Could anyone else do that to willard? ?

Troll!

 

Bert Cooper

 

I actually disagree.

If someone like George Foreman can bounce a Joe Frazier off the Canvas, he can do that to anyone. If Corey Sanders can bounce around Wlad Klitchsko then why not Jess Willard. Or perhaps if Paulo Uzcuden can catch Harry wills. or if Jim Flynn could do it to Dempsey. There are countless examples of very good fighters getting caught cleanly by lesser fighters and subsequently bounced around the ring. Often they would reverse the result in the next fight. I think that there are literally hundreds of people (probably more) capable of doing to Willard what Dempsey did. (and this is not a knock on willard)

Obviously, whether or not they would be likely to do it, then i would picks (in order) to Tyson, Foreman, Liston, Louis, Fitzsimmons.

 

Tyson is very similar to Dempsey in terms of speed, power, ferocity and killer instinct.

 

I don't know Troll's record but if he has a little movement and can punch around a leaky defense, he probably can, too.

 

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There was a big difference between the Jess who fought Dempsry and the fit giant who beat Johnson. The 1919 version would have been hammered by Louis, Tyson, Lewis, Liston, Baer and others.

 

You people realize that the Willard that Dempsey beat had fought only 10 meaningful, and lackluster, rounds in 4 years, right? He was 37 years old when 37 was what 50 means today.

I give Jimmy Thunder a good chance of pulling the same trick.. but quicker.

 

With those size gloves, and those rule sets?

There are probably 50 heavyweights that could do it to that sitting duck version of Willard.

You think a prime Lamon Brewster couldn't walk through whatever Willard could summon, and with those smaller gloves and being able to hit him the second he left the canvas ,couldn't beat Willard half to death within a few rounds?

 

Give a peak Max Baer those rules, gloves and 3 whole rounds and I bet they're be measuring Willard for a coffin.

 

A young, fit and sharp fighter timing a rusty, old clumsy fighter isn't exactly a revelation. And being allowed to stand over him and hit with full force with no chance of reciprocation doesn't exactly display top level boxing skill.

 

OK, so let’s say that Foreman does it.

I would respond that he was a top 10 all-time heavyweight, who outweighed Dempsey by a considerable margin, and that this gave Dempsey's win perspective.

It would be a huge leap of faith to pick Sanders to do it, based on a single good career win.

If he somehow did it, I would again point out the size differential between him and Dempsey.

Uzcdun and Flynn scored knockouts against significantly smaller and less durable fighters.

I don't think that they are even on the periphery of this debate.

If there are hundreds of people capable of doing it, then you have to ask why nobody has done anything like it since.

 

Because Jess Willard stopped fighting 94 years ago.

 

the dempsey roll that pht.willard down was beautiful