Jess Willard

Boxer

Birthday December 29, 1881

Birth Sign Capricorn

Birthplace Kansas

DEATH DATE Dec 15, 1968 (86)

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About

6'6", 270-pound heavyweight boxing champion, nicknamed the 'Pottawatomie Giant' and 'The Great White Hope.' He compiled a career record of 26-6-1.

Before Fame

He worked as a cowboy as a young adult.

Trivia

After holding the heavyweight title for four years, he lost it to Jack Dempsey in a brutal bone-breaking match in which he was knocked down seven times in the first round.

Family Life

He married his childhood friend Harriet Evans.

Associated With

Jack Dempsey was the only boxer to ever knock him down.