Bombardier Billy Wells
British boxer (1889–1967)
- Born
- 31 August 1887, Stepney
- Died
- 12 June 1967, Ealing
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Sport
- boxing
- Discipline
- heavyweight
- Occupation
- boxer
William Thomas Wells (31 August 1887 – 11 June 1967), known as Bombardier Billy Wells, was a British heavyweight boxer who competed professionally from 1910 to 1925. The National Sporting Club (NSC) recognised him as British heavyweight champion from 1911 to 1919. He became the first holder of the heavyweight Lonsdale Belt and made fourteen defences of the NSC title.
Wells's proposed contest with the world heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in 1911 was prohibited after a public campaign and government intervention. In 1913, he was twice knocked out by Georges Carpentier. During the First World War, he returned to the army and served in France as a physical-training and bayonet instructor. After demobilisation, he resumed his professional career, losing to Joe Beckett in 1919. He continued boxing until 1925.
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q4940476 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.