Harry Wills fought 43 fights from 1919 to 1925 who really had a chance

Come on, he fought Clem Johnson and Tut Jackson.

 

During Dempsey's title tenure I think Harry Greb has a better case for a title shot.

 

It's easy to dismiss them with hindsight but at the time Firpo and Fulton, at least, were considered very serious opposition and widely seen as having a good chance of winning.

 

Firpo had fired his trainer to save money, he was not in very good shape ,having put on some flab. Fulton was still getting good results and would for some time after his loss to Wills.

 

Has it occurred to anyone that Dempsey wasn't the only one ducking him?

According to what I have read, and I'd be happy to quote, that was exactly the case.

 

He was offered fights with Tunney and Godfrey he declined ,he obviously thought, and correctly so ,that he had earned a shot , but sitting tight backfired on him.I don't know who avoided him out of the other challengers,or even if any did.
Jack Renault for example fought:
Risko
Godfrey
Rojas
Madden
Fulton
Tunney
Sharkey

George Godfrey fought:
Sharkey
Gains
Fulton
Langford
Renault

Gibbons fought:
Madden
Miske
Tunney
Carpentier
Dempsey
Greb
Norfolk

Bill Brennan fought:
Madden
Dempsey
Greb
Levinsky
Miske
Firpo


That's four challengers off their records , I think would have faced Wills, have you any evidence that they didn't want, or refused to?

 

^ good post

 

Solid points .. he did destroy Kid Norfolk, another fighter Dempsey wanted no part of and a man who gave Greb his toughest fights ..

 

Bill Brennan, Tommy Gibbons, and Gene Tunney wanted nothing to do with Wills. Thats not speculation its fact. Tunneys own team admitted that hus challenge to Wills was nothing more than gamesmanship and he never had any intention of fighting Wills. Likewise Gibbons. Brennan was offered fights and steered clear of Wills purposely, hell he avoided Kid Norfolk for seven years and even after Wills whipped Norfolks ass like it was childsplay Gibbons still didnt fight him for another two years. I dont even want to hear about Godfrey, the guys first halfway notable win came just one year before Wills was beaten by Sharkey and a full 6 years after Wills was considered the biggest threat to Dempsey. By that point Wills had fought nearly half a dozen eliminators and won them all. How long does a guy have to tread water and how many eliminations do you have to fight before you get your ****ing chance. The problem with the argument posed by dip**** Dempsey fanboys accusing Wills of doing little during Dempseys reign is the fact that he had done more than anyone else to gain the consideration he had as being the logical contender and it was nothing more than Dempseys cowardice in avoiding him that created the situation whereby Wilkl was stuck constantly waiting to be called up.

 

The names you threw up as contenders that some of these guys beat as an exampke of the risks they were taking is a joke. Gains, Renault, Risko, Rojas, were all fringe guys who didnt even develop into fringe contenders until the very end of Dempseys reign. You could continue but when you throw up Brennans Stellar record and then ignore that the best result he could come up with against any of those guys was to eak out one win in four fights against battling levinsky it really only serves to highlight your agenda.

 

Harry Wills would have had a much better chance of getting a shot at the world heavyweight title if he was white. It is that simple.

- Chuck Johnston