Is Harry Wills Resume overrated?

Wills age is not debatable, the census is far more evidence than a factually incorrect article from the New York Times!

 

Funny. You bring up a passage from the first fight between wills Jeanette in 1913 when I specifically brought up the rematch!! The rematch in 1914!

1. Here are the 1914 rankings
   
   1914
   
   Champion Johnson
   
   2 Langford
   3 Jeanette
   4. mcvey
   5 Carpentier
   6 Clarke
   7 Dillon
   8 Wills
   9 Levinsky
   10 Coffey

So Wills, in only his 13th and 19th pro fights was already fighting on even or better terms with a hall of fame top 5 ranked fighter in the world. That is very impressive

 

No it’s not. He brought up a fight between wills and Jeanette in 1913 when I specifically referred to their fight in 1914!

 

Beaten? You have been the one making arguments about how wills wasn’t very old in 1924 against Firpo and Madden, and that he still may have been close to his prime at age 32.

You argument was ridiculous. Glad you have thrown in the towel on that one.

 

In your opinion he doesn’t look good on film. Other posters like Reznik posted thoughts about how in their opinion, he looks good.


Langford and McVea were 31 and 32 years old when Wills beat them. That’s significantly different than ages 37 and 38 when wills lost to sharkey and uzcuden.


Wills was number 1 ranked. After all, he had been top ranked since Dempsey won the world title, the longest duck of a number 1 contender in the history of boxing

"Harry Wills tonight came unexpectedly to the turning of the road in his long pursuit of heavyweight honors. After a year's absence from the ring, the 38-year-old Wills was disqualified in the 13th round of a 15-round match against Jack Sharkey for illegal use of the back hand blow. Wills was a hopelessly beaten man when the end came. In spite of the fact that he conceded 26½ pounds to his famous foe, Sharkey carried the battle to the veteran from the outset, outspeeding, outboxing and even outpunching the man who was almost universally recognized as Jack Dempsey's outstanding rival. Close to 45,000 spectators in the Brooklyn National League Park saw Wills decisively whipped all the way. Although the finish was a disappointment, it did not affect the decisiveness of Sharkey's victory. Wills was a sorry spectacle as he was waved to his corner. His left eye was nearly closed, a deep gash bled profusely over his right eye and from cuts around the nose and mouth. From the 4th round on, he was battling defensively, hanging on desperately under fire of Sharkey's battering blows. Wills had been warned repeatedly by referee Patsy Haley for unfair tactics. But it was the back-hand punch which Wills drew across Sharkey's face in a clinch that provided the specific grounds for the verdict." - Associated Press


Interesting, the AP lists wills age as 38 against Sharkey!

 

Well, he was 37. Shows that reporters, under deadline pressure, make mistakes.

On this fight, though, one thing I would point out. Tunney had been posturing in the press for a year or two about wanting to fight Wills. Once he got the title though, his first act was to draw the color line and say that neither Wills nor Godfrey would get a shot at the title.

It is very understandable to me if the aging Wills could not focus and get "up" for Sharkey after another disappointment. It was now obvious he would never get his chance.

Tunney's actions were pretty raw in my judgment. Taking cynicism to a whole new level.

 

Wills never beat Jeannette even when Joe was on his last legs.
Whose ratings are you showing here? Wells had beaten no one and had been kod by Palzer,Carpentier x2 ,and Smith .
Dillon had fought 3 heavyweights washed up Jim Flynn 3x ,Al Norton who had6 fights that year and won none. Carpentier was under 170lbs in1914 apart from a dodgy dsq win over Smith he had beaten only Wells.

 

"Is Wills too tough? There is a strong suspicion all over the country that Harry deals them out a little too hard for the white boys to take a hand in the game with him. Wills stands out right now as the only man in the world who would have a chance with Dempsey... he sure comes nearer being a match for the white champion than the handsome kid who made the trip from France last July, with his little, frail frame..." SF Chronicle Dec. 19, '21

 

Wills did beat Jeanette

Name me 5 heavyweights throughout history who would have been capable of defeating joe Jeanette in their 13th pro fight?

Name them

 

You could post em all day Seamus


You’ll still get the Dempsey supporters who will keep making posts about 38 years old wills losing to uzcuden on film which shows he’s too “slow” for Dempsey

 

Jul. 1 Joe Jeannette New Orleans, La. ND10

 

Are you trying to claim harry wills never beat Jeanette?

 

I'm not trying to claim anything, I'm stating categorically they fought three times and each went the distance to a
NO DEC .

 

Wills won the official Newspaper Decision over Jeanette in 1919. If you don't want to count this win, then you pretty much can't count any Harry Greb win since all of his wins were newspaper decisions.

The New Orleans Item had a green 18 fight Wills outpointing Jeanette in 1914 when Jeanette was rated top 5 in the world to Jack Johnsons crown.