This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/20/2021
[BOXING]. WILLARD, Jess (1881-1968). Wire photo of Jess Willard in Yonkers. New York: Underwood & Underwood, 1923. Black and white photograph depicts former heavyweight champion Jess Willard standing amidst a group of smiling neighborhood children in Yonkers, NY, shortly before beginning training for his comeback match against Floyd Johnson. 216 x 165 mm. Stamps for Underwood & Underwood on verso with attached wire service text. Stamped “Apr 25 1923” on verso. Known as the Pottawatomie Giant, Jess Willard became an international sensation when on April 5, 1915, he knocked out heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in the 26th round before a huge crowd in Havana, Cuba. Willard defended his title the following year in a bout against Frank Moran on March 25, 1916 at Madison Square Garden. The end came on July 4, 1919, in a fight against Jack Dempsey in Toledo, Ohio. It is said during this bout that Willard lost several teeth and suffered a broken jaw and three broken ribs. Dempsey won the title in the fourth round, though Willard’s refusal to give up even after the beating he’d suffered is today considered to be one of the most impressive displays of perseverance in boxing history.