Jess Willards athletic background

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by reznick, Oct 21, 2018.


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  1. mrkoolkevin

    mrkoolkevin Never wrestle with pigs or argue with fools Full Member

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    LOL!
     
    mrkoolkevin, Oct 23, 2018
    mrkoolkevin, Oct 23, 2018
    #31
  2. cross_trainer

    cross_trainer Liston was good, but no "Tire Iron" Jones Full Member

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    Why is it hard to believe that a heavyweight champion known for his strength and stamina was unusually athletic as a young man?

    It seems an oddly specific thing for an old Willard to lie about, and I've seen other figures like Rahman's 500 pound bench press accepted on these forums.

    What is our standard for doubting athletic performance figures provided by boxers themselves? I'm fine with whatever the standard is, provided we have a reason for it and it's applied consistently.
     
    cross_trainer, Oct 23, 2018
    cross_trainer, Oct 23, 2018
    #32
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  3. KuRuPT

    KuRuPT Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I have my doubts about the veracity of those times and measurements posted by Samba... What is the source for those measurements?
     
    KuRuPT, Oct 23, 2018
    KuRuPT, Oct 23, 2018
    #33
  4. mrkoolkevin

    mrkoolkevin Never wrestle with pigs or argue with fools Full Member

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    Almost 100% certain he made them up out of thin air to continue his trolling, and to see whether the people in this forum would be gullible enough to accept such completely unsourced, obviously anachronistic measurements.
     
    mrkoolkevin, Oct 23, 2018
    mrkoolkevin, Oct 23, 2018
    #34
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  5. Pat M

    Pat M Well-Known Member Full Member

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    can't believe anybody thought SambaKing was serious, he did it like the NFL Combine, somebody even jokingly asked about Willard's Wonderlic score...incredible!

    No, Willard was not a super athlete and there is no Easter Bunny, sorry if that disappoints...one would think that one look at Willard's build and movement would have been enough? If Willard broke 14 seconds on the 100 yard dash I'd be amazed.
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2018
    Pat M, Oct 23, 2018
    Pat M, Oct 23, 2018
    #35
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  6. Reason123

    Reason123 Not here for the science fiction. Full Member

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    This is clearly just what Jess told the local journalists. His actual feats are much much higher.
     
    Reason123, Oct 23, 2018
    Reason123, Oct 23, 2018
    #36
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  7. Sting like a bean

    Sting like a bean Well-Known Member banned Full Member

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    You don't seem to have noticed that the bait was not taken, and that if that was a troll post it demonstrated the exact opposite of what was intended.
    Your posts are consistently mindless.
     
    Sting like a bean, Oct 23, 2018
    Sting like a bean, Oct 23, 2018
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  8. NoNeck

    NoNeck Pugilist Specialist

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    They're Brock Lesnar's scores.
     
    NoNeck, Oct 23, 2018
    NoNeck, Oct 23, 2018
    #38
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  9. mrkoolkevin

    mrkoolkevin Never wrestle with pigs or argue with fools Full Member

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    Ha. Guess I was wrong about him making them up out of thin air.
     
    mrkoolkevin, Oct 23, 2018
    mrkoolkevin, Oct 23, 2018
    #39
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  10. klompton2

    klompton2 Boxing Junkie banned Full Member

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    Im calling bull****. Willard was big and strong but slow, clumsy, and uncoordinated as any professional athlete ever was.
     
    klompton2, Oct 23, 2018
    klompton2, Oct 23, 2018
    #40
  11. reznick

    reznick In the 7.2% Full Member

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    The references:

    https://i.imgur.com/slbTwZU.jpg
     
    reznick, Oct 23, 2018
    reznick, Oct 23, 2018
    #41
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  12. Seamus

    Seamus Proud Kulak Full Member

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    What was Dempsey's time in the 3 cone drill?
     
    Seamus, Oct 23, 2018
    Seamus, Oct 23, 2018
    #42
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  13. mrkoolkevin

    mrkoolkevin Never wrestle with pigs or argue with fools Full Member

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    Not saying that the absence of any such evidence proves he wasn't very fast, but were there any first-hand accounts during his career of reporters or other observers who watched him run and were amazed by his speed? Unless I've missed something, it seems like all the references to Willard's speed come in the form of stories being told years after the fact.
     
    mrkoolkevin, Oct 23, 2018
    mrkoolkevin, Oct 23, 2018
    #43
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  14. Seamus

    Seamus Proud Kulak Full Member

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    He was fast enough to beat a prime Jack Johnson.
     
    Seamus, Oct 23, 2018
    Seamus, Oct 23, 2018
    #44
  15. reznick

    reznick In the 7.2% Full Member

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    I doubt he was running at that level by the time he was 29.
    And he wasn't really being covered by the press in depth until 1915.
    Every piece of footage available on Jess Willard is when he was at least 34 years old.

    This is Willard at 29 starting his boxing career: https://i.imgur.com/Xb1sDJ9.jpg

    Also, between these athletic feats and being a professional boxer, he spent years being an entrepreneur and doing odd jobs when times got tough. He collected debts for people, and one time reportedly lifted a man by his legs and hung him upside down and shook the change out of his pockets. During this time he probably lost a step as a sprinter. But he came from the type of semi-pro athletic background, and roughneck background that many boxers came from.

    I don't see why this all seems unlikely. He did end up winning the HW title, and did so beating a handful of top professional boxers. This notion that he was some lazy farm boy who was picked to beat Johnson because he was a giant does have a little surface truth to it. But in order to have gotten in the sport as late as he did, being a top fighter in the sparring circuits, being a top fighter in Carl Morris's camp, and winning sanctioned boxing matches against the kind of opponents he did, it makes sense that there is more realistic nuance beneath the surface.
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2018
    reznick, Oct 23, 2018
    reznick, Oct 23, 2018
    #45
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