Even if you love Dempsey, it is time for a generation to accept -

Working mate. :tired

 

why should a 37 year old harry wills fight tunney when he has already been the # 1 contender for 7 straight years? wills shouldnt need to fight an unproven fighter like tunney to grant him a title shot, wills already well earned his title shot, wills should be cut some slack......which brings me to my last point...tunney wanted no part of godfrey.

 

Jimmyshimmy,

when wills beat langford for the first time. Langford was only 187lb.

 

Suzie ,I quite agree Wills had earned his shot without meeting Tunney.My point was Tunney was ready to meet him.

 

Wills should have been given a shot at the title...but on film (not much) Dempsey looks more explosive even the Firpo fight Dempsey impressed me more but styles make fights and you never know...Its a shame Wills did not get shot

 

Though you havent changed my mind,I think you have mounted an excellent argument to prove your case ,it has been even handed and objective.My respects to you.

 

Yes since Wills was 37. but he was not willing to meet the 6'3 225lb 27 year old George Godfrey, and he never gave sharkey a shot. No way heeney was better than those two.

 

but why? what film have you seen of wills to draw this conclusion? for all we know wills may have been sonny liston in disguise. we dont know. no film.

 

Another way to look at it.

If you had been Dempseys manager knowing what you know now would you match him with Wills or Tunney?

My guess is that the inactive Dempsey would have had more chance against a declining and relativley stationary Wills than against a prime and mobile Tunney.

If Dempsey had got past Wills he could probably have fobbed Tunney off for a couple of years and made him go through sombody like George Godfrey.

 

My point is that somtimes these champions who drew the colour line shot themselves in the foot.

Adam Pollack speculates that John L Sullivan would have had more chance of beating Peter Jackson than Jim Corbett because Corbett was more mobile.

Jeffries could have fought Johnson while he was actualy in his prime rather than when he was an empty shell.

By the same toke Dempsey even in his dilapidated state would have had a good chance against Wills who father time was also catching up with. A win over Wills would have put off the need to take on Tunney for a couple of years.

A lot of these guys avoided the main challenger only to be steered into them at a less oportune time or into something worse.

 

I read a article quoting Jack Kearns back in the sixties in which Kearns said he would have fought Wills and ducked Tunney. If I remember, Kearns said he would then have matched Dempsey with Uzcudun after which he would have had him retire undefeated.