Who rates higher all time Jeffries or Dempsey?

Jeffries deserves all the criticism he gets for his stance and statements.

But Jeff's bad actions don't justify any of Dempsey's actions.

As for the signing,

Time Magazine, 10-19-1925

"Jack Dempsey signed a contract to meet Harry Wills in a 10 round, no decision contest in Michigan City, Indiana, in September 1926. Promoter Floyd Ftizgibbons posted $200,000 as a forfeit. Dempsey got $100,000. Wills $50,000."

"Tex Rickard--'I have what I consider an ironclad contract for him to box Wills for me.'"

Time Magazine 7-27-1925

"Jack Dempsey reached an agreement to fight whomever Tex Rickard should select--one bout this year, one next. His first opponent will be Gene Tunney, George Godfrey, or Jack Renault. Then, if not defeated, he will face Harry Wills."

If Rickard is correct about his ironclad contract, Dempsey could not negotiate a fight with a different promoter, and the signing was a charade. Historians such as Kevin Smith have posted as much on this board, also pointing out how odd it is that all the money actually spent went to Wills. It has the smell of a "just go away and be satisfied" bribe.

Anyway, comparing this to Jeff's language is a separate issue and a diversion. Jeff signed a contract to fight Jack Johnson and fought him, which trumps going through a signing ceremony for the press.

 

Time Magazine 4-7-1924

"Tex Rickard--'Wills agrees to fight any heavyweight I select, leading up to a meeting with Dempsey.' Wills was expected to meet Firpo. If Firpo retired, Wills would fight Spalla. If Wills wins, Rickard will let him have at Dempsey in September."

What more could Wills do than sign an open contract to fight anyone Rickard chose with the winner to get Dempsey?

When age was becoming more and more of a factor, Wills probably got weary of the run-around by 1925 and 1926 and wasn't interested in any more "just one more fight and then you get your shot" eliminations, which of course never turned out to be the final elimination.

Also, it wasn't black fighters who drew the color line against white fighters. They were always the ones on the outside looking in.

And in America, the color line was drawn for other sports as well. Baseball, for example.

As for critical articles, I don't believe it out of line to at least consider the possible racial politics of the sportswriters penning these articles. And there is also the factor that some sportswriters were getting under the table money from Rickard.

 

Some top black opponents? Apart from Armstrong and Griffin who would they be?

 

I'm suggesting Wills was maybe drawing the "quality line".

http://fightfilmcollector.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-trouble-with-harry-harry-wills-vs.html

 

Johnson.

Jackson was a big name. I know he had laid off for six years and all, but that is the sort of match young guys make on their way up.

Jeffries could have fought more, but his is a far better group than Dempsey met, which is the issue debated on this thread.

 

Is Mendoza bringing up the Griffin fight again as if it was for the title? LOL

 

By signing an open contract to fight anyone?

 

Yup. Ground Hog Day again!lol

 

Dempsey signed to fight Wills.

 

As I posted above, apparently after signing an exclusive contract with Rickard, which meant this fight could never come off. Not surprisingly for this cynic, the fight immediately falls through.

 

Great bit of research ...it's always nice to have real data, because you can have your own opinion but you can't have your own facts (I made that up just now).

 

Do they have a Ground Hog Day in Britain? I thought that woodchucks (the ground hog) are an exclusively North American rodent.

Off the subject of the thread, but just curious.

 

Doesn't matter...there is never enough sunlight to see their shadow anyway .

 

No we don’t have groundhogs or chipmunks. But Mcvey more than makes up for that..