sam Langford, New Orleans, LA Feb 11 Sam Langford KO19 Harry Wills, New Orleans, LA 1917 Jan 25 Bill Tate W12 Sam Langford, Kansas City, MO May 2 Sam Langford KO6 Bill Tate, St. Louis, MO Dec 17 Sam Langford KO2 Kid Norfolk, Denver, CO 1918 Apr 14 Harry Wills KO6 Sam Langford, Panama City, Pan May 19 Harry Wills TK7 Sam Langford, Panama City, Pan 1919 Aug 18 Harry Wills KO4 Jeff Clarke, Syracuse, NY 1920 Apr 19 Harry Wills W15 Sam Langford, Denver, CO Wills is generally regarded by all as the leading black heavyweight in the world. He holds the title of colored champion until his loss at the hands of Jack Sharkey in October of 1926.
1926 Nov 8 George Godfrey KO6 Larry Gaines, Buffalo, NY Nov 22 George Godfrey D10 Bearcat Wright, Portland, OR 1927 Jul 5 George Godfrey KO7 Neil Clisby, Los Angeles, CA Nov 20 George Godfrey KO1 Clem Johnson, Atlantic City, NJ 1928 Aug 15 Larry Gaines WF3 George Godfrey, Toronto, Can -Billed as a championship affair---Gaines never made any real claim to the title. He left to campaign in Europe and Godfrey remained recognized as the colored champion. 1930 Dec 19 George Godfrey D10 Bearcat Wright, Atlantic City, NJ -Billed as for the American Black Title 1931 Aug 24 George Godfrey KO2 Seal Harris, Toronto, Can 1932 Sep 5 George Godfrey KO5 Ace Clark, Laredo, TX 1933 Jan 31 George Godfrey W10 Tiger Jack Fox, Indianapolis, IN Mar 10 George Godfrey NC6 Bearcat Wright, Kansas City, MO Oct 9 Obidiah Walker W10 George Godfrey, Philadelphia, PA 1935 Jul 20 Larry Gaines W15 Obidiah Walker, Leicester,
Agreed. That was a top post. I saved in my boxing PC files. Has anyone ever seen a colored heavyweight match on film? What did the belt look like?
From my understanding, Mendoza, it was a diamond studded belt that was presented to Langford when Johnson didn't show up for their fight in 1909 (Langford had to defeat Hague first), although it certainly wasn't being refered to as the "colored heavyweight championship" as BoxRec would have you believe, but the National Sporting Club's version of the "world heavyweight championship", and the title was presented to Langford by Lord Lonsdale himself and was said to have been done on June 2nd of 1909 according to the reports, which was about a week after that promotional club proclaimed him champion. I've also not seen any contemporary references to the "colored heavyweight title" in Johnson's time up to that point (although Johnson himself was often refered to as the "colored heavyweight champion"), except when Johnson announced his retirement in the fall of 1912, which came on the heels of Johnson's wife committing suicide in Sept of that year. Checking contemporary sources from those days, that's the first time I've seen a reference to a "colored heavyweight title" in Johnson's time and that was in reference to Langford & McVey's fight in Dec of 1912. Coincidently that's about the time we saw the first fight for the "white heavyweight title" between McCarty & Paltzer, which happened just a short time after that fight between Langford & McVey. They were planning to and sort of did split the titles up at that point and obvious based it on the fighter's skin colour, but before that I've not found anything to indicate that their was a "colored heavyweight title" from the beginning of Johnson's reign up until that point.
DEMPSEY AND KEARNS WANTED THE WILLS FIGHT MORE THAN ANYBODY HOWEVER WILLIAM MULDOON WAS THE COMMISSONER IN NEW YORK AND GOING BACK IN TIME HE HAD BEEN SULLIVANS TRAINER .HE WAS THE ONE WHO PUT A STOP TO THAT FIGHT FROM HAPPENING AS HE DID NOT BELEIVE IN CROSSING THE COLOR LINE .HOWEVER IN ORDER TO TRY TO MAKE WILLS BETTER THAN HE REALLY WAS RIGHT BEHIND HIM IN THE LINE TO FIGHT DEMPSEY WAS KID NORFOLK (WHO WAS 5 FT 7 170LBS ) HOWEVER WILLS CAMP WAS AFRAID NORFOLK MIGHT BEAT HIM AND NORFOLK HAD TO GO IN THE WATER .IN ORDER TO GET HIM TO DO THIS HE SIGNED A CONTRACT TO FIGHT BATTLING SIKI IN THE GARDEN ,WHEN NORFOLK ENT DOWN IN THE SECOND ROUND FROM A RIGHT HAND NOBODY AT RINGSIDE SAW A SCANDAL OCCURED ,HOWEVER THE SIKI-NORFOLK BOUT WAS MADE FOR MADISON SQ GARDEN FOR THE LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP ,THEN SIKI PULLED OUT AND WENT TO IRELAND AND LOST THE TITLE TO MIKE MCTIGUE ON ST PATRICKS DAY 1923 ON A DISPUTED DECISION . SIKI CAME TO NEW YORK LATER THAT YEAR AND DEMANDED TO FIGHT DEMPSEY,TUNNEY,OR GREB .INSTED HE WAS FORCED TO FIGHT NORFOLK FIRST ,SIKI TOOK A TERRIABLE BEATING IN LOSING A 15 RD DECISION AND WAS NEVER THE SAME FIGHTER GETTING SHOT TO DEATH IN WHAT IS NOW THE Port Authority IN NY .FOR THE REST OF NORFOLKS LIFE HE KEPT ASKING HOWCOLD THAT STUPID S.O.B GO TO IRELAND TO FIGHT AN IRISHMAN ON ST PATRICKS DAY UNTIL HE PASSED IN 1968 YOU KNOW WHAT I FIND INTERESTING IS THEY SAID BLACKS WOULD NOT DRAW ,HOWEVER NORFOLK-SIKI DID A CROWD OF 2000 MORE THAN GENE TUNNEY-TOMMY GIBBONS DID 2 WEEKS LATER BOTH FIGHTS WERE IN NEW YORK
put on their skit, the ozone in Gotham was filled with rumors that Norfolk was to bo the victim of a knockout wallop—so as to "make' the Dempsey-Wills match; Norfolk was to be sacrificed upon the altar of those who lare confident that, if properly manipulated, a Dempsey- Wills bout would be productive of a $1,000,000 gate. The ycalled the turn—a* regards to a seeming "laydown" by Norfolk. But the bout, instead of enhancing the prospects of a meeting between Dempsey and Wills, has done nothing hut deal to boxing a terrible body blow. For when men pay big money to see a fight—and then see an ooftygoofty— trey usually chant "never again"—-and hold to such a resolve. Boxing hasn't known a very realthy existence since itwas reborn in New York. It is Sicker just now and nearer to a new death than ever before. And the men behind the Wills-Norfolk "fight" may, in the end, prove to be its executioners
NEW YORK, Mar. 2. — Harry -Wills, heavyweight fighter of New Orleans, tonight knocked out Kid Norfolk of Baltimore in the second "round of their scheduled 16 round „ bout in Madison Square Garden. When they came out of there corner in tne (second, Norfolk went Into » clinch and a moment .later (ell backward to the floor, taking full count. No one at the ringside saw the blow that felled him. After the 'count he walked to his corner unhurt
Wills Kayoes Norfolk in Second Round Hilltoppers Losejo Yale Freshmen TOSSERS FANS EXPRESS DISAPPROVAL FOR BOUT WHiCH ENDS ABRUPTLY
However, the referee said he saw a short inside uppercut of about 6 inches which sent Norfolk down. Norfolk got up from the count bleeding profusely from the mouth and with a severely cut lip. Papers say a lot to things, but Wills was so much bigger and had beaten Langford and Fulton and the like. I don't think it surprising he could drop a 170 pounder with one punch.