In 'The Big Tall Wish,' what prizefighter is helped by Henry Temple's wish?

“In ‘The Big Tall Wish,’ what prizefighter is helped by Henry Temple’s wish? The answer is Bolie Jackson.”

Bolie Jackson is a washed-up boxer attempting a comeback when Henry Temple, the young son of Bolie’s neighbor Frances, makes what he calls the “biggest, tallest wish” for him. During the fight, Bolie appears to lose after being knocked down, but reality briefly changes and he is suddenly standing over his defeated opponent.

Bolie cannot explain the apparent victory, especially because his injured knuckles seem fine and his manager insists he was never knocked down. Henry believes his wish made the impossible result happen, but Bolie struggles to accept that explanation. Once Bolie stops believing, the alternate outcome vanishes and he returns to the canvas, where the referee counts him out.

The episode originally aired on April 8, 1960, as the 27th episode of the first season. Rod Serling wrote it, Ron Winston directed it, and Ivan Dixon played Bolie Jackson. Its all-Black principal cast was notably unusual for American television of that era, making the episode important beyond its fantasy plot.