Billy Arnold (William Marshall Arnold) (September 21, 1926 – May 18, 1995) was a highly touted welterweight/middleweight prospect of the 1940s. Born in

Slab Fork, West Virginia Slab Fork is an unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States with a population of 202. Slab Fork is located along a stream of the same name and West Virginia Route 54. The ZIP code for Slab Fork is 25920. Demographi ...

, Arnold turned pro November 1, 1943, while still in high school. He became an overnight sensation by racking up an impressive string of 16 straight knockout victories. Arnold's style was similar to

Sugar Ray Robinson Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regarded ...

; he was a slick boxer with lightning-fast combinations, and a knockout punch.

The Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...

and various newspapers across the United States touted Arnold as the next

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He rei ...

or Sugar Ray Robinson. Arnold was a heavy favorite to defeat

Rocky Graziano Thomas Rocco Barbella (January 1, 1919 – May 22, 1990), better known as Rocky Graziano, was an American professional boxer and actor who held the World Middleweight title. Graziano is considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing hi ...

, and then to go on to fight for the world title. In a brutal battle staged in March 1945, Arnold battered the rough and tough Graziano for the first few rounds. It seemed only a matter of moments when the fight would be stopped. However, Graziano absorbed the beating and went on to batter and knockout Arnold in one of the major upsets in boxing.

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* * African-American boxers 1926 births 1995 deaths Boxers from West Virginia People from Slab Fork, West Virginia Welterweight boxers Middleweight boxers 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{US-boxing-bio-stub