Harry 'Black Panther' Wills Denied Heavyweight Title Fight

Throughout the mid-1920s, heavyweight contender Harry Wills—nicknamed 'The Black Panther'—was widely acknowledged as champion Jack Dempsey's most deserving challenger, chosen by a poll of 500+ newspapers as the fighter fans most wanted to see Dempsey fight. Promoter Tex Rickard refused to promote an interracial fight, enforcing a color line that denied Wills a title shot he had earned on merit.