Willie Harmon
Quick Facts
Biography
Willie Harmon, real name Herman Eisman (April 20, 1899 - ???), was an American boxer in the welterweight division. Harmon was a top welterweight contender for a number of years in the mid-1920s. He was ranked as the #6 welterweight in the world for 1925 by The Ring magazine. Like many other fighters of his era, Harmon was a Jew from New York's Lower East Side.
On June 29, 1926, Harmon challenged champion Pete Latzo for the world welterweight title. The fight took place outdoors in Dreamland Park, in Newark, New Jersey. While Harmon weighed in at 144.5 lbs, Latzo weighed in at 153 lbs—6 lbs over the 147-lb welterweight limit. (The bout was postponed twice due to weather; it was originally scheduled for June 22, and then June 23. At the weigh-in on June 22, Latzo weighed 151.5 lbs, while Harmon weighed 146.5)
Although Harmon fought valiantly, and won the earlier rounds, he was knocked cold by the champion in the fifth round, and lay unconscious for several minutes.