Jack Wilson
American boxer (1918-1956)
- Born
- 17 January 1918, Spencer
- Died
- 10 March 1956, Cleveland
- Citizenship
- United States
- Sport
- boxing
- Discipline
- bantamweight
- Occupation
- boxer
- Height
- 182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
- Weight
- 54 kg (119 lb)
California Jack Wilson (January 17, 1918 – March 10, 1956), born George Dudley Wilson, won a silver medal in boxing for the United States during the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. He was born in Spencer, North Carolina.
Wilson was the silver medalist in the bantamweight class at the 1936 Berlin Olympiad. Wilson was defeated in the final by Ulderico Sergo of Italy. He was the 1936 112 lb Golden Gloves Champion for both Chicago and in Intercity competition.
Wilson went on to have a successful pro career, and was ranked number two in the world at lightweight by Ring Magazine in 1940, and number two in 1941 at welterweight. Wilson was also the first African-American boxer to fight a main event at Hollywood Legion Stadium, when he defeated Tony Chavez on April 26, 1940.
In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including Wilson, was documented in the film Olympic Pride, American Prejudice.
Competitions
| Competition | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|
| boxing at the 1936 Summer Olympics – bantamweight |
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q3438881 (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.