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 Cha ...

. 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 cri ...

in 1935, seven months after Carnera lost his world title to

Max Baer Max Baer may refer to: * Max Baer (boxer) (1909–1959), American boxing world champion ** Max Baer Jr. Maximilian Adelbert Baer Jr. (born December 4, 1937) is an American actor, producer, comedian, and director widely known for his role as ...

. 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 ...

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 Club o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Seal 1906 births People from Union Springs, Alabama Boxers from Alabama Year of death missing American male boxers Heavyweight boxers