Richard Dunn (boxer) Richard Dunn (boxer) Richard Dunn (born 19 January 1945 in Halifax) Is an English former heavyweight boxer, who fought Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title in 1976. Dunn was defeated by many top boxers of the time, losing to Muhammad Ali, Joe Bugner, Jimmy Young and Kallie Knoetze. However, he did defeat some professional fighters such as Johnny Griffin, Neville Meade, Bunny Johnson and Danny McAlinden. A southpaw, Dunn's professional career began with a win over Cardiff fighter Del Phillips in a heavyweight eliminator competition in Mayfair, London in July 1969. His second fight was on the same day
World Colored Heavyweight Championship (his successor as colored heavyweight champ) and Sam Langford (who beat Jeanette for the colored title) and the young Harry Wills (who was colored heavyweight champ during the last year of Johnson's reign as world's heavyweight champ). Blacks were not given a shot at the title allegedly because such top boxing promoters as Tex Rickard believed that a fight between two black boxers would not draw at the gate. Jack Johnson fought Joe Jeanette a total of seven times, all during his reign as colored champ before he became the world's heavyweight champion, winning four times and drawing twice (three