The best way to skin this particular cat, is going to be to find one of our old threads on Dempsey and Wills, where I will probably be the person defending Dempsey. My position is probably the most favorable one towards Dempsey, that the evidence will permit.
Mhm. Shaking in his boots because of Grappler Wills whose best win in seven years was against fat Firpo and scared Fulton.
Polls are meaningless I don’t know why you think they’re relevant. we also have to remember newspaper men wrote to fill pages. He put on snooze fests when it mattered, Plain and simple he got his shot and couldn’t sell himself. He was fighting everybody? You mean besides Tunney and Godfrey?
They are relevant, because they show that the public of the day, wanted to see a Dempsey Wills fight. A couple of observations. Firstly how exactly was his fight against Fulton a snooze fest? Secondly, imagine that somebody beat Usky today, and then Fury refused to fight them, because they had put on a snooze fest! Thirdly, there is very little overlap between his prime, and those of Tunney or Godfrey. Fourthly, as a contender, he was under absolutely no obligation to fight anybody.
We can look at it that way or we can see that Wills looked like hot garbage when he had the best chance of a title shot and ruined his own chances after bumming around for seven years against left overs and worn out old men while avoiding the real iron of the division?
He had his chance with Godfrey and Tunney he said no. Newspaper men made a poll that’s one thing do you think many wanted to see Dempsey fight Wills after Fiori? His fight against Fulton was a no factor it wasn’t a real eliminator at all I don’t know where you’re getting this idea. Your Usyk and Fury example doesn’t hold up to the times they had to sell the next fight based on the chances of the gate making money.
Yes racism was at the core of it, but there were probably also people who were afraid that the fight would cause race riots.
As a contender, he was under absolutely no obligation to fight anybody. Champions have to fight people, contenders don't. He was already the outstanding contender, and had been for years. If Godfrey was so hot, then why didn't Dempsey fight him, he was the champion! Yes, absolutely. Dempsey demanded a cool half a million, as his price for fighting Wills, after this fight. Compare that to other pursed of the day, and there are only so many conclusions. Either Dempsey thought that his demand was realistic, or he was trying to price himself out. Dempsey gave repeated undertakings to fight the winner, and even once said that if it was a draw, he would fight both. Shortly after the fight, he signed to fight a sick Billy Miske. I am certain that Dempsey Wills would have been a huge gate.
