Jess Willard
Heavyweight Champion 1915-19
Born on the edge of an Indian reservation in Pottawatomie, Kansas, on December 29, 1881, Willard ranks close to the top as the rawest contender ever to win the world heavyweight championship. He was twenty-six even before he saw a boxing glove; twenty-nine before he fought his first professional bout. Until then, he rode wild horses, hunted, developed endurance and worked as a plains teamster in Kansas. Hence his nickname, "Cowboy Jess". Willard was a direct product of boxing's White Hope fanaticism during Jack Johnson's heavyweight title reign.
John D. McCallum-The Encyclopedia Of World Boxing Champions