Does Harry Wills have a case to be ranked higher than Jack Dempsey?

Good post.
I agree.
Name another top 10-15 heavyweight in all time rankings that fights one opponent 17 times. Another 9 times and two others 6 times apiece.
That’s 38 fights against 4 opponents.
Hard to believe that all of those were on the level and impossible to believe maximum effort was given each time.

 

Well, way back in the 1950's there was a boxing show after the Friday night fights when the fight usually ended 20 or so minutes before the 10 O'clock news. It was from Minneapolis so they often talked about these old Minnesota fighters. The Fulton-Langford fight came up once and Jack Gibbons said that Langford suffered a cut in training a few days before the fight but went through with it anyway because of the good payday. Fulton quickly re-opened the cut according to Gibbons.

This is hearsay, so if you doubt it, fine. Ted Carroll did write the same, but that could also be only hearsay.

 

I can't exonerate Dempsey for not facing Wills,I do think he was in thrall to Rickard and Kearns but he was a grown man , the champion and capable of making his own decisions.I doubt he held any fear of Wills he liked the bigger guys I remember reading a comment of his after sitting ringside for one of Wills winning fights he turned to a reporter sitting next to him and remarked he thought Wills looked a little slow. I regret Dempsey did not defend against Wills I think it would have significantly added to his legacy, mid rounds ko's will do that!

 

Matt Donnellon is an excellent poster ,but what he knows about this period of history is not clear to me.I believe his area of expertise is the period before it.

 

You Segway away from the point I was making. Which is do you believe all 17 times Langford and Wills fought that the fights were on the level and or maximum effort was given?
Or the 9 times against Thompson.
38 fights is an obscene amount of fights against just 4 opponents. Fights often coming with little coverage to get an accurate portrayal of what may happened.
Several fighters have been ducked throughout history they didn’t engage one particular opponent nearly 20 times. Sonny Liston didn’t fight Cleveland Williams 20 times.
It’s hard to believe that many of these fights were put on with out pre determined outcomes or the “hey we fight again in 5 days at a bigger venue let’s save our best for that one” mentality

 

Fair enough.

My main point is that being a sparring partner proves nothing except you need the money and possibly the experience.

 

There is believed to have been an element of choreography in some of their contests.

 

Possibly, there again, though I think he would have beaten Willard and won the crown had he gotten the chance we just don't know for sure.It's possible a fit and motivated Willard might have caught him with one of those right uppercuts and sent him into dream- land as Langford did.

 

Once again with the," Johnson ducked him".