George Godfrey
(Feab Smith Williams)

BORN   January 25 1897; Mobile, Alabama
DIED August 13 1947; Los Angeles, California
HEIGHT 6-3 (Some reports say 6-1 and 6-2)
WEIGHT 220-260 lbs
MANAGER Jim Dougherty
TRAINER Jack Blackburn

Godfrey was big, strong and quick for a man of his size; He carried an awesome punch, of the order of George Foreman in recent years; Godfrey won the IBU Heavyweight Championship of the World and the Negro Heavyweight Championship of the World during his career

In the ring, George defeated such men as "Big" Bill Tate, Jack Thompson, James "Tut" Jackson, Jack Renault, Fred Fulton, Sully Montgomery, Larry Gains, "Long" Tom Hawkins, Neil Clisby, Paolino Uzcudun, "Big" Bill Hartwell, Jimmy Byrne, Jack Gross, Roy "Ace" Clark, Cecil "Seal" Harris, Arthur DeKuh, Walter Cobb, "Tiger" Jack Fox and "Fighting" Bob Lawson

1919
       Eddie Jamison                                               KO  1

1920
May    Sam Langford                                                 D 10
       Battling Gahee                                               W 15
       "Big" Bill Tate                                              W 10
Nov  1 Battling Norfolk           Memphis, Tn                      LK  4
Nov 17 Sam Langford               Hot Springs, Ar                  LK  2

1921
Feb    "Young" Kid Norfolk                                         KO  1
Feb 15 Jack Thompson              St. Louis, Mo                    LK  4
Aug 17 Sam Langford               Covington, Ky                    LK  1

1922
       K.O. Gordon                                                 KO  2
Sep  4 Jack Johnson               Chicago, Il                      EX  3
Sep  5 Jack Johnson               Chicago, Il                      EX  3
Sep  6 Jack Johnson               Chicago, Il                      EX  3
Oct 20 Jack Ward                  Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  5
Dec  5 Jack Thompson              New York, NY                     TK  5

1923
Feb 21 Johnny Pierson             New York, NY                     KO  1
Feb 27 Clem Johnson               Albany, NY                        W 12
Mar  9 Jack Renault               New York, NY                     LK 11
Sep 17 Buddy Jackson              Chester, Pa                      TK  2
Nov  2 "Big" Bill Tate            New York, NY                     KO  7
Dec  7 "Rough House" Ware         Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  1
Dec 13 Battling Owens             Youngstown, Oh                   LF  5

1924
Mar 31 Tom Cowler                 Philadelphia, Pa                 LF  2
May 12 Walter "Farmer" Lodge      Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  3
Jun 23 Jack Thompson              Philadelphia, Pa                 TK  3
Jul 19 Jack Townsend              New York, NY                     LF  1
Sep  8 Jack Renault               Philadelphia, Pa                  L 10
Dec  1 Joe White                  Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  1

1925
Jan 30 Soldier Jones              Pottsville, Pa                   KO  2
Feb 26 James "Tut" Jackson        New York, NY                     KO  5
Mar 21 Vic Alexander              Wilmington, Ca                   KO  6
Apr 14 Sam Baker                  Los Angeles, Ca                  KO  4
Jun  6 Jack Renault               San Francisco, Ca                 W 10
Aug  4 "Tiny" Jim Herman          Los Angeles, Ca                  TK  3
Aug 26 Mike Conroy                Los Angeles, Ca                  TK  2
Sep 29 Martin Burke               Los Angeles, Ca                   W 10
Dec 14 Battling Owens             New Orleans, La                  KO  3
Dec 18 Fred Fulton                Minneapolis, Mn                  KO  5
Dec 23 Martin Burke               New York, NY                      W 10

1926
Jan  6 Sully Montgomery           Los Angeles, Ca                  WF  7
Jun  9 Chuck Wiggins              Los Angeles, Ca                  LF  8
Aug 24 "Tiny" Jim Herman          Portland, Or                      W 10
Sep 21 Jack Sharkey               Boston, Ma                        L 10
Sep 23 "Fighting" Bob Lawson      Philadelphia, Pa                  W  6
Nov  1 Jack Townsend              New York, NY                     WF  6
Nov  8 Larry Gains                Buffalo, NY                      TK  6
Nov 24 Ed "Bearcat" Wright        Portland, Or                     NC 10
Dec  3 "Cowboy" Billy Owens       Chicago, Il                      TK  8

1927
Mar  8 Ralph Smith                Portland, Or                     TK  9
Mar 29 Tony Fuente                Los Angeles, Ca                  KO  2
Apr  6 Jack Roper                 Oakland, Ca                      KO  9
Apr 18 Leon "Bombo" Chevalier     Los Angeles, Ca                  KO  4
May  5 Jack Roper                 Wilmington, Ca                   TK  6
May 13 "Long" Tom Hawkins         San Diego, Ca                    KO  6
Jul  5 Neil Clisby                Los Angeles, Ca                  KO  7
Aug 15 Jim Maloney                Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  1
Sep  9 Henry van Patten           Wilmington, Ca                   KO  2
Sep 14 Monte Munn                 Brooklyn, NY                     TK  4
Oct 31 Tom Sayers                 Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  1
Nov 21 Clem Johnson               Atlantic City, NJ                KO  1
Nov 22 Jack Townsend              New York, NY                      W  4
Dec  5 Andre DeRosa               Canton, Oh                       KO  2
Dec 26 Soldier Jones              Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  1

1928
Jan 23 Joe White                  Atlantic City, NJ                KO  1
Feb 28 Paolino Uzcudun            Los Angeles, Ca                   W 10
Jun 27 Johnny Risko               Brooklyn, NY                      L 10
Aug 15 Larry Gains                Toronto, Ont, Can                LF  3
          -Negro Heavyweight Championship of the World
Aug 21 James "Tut" Jackson        Greensboro, NC                   TK  4
Aug 31 Pierre Charles             Detroit, Mi                      KO  2
Oct 12 Benny Hill                 Buffalo, NY                      KO  1
Nov 12 Bud Gorman                 Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  3
Dec  3 Clem Johnson               Richmond, Va                     KO  3
Dec 12 "Big" Jim Sigmund          Fremont, Oh                      KO  2

1929
Jan  7 Al Walker                  Philadelphia, Pa                 LF  3
Jan 14 Francisco Cruz             Lorain, Oh                       KO  2
Apr  5 "Big" Bill Hartwell        Orlando, Fl                      KO  2
Apr 15 Walter "Farmer" Lodge      Jackson, Mi                      KO  2
Jun  3 Jimmy Byrne                Philadelphia, Pa                 TK  7
Jun 26 Chuck Wiggins              Cleveland, Oh                    TK  7
Jul 15 Ralph Smith                Grand Rapids, Mi                 TK  2
Aug 13 "Long" Tom Hawkins         Los Angeles, Ca                  LF  3
Nov  7 Jimmy Byrne                Boston, Ma                       NC  7
Dec 23 Leonard Dixon              Roanoke, Va                      KO  3

1930
Mar 10 Jack Gross                 Philadelphia, Pa                 TK  5
Mar 24 Roy "Ace" Clark            Philadelphia, Pa                 KO  7
May 16 Jack Rozier                Baltimore, Md                    KO  1
Jun 23 Primo Carnera              Philadelphia, Pa                 LF  5
Jul  8 Frank Simms                Cleveland, Oh                    TK  2
Aug 20 Elijah Lee                 Indianapolis, In                 KO  2
Aug 26 Arthur DeKuh               Cleveland, Oh                    KO  4
Nov  7 Cecil "Seal" Harris        Lansing, Mi                      KO  4
Dec  8 Cecil "Seal" Harris        Milwaukee, Wi                    KO  3
Dec 19 Ed "Bearcat" Wright        Atlanta, Ga                       D 10

1931
Jan  1 Salvatore Ruggirello       Mexico City, Mx                  KO  1
Feb 23 Dick Russell               Nuevo Laredo, Mx                 KO  1
Jul 13 George Gemas               Toronto, Ont, Can                KO  2
Aug 24 Cecil "Seal" Harris        Toronto, Ont, Can                KO  2
Nov 17 Jack Gross                 Los Angeles, Ca                   L 10

1932
Apr  7 "Fighting" Bob Lawson      Wilmington, De                   KO  2
       K.O. Willis                Mount Clemens, Mi                KO  2
       Gene Stanton               Mount Clemens, Mi                KO  3
May  3 Flash Ryser                Monroe, Mi                       KO  2
May 19 Harry Johnson              Pontiac, Mi                      KO  1
May 19 Kid Moran                  Pontiac, Mi                      KO  2
May 24 Bill Williams              Alliance, Oh                     KO  1
May 30 Texas Tanner               Canton, Oh                       KO  2
Jun  3 Harry Johnson              Sandusky, Oh                     KO  2
Sep  1 Roy "Ace" Clark            Nuevo Laredo, Mx                 KO  3
          -Negro Heavyweight Championship of the World
Nov 10 Al Fay                     Philadelphia, Pa                 TK  8
Dec 12 Walter Cobb                Philadelphia, Pa                  W 10
Dec 29 Walter Cobb                Philadelphia, Pa                  L 10

1933
Jan 21 "Tiger" Jack Fox           Indianapolis, In                  W 10
Feb 10 Ed "Bearcat" Wright        Kansas City, Mo                  NC  6
Oct  9 Obadiah "Obie" Walker      Philadelphia, Pa                  L 10

1934
Nov  4 Hans Schonrath             Brussels, Bel                    TK  3

1935
Mar    Piet Van Gool              Louvain, Bel                      W 10 
Apr 10 Arthur Meurant                                              KO  5 
May  1 Arthur Meurant                                              KO  3 
May  2 Jose Santa                 Paris, Fr                        KO  2 
May 10 Giuseppe Sanga                                              KO  5 
Jun    Gogea Mitu                 Bucharest, Rom                   KO  4 
Jul    Dumitri Pavelescu          Bucharest, Rom                   KO  2 
Oct  2 Pierre Charles             Brussels, Bel                     W 15 
          -IBU Heavyweight Championship of the World

1937
Aug 10 Ellsworth "Hank" Hankinson Los Angeles, Ca                  LK  8


*** The Following Bouts Are Reported But Not Confirmed ***

1935
Apr  5 Johann Richtoff            Gothenburg, Swe                   D  
          -This was a wrestling match
Apr  8 Gunnar Barlund             Helsinki, Fin                    NC  6

Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization
 
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