Jess Willard Is Fast!

...according to Jim Corbett:

"I never expected to see such a man. I thought Willard was a big, lumbering dub. He's anything but that."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...g=1494,2658139&dq=gentleman+jim+corbett&hl=en

 

I wonder if he was making a comparison between Willard and an oak tree when he said that.

 

fixed mr. corbett

 

Willard in 1922, beginning training for his fight with Firpo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CccJZlUp0rM

 

"I have it (speed) when I want it. That's the time to have it. One of the first things I learned about fighting was to conserve my energies until they are needed. I've seen lots of fighters go and fight themselves out, and have nothing left when the other fellow started. Like Wlad Klitschko for example. Kapow!" - Jess Willard

 

There were people who said exactly the same things about Jess Willard, as people are saying about Wlad Klitschko today.

The only difference is that the smaller heavyweights ultimately prevailed, and so the superheavyweight idea did not endure.

 

:think

 

Willard's speed is entirely dependent on how fast you can handcrank your camera. That makes him especially dangerous when filmed by men with large forearms and a high threshold for resisting lactic acid buildup.

 

Bear in mind, that's a well past prime Willard. Not the speed demon that Corbett witnessed in '16..

 

Corbett was also considered one of the worst judges of fighters. His column was regularly made fun of by his peers for his atrocious picks, and predictions.