A defence of Jess Willard

so I'm wrong in saying I'd expect those to beat him? you're definitely wrong in saying that since I do make them favourites over 1915 Johnson.

A better version failed to stop Moran as well. let's declare him one of the more durable hw's in history. In the 5 years preceding he'd only stopped a shot Flynn and a shot Jeffries. I don't buy into Willard's super-human durability.

He certainly couldn't outlast Dempsey, Firpo nor Cox.

 

"only stopped a shot Flynn"

Except Flynn was on his feet arguing with the ref when the sheriff stopped the fight. Flynn didn't appear in trouble off the film at all, but was billygoating Johnson just before the fight was stopped. It looked more like Flynn was DQ'd.

Whatever, the bottom line that this fight if no proof Johnson still had a punch.

He really hadn't stopped anyone since the Jeffries fight.

 

On Dempsey, Firpo, and Cox

Willard was stopped 3 times in 34 fights, not a particularly good ratio. Dempsey and Firpo could punch, and they got Willard old,

but it is also fair to say that there is no compelling evidence that Willard had all that strong a chin.

Decent certainly, but one of the best?--no evidence in his record.

 

I wouldn't call him easy to stop, but he had laid off 6 years and was 35.

No one else tested his chin.


*I do remember reading a report by Eddie Muller in the SF Examiner after Jeff died that Muller had seen a photo of Jeffries on the floor with Bob Armstrong standing over him. Armstrong had knocked Jeffries down in a secret sparring session in 1910. Rickard supposedly paid the photographer for the photo and suppressed it so it would not hurt the gate.

 

against dempsey - willard was 37 years old. Willard was in his forties when he fought the powerful firpo. Firpo did not
have much ring finesse, but he could punch!!!

Against both dempsey and firpo, willard was hit numerous times before he succumbed.

The cox fight is an interesting topic. More on that later.

 

Not really, possibly the worst second best win of any lineal champion? You'll struggle to find worse

 

Willard had a terrific chin and heart ... to debate this is absurd. He got crushed by a prime Dempsey as an old, inactive man but he not only kept getting up but actually put up a decent fight in the second and third rounds when injury, age and inactivity all caught up with him ... if they did not fight under the ambush rules of that ear who knows how the fight may have turned out ... against Firpo, another monster puncher the forty plus Willard was simply caught .. as far as the Cox fight goes it means nothing ... Willard was essentially an amateur , in his eight fight, amateur and pro and was over matched.

 

Against whom did he prove this terrific chin and heart?

 

I think he proved his chin against Gun Boat Smith,and his heart against Dempsey, and Johnson where he took a pretty good going over for the first 15 rds,and Firpo ,when an old man for the ring , he took some right handers before running out of gas.

 

I've not seen the fight with Gunboat so I'm unsure how much his chin was tested.

Heart I'll buy into, he was brave against the mauler.

But chin, I've no reason to put his durability in the upper echelon's of the sport. I'd certainly rank it behind Valuev anyways.