Rank them 1 through 5. Edit: 6! Alphabetical: George Godfrey (Old Chocolate) Joe Jeanette (Jennette) Sam Langford Sam McVey (McVea) Harry Wills I have completed a deep study of these 5 lately, and I will be back to reveal how I rank them. ******EDIT: Adding Peter Jackson because I totally forgot him. That makes 6.****** Feel free to add more names if you wish.
Langford McVey Jeanette Wills Godfrey I'm only going on memory when I was reading extensively on Boxing in the very late 90s and early 2000, I seem to remember this would be the consensus, or there about... But it is not an Era of interest for me Shay, so I can't offer too much on it, but there are a few posters here who like reading & studying that Era. Will(s), wait on their responses. Best, thistle.
Really, only Harry Wills. I haven't read anything from that period about the others being the obvious title choice, and fans dying to see it, and the fighter being denied because he was black. Just Harry Wills. I would be very surprised, for instance, if there were any newspaper articles from that period demanding why the champ fought so-and-so instead of George Godfrey, because George was "clearly" the best challenger out there. I've never read anything like that from that time. But you can read about how boxing folks and fans were disappointed when it came to Harry Wills not getting a Dempsey fight.
I definitely should have added Peter Jackson. That was a complete oversight. Gains and Bivins may have cases, also. I will definitely add Jackson to the OP.
Langford Wills Jeanette McVea Godfrey Wills technically is the only one to get a lineal title shot Dempsey just pulled out of it. Wills v Firpo was supposed to be Wills v Dempsey and given Dempsey wasn't fighting Wills was a pseudo champ of sorts for 2 years. Langford was considered the "real champ" but wasn't lineal. Langford and Wills were the two with a case to be considered the best HW for years. Jeanette was closer to Langford and Wills than McVea who won less than a third of his fights against the other "colored" HW champs. McVea also has the fewest feats against white HWs of this list with his Australian title run. Edit. Realize I got the Godfreys mixed up I rank McVea over Godfrey I.
My 6 are, in order: 1. Sam Langford. 2. Harry Wills. 3. Joe Jeannette. 4. Sam McVey. 5. Peter Jackson. 6. George Godfrey (Old Chocolate).
Wills Langford Jackson Jeanette McVey Godfrey No disrespect to Godfrey but I think he's in the smallest pond. The second Godfrey was better imo.
Jackson has a case to be lineal if Cardiff becomes champ after his draw with Sullivan where Sullivan broke his arm which clearly wasn't a draw. That lineage would then go Cardiff/Killen/McAuliffe/Slavin/Jackson/Jeffries. Bivins was dual duration champ and was denied a shot due to WW2 not the color line. Bivins would receive a non lineal title shot at Louis's BBBC title in 1951. The other George Godfrey, Billy Wilson, Tate and Jack Thompson are some good ones.
