Billy Banks papers

Biographical

William "Billy" Banks (1921-2006) was a promising African American professional featherweight and lightweight boxer from Washington, DC who fought locally and regionally in the 1930s and 1940s. Banks is recognized as the first boxer in Washington, DC to break the segregation line when he fought an undercard fight against Joe Sole at Griffiths Stadium on June 19, 1940, a fight he also won. The fight was one of two that night that desegregated boxing with the city.

Mr. Banks was renowned locally and regionally for his boxing skill and career. He was a successful amateur boxer in the 1930s and a title-contending professional boxer whose career was shorten by an eye-injury that eventually led to the removal of his left eye years after his retirement from the sport. Often referred to as a gentleman and a role-model in the press during his fighting career, Banks transitioned into managing local boxers in the late 1940s and early 1950s after retiring from fighting. He worked within the federal government during his fighting career and used his winnings as a fighter and status within the city to open a men's clothing store on U Street in the early 1950s. He later owned and managed restaurants and bars in the city, including Chuck and Billy's Bar and Grill on Georgia Ave near Howard University.

William "Billy" Banks was inducted into the Washington, D.C. Boxing Hall of Fame in 1980.