Seal Harris (20 January 1906 – ?) was an African American heavyweight boxer who fought some of the top black boxers of the day and fought former colored heavyweight champion
George Godfrey for the
world colored heavyweight title vacated by
Larry Gains
Lawrence Samuel "Larry" Gains (12 December 1900 – 26 July 1983) was a Black Canadian heavyweight boxer who was champion of Canada and the British Empire. One of the top heavyweights of his era, he was denied the opportunity to become World Ch ...
. In the title bout held in Toronto, Canada's
Arena Gardens
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
on August 24, 1931, Godfrey prevailed by knocking out Harris at 1:35 in the second round.
Harris also fought former
World Heavyweight Champ Primo Carnera
Primo may refer to:
People
*DJ Premier (born 1966), hip-hop producer, sometimes goes by nickname Primo
* Primo Carnera (1906–1967), Italian boxer, World Heavyweight champion 1933–1934
* Primo Cassarino (born 1956), enforcer for the Gambino c ...
in 1935, seven months after Carnera lost his world title to
Max Baer. In São Paulo, Brazil, Harris lost to the ex-champion in what ended up as his last fight.
Born in Cecil Harris in
Union Springs, Alabama
Union Springs is a city in and county seat of Bullock County, Alabama, United States. The population was 3,980 at the 2010 census.
History
The area that became Union Springs was first settled by white men after the Creek Indian removal of the 1 ...
on 20 January 1906, the 6′3½″ Harris fought at a weight of between 220 and 245 lbs. out of Chicago in a professional boxing career that spanned the years 1926 to 1935. He racked up a ring record of 22 wins (eight by KO) against 18 losses (he was KO-ed nine times) and five draws. He also lost three
newspaper decision A newspaper decision was a type of decision in professional boxing. It was rendered by a consensus of sportswriters attending a bout after it had ended inconclusively with a " no decision", as many regions had not adopted the National Sporting Cl ...
s.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Seal
1906 births
People from Union Springs, Alabama
Boxers from Alabama
Year of death missing
American male boxers
Heavyweight boxers