Harry Forbes (May 13, 1879 – December 19, 1946) was an American boxer who took the World Bantamweight Title on November 11, 1901, when he defeated Danny Dougherty in a second-round knockout in Saint Louis, Missouri. He lost the title three years later, on August 13, 1903, to Frankie Neil in a second-round knockout at the Mechanics Pavilion in San Francisco, California.
He was a prolific boxer who boxed 146 verified matches and faced such exceptional boxers as bantamweight champions Johnny Coulon, and Johnny Reagan, as well as meeting the exceptional featherweight champion Abe Attell six times in matches that gained national interest. He also faced accomplished boxers Benny Yanger, Tommy O'Toole, Terry McGovern, Kid Goodman, and Joe Cherry.
Early career
Harry Forbes was born in Rockford, Illinois on May 12, 1879. He began his boxing career around the age of eighteen in Chicago by winning eleven of thirteen of his better publicized fights that year with three by knockout, though his knockout percentage would increase in later years. He was an early boxing pupil of Harry Gilmore of Chicago, who also taught Tommy White and Eddie Santry.
First attempt at the World bantam title
His important youthful bout with Terry McGovern, on December 22, 1899, was billed as a World bantamweight title match. McGovern was considered by many boxing historians as one of the greatest featherweights and one of the hardest hitters of all time. Forbes was only 22, though he already had over fifty fights to his name. He lost the Bantamweight Title shot, receiving a second-round TKO at Broadway Athletic Club in New York, with a total fighting time of only 1 minute 33 seconds into the second round. Of his October 1, 1898 non-title bout with "Terrible Terry" McGovern, one newspaper wrote, "He gave the 'Brooklyn Terror' a hard tussle for fifteen rounds before McGovern landed his soporific punch," knocking out Forbes at the Pelican A. C. in New York.
On March 17, 1900, he lost to the exceptional boxer Benny Yanger, in a fifth-round TKO in Chicago, Illinois. Yanger was one of the few boxers to ever defeat Abe Attell.
World bantam champion
When he clinched the Bantamweight title with his win over Danny Dougherty on November 11, 1901, in St. Louis, surprisingly little coverage was featured in most national newspapers, possibly because Dougherty was not as well-known a boxer. The Scranton Republican wrote simply that Forbes had administered a "second round knockout defeat to Danny Dougherty of Philadelphia in what was to be a fifteen round battle." Greater interest would have been generated by defeating a reigning champion who had held the title for a significant period. In his rematch with Dougherty on June 22, 1903, Forbes won in a six-round newspaper decision in Philadelphia in a non-title fight.
Defending World bantam title
His February 27, 1902 bout with Tommy Felz, which he won, was billed as a World bantamweight championship, but his fifteen-round May 1, 1902 World Bantamweight Title match with Johnny Reagan gained greater interest, considering Reagan's stature in the boxing community. The bout was declared a draw, and though one newspaper wrote that in the event of a draw an additional five bouts would be fought, this did not occur.
In May and June 1902, he fought Johnny Reagan, and Young Devaney in World bantamweight title matches, successfully retaining his title.
He had three more important defenses of the title with Andrew Tokell, Johnny Kelly, and Frankie Neil between December 1902, and March 1903, winning two impressively by knockout or technical knockout.
World Bantam Title loss
On August 13, 1903, Forbes lost the World bantamweight title in a second-round knockout against Frankie Neil at the Mechanics Pavilion in San Francisco, a familiar venue for important San Francisco boxing. According to the St. Paul Globe, the winning blow was a hard left to the stomach of Forbes. Forbes had been a two to one betting favorite prior to the bout due to his standing as reigning champion, though many boxing fans still backed Neil to win. In the brief two rounds of boxing, Forbes had been down three times, probably surprising many in the audience.