Editing Jimmy Wilde (section)

== Professional career ==
The record books often show that Wilde started boxing professionally in 1911, but it is widely assumed (and later confirmed by boxing analysts) that he had been fighting professionally for at least four years before that. His claim that he had at least 800 fights is probably greatly exaggerated, but it was certainly more than the 152 shown in [[Boxrec]] and elsewhere. His officially listed debut was on 26 December 1910, when he fought Les Williams to a no-decision in three rounds.

Managed by Teddy Lewis, (reserve captain of the local [[rugby union|rugby]] club, [[Pontypridd RFC]]) Wilde went undefeated in 103 bouts, all of which were held in [[United Kingdom|Britain]], a remarkable achievement. In the middle of that streak, on 31 December 1912, he won the British 7 stone championship by beating Billy Padden by an eighteenth-round knockout in Glasgow. He finally lost his undefeated record when he challenged [[Tancy Lee]] for the vacant British and [[European Boxing Union|Europe]] [[Flyweight]] Championship on 15 January 1915 in London. Ignoring his handlers advice to postpone the fight because he was suffering from [[Influenza]], a weakened Wilde was knocked out in the seventeenth round (of twenty).
[[File:William Howard Robinson A Welsh Victory at the National Sporting Club 1919.jpg|thumb|left|William Howard Robinson: ''A Welsh Victory at the National Sporting Club, 31 March 1919''. (The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, congratulates Jimmy Wilde.)]]
In 1915, Wilde was hospitalized, requiring an operation for "an internal complaint".<ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Wilde Ill: Boxer to Undergo an Operation |work=Western Mail |date=22 April 1915 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000104/19150422/155/0006| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> After a sixteen-fight knockout streak, on 14 February 1916 he won the British flyweight title by beating [[Joe Symonds]] by a knockout in round twelve at the [[National Sporting Club]] in London.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Wilde Defeats Symonds in Contest for Fly-Weight Boxing Championship |work=Dundee Courier |date=15 February 1916 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000164/19160215/058/0004| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> On 13 May, he had two fights on the same day at Woolwich barracks winning both by knockout, both fights combined lasted less than five rounds. On 26 June Wilde returned to the National Sporting Club to take his revenge on Tancy Lee with an eleventh-round knockout. On 18 December, Wilde became the first World Flyweight Champion when he defeated [[Young Zulu Kid]] of the United States, knocking him out in the eleventh round of their bout at the [[Holborn]] Stadium.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Wilde Still Fly-Weight Champion |work=Dundee Courier |date=19 December 1916 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000164/19161219/016/0002| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In late December 1916, after being rejected on two previous occasions due to an old leg problem from a colliery accident and for being underweight, Wilde was accepted into the [[British Army]] and while never seeing active service, became a physical training instructor at [[Aldershot]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Wilde for the Army |work=Sheffield Evening Telegraph |date=28 December 1916 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000276/19161228/084/0004| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title="Boy" McCormick Dies in Car |work=Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough |date=23 January 1939 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000770/19390123/128/0005| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In 1917, he retained the British title by beating [[George Clarke (boxer)|George Clarke]] by a fourth round KO. He kept fighting and winning, and in 1919, he beat American bantamweight [[Joe Lynch (boxer)|Joe Lynch]] who would later win the World bantamweight title.

Wilde travelled to the United States for a series of fights and on 6 December 1919, lost to "Little" [[Jackie Sharkey]] in a controversial ten-round newspaper decision. According to the ''Milwaukee Journal'' (before a crowd close to 8,000 at the Auditorium in Milwaukee Wisconsin)<ref>"English Bantam Champ Loses Popular Verdict to American'', ''El Paso Herald'', El Paso, Texas, pg. 12, 8 December 1919</ref> Sharkey was considered to have won eight of the ten rounds according to the newspapermen at ringside. Sharkey's blows were said to land more frequently and with greater force. Sharkey's win was at least a minor upset as Wilde led in the early betting 2 to 1.<ref>"Wilde is Favored to Beat Sharkey", ''St Louis Post Dispatch'', St. Louis, Missouri, pg. 12, 6 December 1919.</ref><ref>"Yankee Wins Over Briton", ''The Daily Gate City and Constitution Democrat'', Keokuk, Iowa, pg. 6, 8 December 1919</ref>

[[File:Jimmy Wilde vs. Pancho Villa BNF.jpeg|200px|right|thumb|Pancho Villa (left) vs. Jimmy Wilde (right)]]
In 1920, Wilde went undefeated in 10 fights, but lost by a knockout in 17 rounds to former World [[Bantamweight]] Champion [[Pete Herman]], who outweighed him by more than a stone (14 pounds), in 1921.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Wilde Beaten |work=Belfast News-Letter |date=14 January 1921 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000038/19210114/124/0008| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Why Jimmy Wilde Was Beaten: Herman Fully 16lbs. Heavier Than the Welshman |work=The Globe |date=14 January 1921 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001652/19210114/120/0008| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The bout was originally scheduled as a title defence, but Herman had lost his championship to Lynch the month before. Herman easily regained the Bantamweight title from Lynch in July 1921, leading some to suspect that he had left the title behind with Lynch in America intentionally. That was the fight that marked his return to Britain after touring the United States all of 1920. 

American promoter [[Tex Rickard]] (who promoted the Philippine sensation Pancho Villa) lured Wilde out of retirement with a promise of a £15,000 payday which was, at that time, a fortune. On 18 June 1923 at the [[Polo Grounds]] in New York, Wilde was knocked out in the seventh round by his younger opponent. Villa became the [[Philippines]]' first ever world champion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Defeat of Jimmy Wilde in Fly-Weight Championship |work=Dundee Evening Telegraph |date=19 June 1923 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19230619/016/0001| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Wilde announced his retirement before returning to England, confirming his decision on 1 January 1924.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Wilde Retiring |work=Sheffield Daily Telegraph |date=4 July 1923 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000250/19230704/203/0008| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Wilde |work=Daily Herald |date=2 January 1924 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000681/19240102/098/0005| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In 1927, at the age of 35, Wilde was reportedly considering making a comeback, but after consulting a specialist in head trauma, never returned to competitive boxing.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Wilde: Triumphs Which Cannot Be Repeated |work=The Northern Whig |date=29 August 1927 |access-date=25 December 2017 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001542/19270829/120/0006| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> For a while he ran a successful Cinema and cafe in Cardiff.