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

What the film shows is that Firpo was able to tie up Wills after he was knocked down.

He was not able to tie up Dempsey in 1923.

This could be because Wills was easier to tie up--possible.

or

Firpo was hurt worse by Dempsey.

or

Firpo had learned how disastrous not being able to tie up an opponent was and had worked on it over that year before he got into the ring with Wills.
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The films of the Firpo fights back up that Dempsey was much the more dangerous puncher, but they also show that Wills was harder to hit with a clean blow.

 

Why would there be race riots if Dempsey won?

To me, that's where the bottom falls out of the "Dempsey wasn't scared" argument or "Dempsey thought he could beat Wills" argument.

If Dempsey beat Wills, who was going to riot exactly? Where were all the race riots when Willard beat Jack Johnson?

The fear was there'd be race riots if Wills won and another black man became the heavyweight champion.

So if Dempsey didn't sign to fight Wills because Demspey wanted to avoid race riots ... then Demspey didn't sign to fight Wills because Dempsey thought he'd lose (and there'd be race riots).

It always goes back to the "If Dempsey won, who was going to riot exactly?" question. Particularly if it was held outside the U.S. If Dempsey beat Wills in Cuba or France or England, for example, where were all these riots going to occur after a Dempsey win?

Dempsey didn't fight Wills because there was a good chance he'd lose. And Dempsey didn't fight anyone in his reign who wasn't a huge underdog.

 

It depends who else is around at the time.

Of course, where a man is rated is also due to the publicity and reputation already behind him.

 

Perry.

I think you are totally correct about the United States.

I think the powers that be would have squashed a Dempsey-Wills fight before it took place.

Although a caveat here is that the Federal Government does not necessarily control everything which happens in any given state. But with such a strong anti-boxing movement (despite boxing's great popularity with much of the general public), it might have been a reasonable possibility for a Federal law banning boxing gaining traction if a fight ignited race riots.

I also think it valid to ask, though, if the fight could have been staged in Havana or Paris?

The money would have been less for Dempsey, but I think he still would have been well paid, and it would have been a legacy booster.

 

Such BS.

Promotors and the managers involved as well as the powers that ran boxing did not want the bout to occur. If any one of these variables do not want a fight to happen it does not happen.

You can tell the Dempsey haters when they toss around the Dempsey was afraid bulls... No hwt champion is "afraid" of anyone.

 

"It depends who else is around at the time."

And who was around who was doing better than Wills?

I will give you Greb if you want, although I think most of his major victories were really over light-heavyweights like Tunney and Gibbons.

 

"Such BS"

You mean my saying you were totally correct.

I don't really understand what your complaint is.

 

Then you should be asking why Dempseys managers did not look to making a hwt championship bout in the 20's overseas. Much more difficult proposition during that time. In fact no one today can speculate on the myriad of political, and economic reasons why hwt title fights were not held overseas during that time. As typical you are talking out of your a..

 

"why hwt title fights were not held overseas"

There was more money to be made in the US and the champion would fight under American rules, which he perhaps preferred.

But hwt championship fight were held in Paris and Havana only a few years earlier, and in Rome only a few years later,

and a light-heavyweight championship fight was held in Paris in 1922.

I don't see any reason why it simply couldn't have happened.

 

Did he beat Fulton and Firpo?

Wills beat fellows Greb didn't also,

Which common opponent did Greb do better against?

Not Norfolk for sure.

 

Tunney was doing better than Wills by 1924 or 1925.
Arguably Tommy Gibbons.

There might be fighters we've barely looked at who were doing as well as those guys too.

 

"Arguably Tommy Gibbons"

And arguably not. But it is a moot point as Gibbons got his shot at the title.

"There might be fighters we've barely looked at who were doing as well as those guys too."

Name them.