This content is protected Quite an obscure fighter. From Kansas City, MO. Known as "Big" Bill Hartwell, he stood 6'3 and weighed 220 He followed up the win over Jack Johnson with a win over the very good Larry Gains just 3 weeks later. The next biggest win on his resume is probably against Bearcat Wright, who he fought at least 5 times. He headed back in to obscurity soon enough though. He went the distance with Paolino Uzcudun but was KO'd in 2 by George Godfrey . In 1931 he faced the comebacking Jack Dempsey and was KO'd in about one minute of an "exhibition" match.
Johnson broke his hand in the second round ,he was 50 years old. Hartwell was another of those little guys that Jack fought.
Hartwell beating a 50-year-olld Johnson is about as meaningful as Berbick beating Ali, or Cummings drawing with Frazier, or Kevin McBride stopping Tyson.
obviously beating a 50 year old Johnson is almost meaningless, but it's probably the most NOTABLE thing on Hartwell's record. maybe not in pure boxing terms - but for name recognition it is. i just think we should have a few more threads on obsurish fighters. instead of the same famous names all the time. maybe i shouldn't have even put "beat an OLD Jack Johnson" in the thread title, but i feared NO ONE would have read far at all without it. Apparently Hartwell was a sparring partner for Jack Sharkey in the late 1920s too.
Take my hat off to you Conn - and yeah we should have more threads about these more obscurish fighters who probably had a lot more ability than a lot of fairly average champions who could otherwise be discussed - pretty sure hartwell might've mixed it with Langford aswell anyone who mixed it with that kinda comp has got to be looked at - ps I met a guy in my local pub about 15years ago who had met the great Larry Gains years before when he often used to fight in Nottingham in the uk back in the day - said he was the size of a barn door - and he met Gains in that very pub we were in so Gains used to call in at my old local!! Haha
Excellent. :good Gains was well respected in the Uk and around the old British Empire (the title of which he held). As for Hartwell, i also read that he was one of the black fighters who many of the top white fighters in the late 1920s were avoiding. Uzcudun was praised by Leo P. Flynn for having the guts to take on Hartwell and Godfrey
yeah, he looks the part. not bad for someone who didn't have "modern nutrition and modern training methods"
Nothing wrong with the thread,on the contrary ,it puts the spotlight on a forgotten/overlooked pugilist ,never a bad thing.:good
