Did Jess Willard ever do mitt work in training?

Many did, but I can't say for Jess Willard!

 

Rocky Marciano apparently did.
http://www.oldschoolboxing.com/userfiles/image/topics/charley.jpg

 

Generally the old-timers preferred punching people in the face.

 

Off the top of my head, Max Schmeling did it.

 

You asked for old timers.

Do you rate mitt work as necessary ?
I think lots of great fighters never ever did that. It's only been really fashionable in the last 20 or 30 years, from what I can gather.

 

Why ?

Did Ali do mitt work ?
Did Louis ?
Did every great fighter ?

 

Why do you think that?

 

From an old thread, the much-respected, now deceased, John Garfield (Joe Rein) wrote this :

Or are pads different to "mitt work" ??

 

Old timers hit a heavy bag, a speed bag, and a double ended bag. Mitt work, I think not, but they did shadow box if that counts.

With limited or no video, the sparring partners were more important.

 

Old timers also fought a lot ..

Willard is a very unusual case .. the man did not even take up the sport at all until his very late 20's .. to accomplish what he did I feel was amazing .. if he actually started out with some sort of amateur career in his teens and was built up I think he would have been a hell of a difficult fighter for sure ..