Dempsey v Willard - Were Jack's Gloves Loaded?

This subject has been discussed several times here . I think this excelente article sums up the issue :

http://coxscorner.tripod.com/dempsey_gloves.html

As you can see, the damage inflicted to Willard has been greatly exaggerated.

 

I don't think so. Willard's injuries were very much exaggerated. His cheekbone not only was not broken in 13 places, but instead it wasn't even broken. It was his jaw that was dislocated and broken in 4 places. Dempsey was one of the hardest punchers ever.

 

Watch the beginning of the fight, te check jacks gloves. Case closed.

 

I believe that Willard was so damaged that he drove back to Kansas two days later.

 

Did he have Panama Lewis in his corner?

 

Right, the damage was very overstated. Dempsey hit very hard, but even he admitted not as hard as Rocky-not 1 punch KO power, & Rocky did not hit as hard as some.

WIilard had also fought very very few rounds since 1915 & was soft & had lost muscle.

 

Its one of the crudest fights I've seen and Willard looked like he'd done no training at all.
Dempsey looked fookin mean though

 

Don't think so. Dempsey's gloves were put on in the ring, with Willard's people watching.

 

It is also my understanding that Jess Willard's injuries in his bout with Jack Dempsey were highly exaggerated.

- Chuck Johnston

 

Dempsey's gloves were loaded with his fists. He did to Willard what he had been doing to a lot of big guys - blast them out quick, and he did the same thereafter to guys like Firpo, who was a lot more active than Willard was at that point in his career. Since beating Johnson in 1915, Willard did not fight again until one year later, in 1916, and then did not fight for over THREE YEARS after that, until the Dempsey fight in 1919. So inactivity combined with fighting a fast-starting ferocious puncher is what really did in Willard.

 

To anyone who has ever worked with Plaster of Paris, the whole idea that his wraps were soaked in it makes no sense at all

 

People saying the injuries were exaggerated ... but by who?
A lot of the post-fight reports claim Willard wasn't seriously injured. Some claim the doctor said so. Others have Willard saying so.
On the other hand, I've heard that Willard himself claimed years later that Dempsey brandished a small iron bolt and that Willard had hearing problems his entire life after the fight, due to burst ear drum or something.

It seems to me that some people wanted to protect Willard's reputation as soon as he quit, and were confused as to whether it was best to say he was badly injured by a 187-pound man or to deny any serious injury.
Unfortunately, Willard's reputation suffers whichever the case may be.

 

While Willard sustained some nasty injuries, they have been exaggerated over the years. When you cut through the hyperbole, the damage that Dempsey inflicted is not unprecedented. Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson for two, inflicted similar injuries to the maxillary bones of opponents.

I think Willard went into the fight thinking that it was going to be an easy night, didn’t even train properly, and never really got over the fact that Dempsey destroyed him. In later life he would tell anybody who would listen, about how Dempsey had wickedly cheated him of the title, even when he was dependant upon Dempsey for financial support. On one occasion he confronted Dempsey about the issue, and Dempsey simply replied “OK Jess, you won”.