"Bombardier" Billy Wells
(William Thomas Wells)

BORN   August 31 1889; Mile End, London, England
DIED   June 12 1967; Ealing, London, England
HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 182-192 lbs

 

Wells was a tall, rangy fighter who was an excellent boxer and very clever; He was quite popular with the English public

He moved well and was a good hitter, owning an excellent jab along with a nice, straight left and a hard right hander; His greatest weakness was his chin

He was a White Hope of the teens
1909
         -Wells won the All-India Amateur Championship

1910
Jun  8 "Gunner" Joe Mills          London, England                  W  6
Jun 22 Gunner McMurray             London, England                 KO  1
Jul 23 Corporal Brown              London, England                 KO  3
Sep 15 Sergeant Sunshine           London, England                 KO  5
Oct 19 "Private" Dan Voyles        London, England                 KO 10
Nov 16 Seaman Parsons              London, England                 KO  1

1911
Jan 11 James "Gunner" Moir         London, England                 LK  3
Mar  8 Dan "Porky" Flynn           London, England                  W 20
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of the British Empire
Apr 24 William "Iron" Hague        London, England                 KO  6
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Oct  2 Jack Johnson                London, England                SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Dec 18 Fred Storbeck               London, England                 KO 11
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of the British Empire

1912
Jun 28 Al Palzer                   New York, NY                    LK  3
Jul 18 Tom Kennedy                 New York, NY                    KO  8
Dec  6 George "Boer" Rodel         London, England                 KO  2
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of the British Empire

1913
Mar 14 Ed "Gunboat" Smith          New York, NY                    LK  2
Jun  1 Georges Carpentier          Ghent, Belgium                  LK  4
          -EBU Heavyweight Championship of Europe
Jun 30 Packey Mahoney              London, England                 KO 13
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Aug  4 Pat O'Keefe                 London, England                 KO 15
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Sep 10 James "Gunner" Moir         London, England                 KO  5
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Dec  8 Georges Carpentier          London, England                 LK  1
          -EBU Heavyweight Championship of Europe

1914
Jan 14 "Gunner" Gus Rawles         Belfast, Ireland                TK 10
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of the British Empire;
           BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Jan 24 Gaston Pigot                Cardiff, Wales                  KO  1
Mar  3 "Bandsman" Jack Blake       London, England                 KO  4
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Apr  2 Albert Lurie                Canterbury, England             KO  7
Apr 30 "Bandsman" Dick Rice        Liverpool, England               W 20
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Jun 30 Colin Bell                  London, England                 KO  2
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of the British Empire

1915
Feb 12 Dan McGoldrick              Plymouth, England               KO  7
Feb 24 "Bandsman" Dick Rice        Belfast, Ireland                KO  6
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Mar 29 Frank Moran                 London, England                 LK 10
May 31 Dick Smith                  London, England                 KO  9
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Oct  4 Fred Drummond               Birmingham, England             EX  3
Oct 15 Fred Drummond               Coventry, England               EX  3
Dec 27 "Bandsman" Dick Rice        Liverpool, England              KO  1
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain;
           Some sources report "KO 2"

1916
Feb 21 Dick Smith                  London, England                 KO  3
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Mar 31 Matthew "P.O." Curran       Plymouth, England               KO  5
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Aug 26 Dick Smith                  Newcastle, England              TK  9
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Dec 18 "Private" Dan Voyles        London, England                 TK  2
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain

1918
Dec 11 Seaman Powell               London, England                  W  3
Dec 11 Eddie McGoorty              London, England                  W  3
          -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date
Dec 12 Joe Beckett                 London, England                  W  3
          -Championship of King's Trophy Heavyweight Competition

1919
Feb 27 Joe Beckett                 London, England                 LK  5
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of the British Empire;
           BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Oct 17 Jack Curphey                London, England                 KO  2
Nov 20 Arthur Townley              London, England                 KO  9

1920
Jan 27 Harry Reeve                 Canterbury, England             KO  4
Mar 17 Paul Journee                London, England                 KO 13
Apr  8 Eddie McGoorty              London, England                 KO 16
May 10 Joe Beckett                 London, England                 LK  3
          -BBBC Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain
Sep  7 Paul Journee                Deauville, France               KO 17

1922
Apr 24 Albert Lloyd                London, England                 KO 10
May 28 Frank Goddard               London, England                 LK  6
Oct 12 Jack Bloomfield             London, England                 LK  6

1924
Nov 28 "Guardsman" Charlie Penwill London, England                 KO  2
Dec 15 "Gunner" Mick Bennett       Liverpool, England              KO  9

1925
Jan 30 Horace "Soldier" Jones      Brighton, England               LF  6
Apr 30 Jack Stanley                London, England                 LK  3

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