What sort of fighter was Harry Wills

[Lester1583]

Short footage of Wills training and sparring:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[PowerPuncher]

Originally Posted by Lester1583

Short footage of Wills training and sparring:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Thanks, I've seen this before, Wills certainly was a physical brute, looked in fine condition too. It looks more pad work than sparring, where he looks to be practising defence

Can't say I think much to his rowing machine

[lufcrazy]

So it's fair to say wills would have the advantage on the outside against jack.

How about inside, any indication wills is as good an infighter as dempsey?

[SuzieQ49]

Wills was 35 years old, balding and clearly past his prime when that footage took place too in 1924.

I would love to see film of a 1918-1921 Harry Wills

[janitor]

Originally Posted by lufcrazy

How about inside, any indication wills is as good an infighter as dempsey?

Likley not, but then who was?

[lufcrazy]

Originally Posted by janitor

Likley not, but then who was?

Hard to say given the men jack actually fought. Fulton fought behind a jab and by a mile the best boxer he beat was gibbons, and infighting wasn't him forte.

He looked sensational against willard but his inside game was shit and against firpo he actually got knocked out of the ring.

[janitor]

Originally Posted by lufcrazy

He looked sensational against willard but his inside game was shit and against firpo he actually got knocked out of the ring.

The Firpo fight is one of the best infighting displays on film, notwithstanding the knockdowns. Look at the space Dempsey needs to load up shots, and the way he efortlesly works combinations in verry little space.

Wills would have to show me a lot, to convince me that he could play in Dempseys sandpit at this game.

[PowerPuncher]

Originally Posted by lufcrazy

So it's fair to say wills would have the advantage on the outside against jack.

How about inside, any indication wills is as good an infighter as dempsey?

His body shot and uppercut KOs indicate he's pretty dangerous inside, the uppercut being a big man's tool against a smaller man inside

Originally Posted by janitor

The Firpo fight is one of the best infighting displays on film, notwithstanding the knockdowns. Look at the space Dempsey needs to load up shots, and the way he efortlesly works combinations in verry little space.

It is against Firpo though and he also gets knocked down several times

[Legend X]

Dempsey's infighting is hardly better than average because there's so much film of it.

Wills' infighting was amazing because there are newspaper reports and where and whether it exists on film it's extremely hard to find.

Dempsey was lauded in ink but it doesn't count because those writers were professional myth-makers.

Wills was lauded in ink and that proves he was a superior fighter to the others of his era.

[PowerPuncher]

Originally Posted by Legend X

Dempsey's infighting is hardly better than average because there's so much film of it.

Wills' infighting was amazing because there are newspaper reports and where and whether it exists on film it's extremely hard to find.

Dempsey was lauded in ink but it doesn't count because those writers were professional myth-makers.

Wills was lauded in ink and that proves he was a superior fighter to the others of his era.

Can I get you some wine to go with that whining?

No ones saying Wills in fighting was amazing, we know he scored KOs in several of his fights on the inside and was a bodypuncher though so it indicates he was adept inside

Obviously when someone states Dempsey-Firpo was 1 of the greatest feats of infighting it needs to be put in perspective, ie offensively he was good but he gave no regard to defence and a better fighter would hit him far more

Dempsey does get lauded in ink and he gets his fair share of criticism from papers of the time too

[Ricky42791]

Originally Posted by Legend X

Dempsey's infighting is hardly better than average because there's so much film of it.

Wills' infighting was amazing because there are newspaper reports and where and whether it exists on film it's extremely hard to find.

Dempsey was lauded in ink but it doesn't count because those writers were professional myth-makers.

Wills was lauded in ink and that proves he was a superior fighter to the others of his era.

[LittleRed]

Originally Posted by Legend X

Dempsey's infighting is hardly better than average because there's so much film of it.

Wills' infighting was amazing because there are newspaper reports and where and whether it exists on film it's extremely hard to find.

Dempsey was lauded in ink but it doesn't count because those writers were professional myth-makers.

Wills was lauded in ink and that proves he was a superior fighter to the others of his era.

Finally you see!

[Webbiano]

A black one trololololol

[Legend X]

Originally Posted by PowerPuncher

Can I get you some wine to go with that whining?

I'm not whining, just observing.

No ones saying Wills in fighting was amazing, we know he scored KOs in several of his fights on the inside and was a bodypuncher though so it indicates he was adept inside


Obviously when someone states Dempsey-Firpo was 1 of the greatest feats of infighting it needs to be put in perspective, ie offensively he was good but he gave no regard to defence and a better fighter would hit him far more

True .... Dempsey went into the Firpo fight with low regard for Firpo's ability. Dempsey was quoted before the fight saying he was just going to go in and brawl and make an exciting fight.
Reports written by people who knew Dempsey thought the Firpo performance was uncharacteristic ... but it was a great fight.

I think janitor is right to say it demonstrated some awesome short punch power.

Dempsey does get lauded in ink and he gets his fair share of criticism from papers of the time too

As does Wills.

[SuzieQ49]

Dempsey beat such shit opposition, how can you possibly rate him as one of the greatest