This might be something others know about, but I don’t. Reading about George Godfrey (the 2nd one) again. He was the 20th person to win this title. He did so shortly after it was vacated when Wills got DQ’d against Sharkey. He held it for 21 months before losing it in 1928. In 1931 he won it a 2nd time and held it for another 2 years. He then went on to fight against Bearcat Wright for the Black Heavyweight Championship.. Were there 2 separate titles? A Colored Championship and a Black Championship? They don’t look quite like the same thing? Anyone able to educate me on this one?
I think Klondike claimed the Black Heavyweight Champion, when there was a Colored Heavyweight Championship already. So yes??? But I think those got merged. Promotors did just bill fights for titles to hype fights, or maybe it was multiple claimants. It doesn't really make sense, other than just multiple claims for the same title, but I guess there was never a Colored Championship sanctioning body. I don't know. This post might be total rubbish. It's an interesting question though.
Mine might be rubbish as well lol... I used Wikipedia (my former professors would die lol), and that is the lone mention I find of Bearcat wright fighting him for the Black Championship... The Black Championship as far as I can tell traces to Klondike as well although it looks like Frank Childs might have been the real champ???
It's mentioned as being billed for it on boxrec Edit: Actually it's billed for the "'Black' American heavyweight title" according to boxrec
Godfrey won the vacant title against Gains1926,lost it to Gains,rewon the title against Seal Harris after Gains had vacated it,and lost it to Obie Walker. The bout with Bearcat Wright was for a different title apparently. "Godfrey twice won the World Colored Heavyweight Championship. When Harry Wills was stripped of the title after losing by disqualification to Jack Sharkey on 12 October 1926, Godfrey defeated Larry Gains on 8 November 1926 in Buffalo, New York on a TKO in the 6th round. Godfrey made three defenses of the title, which was retaken by Gaines on 15 August 1928 in Buffalo when Godfrey was disqualified.[1] The title was later vacated, and Godfrey won it a second time on 24 August 1931 in Toronto, Canada when he defeated Seal Harris, whom he knocked out in the 2nd round. He defended it three more times before losing to Obidiah "Obie" Walker on points in a 10-round fight held in Philadelphia on 9 October 1933.[2] In the interim between the two titles, he fought Bearcat Wright for the "Black Heavyweight Championship" on 19 December 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia, but the 10-round fight was a draw. "
Lol yes that is the Wiki page I was referencing.... I was wondering about the difference between the 2 two titles? Edit: funny if you click on Bearcat Wright’s name it takes you to a page of the 1950’s wrestler and not to Ed Bearcat Wright.
Funny enough someone posted a photo of Charles C Smith, the first coloured heavyweight champion on a Facebook forum yesterday.
I'm not really familiar with him myself McVey. I did start reading about the Coloured heavyweight title years ago as a kid when I met Larry Gains a few times.
https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/help-request-charlie-thunderbolt-smith.610572/#post-19352977 Senya posted a news article saying that strangly, someone else was going around pretending to be him.
