Harry Wills v Tommy Gibbons15rds?

It's like everything else it's only an opinion not a fact. But some on here will jump on it as a fact.

 

I guess Tommy Gibbons and Billy Miske both hit harder then Dempsey and Wills cos they got Meehan outa there in one rd.

 

Oh, please confirm through the above murky scenario that you are contending that Wills made more money by NOT getting a shot at the heavyweight title. That would be rich.

 

Ed shows he again has little clue.

You can find a video of Arcel on YouTube being asked about Dempsey Wills and he states "Wills was a good journeyman".

Again Arcels mentor was Wills trainer so he had first hand knowledge plus he lived through that time.

 

I---didn't---say---that---I--- said---Wills---sat---around---and ---made---sh it--- loads---of---money---going---on---his---traveling---road---show---going---from---place---to---place--- fighting---nobodies---old---faded---bloated---guys---and---a--- bunch---of---way---smaller---guys---as---"the---guy---who ---could---give---Dempsey---a---real---fight".

 

That's a cute way to pose it. Your subtext is obvious.

A more objective way to state what Wills did was that he waited around for a title shot he over-deserved, got jerked around on contracts not worth the paper they were written on and grew old and stale waiting... and made far less money than he could have.

And sure, boxing is full of stories of guys not making the money they potentially could have. But in this drama, the players of the narrative are pretty identifiable.

 

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

Not surprising that logic disorients you.

 

Huh, yes maybe cos I am so old and you make such wonderful revelations.

A more objective way to state what Wills did was fight 43 fights between 1919 and 1925 and fought only two guys that might have had a very slim chance of beating him, Firpo and Fulton.
And that he waited around for a title shot he over-deserved, maybe he deserved a shot at Willard more so cos it was he who was champion when Wills was younger and made his bones, during the Dempsey yrs he mostly sat on his laurels, the 43 fights in that time period told it all. He had the Wills traveling road where he jerked the fan's around.
He had a chance and he blew it himself, in the Firpo and the Mcvea fight. Cos you dksab, you assume a lot, he was fed a fat bloated gimme in Firpo and what did Wills do? Hmmmm! Next!

 

It all goes back to the $$$$. Wills without being hwt champion was making a decent living as the leading contender. He did not want to screw that up for himself.

 

"gimme in Firpo"

Who had knocked Dempsey out of the ring the previous year and had scored three KO's in the interim, including the European champion.

I notice that formidable opponents when fighting Dempsey, such as Fulton and Firpo, instantly become gimmes with Wills.

"What did Wills do?"

Won the fight easily, although he was much older than Firpo. Didn't do him much good, but it should have earned him a shot at the title whether he could have won it or not.

 

He would have made more $ fighting for the championship without much doubt.

 

I have been wrong plenty of times in my life. Show me how to find it and I'll watch it.

I watched a long interview with Arcel on the HBO special on Jack Dempsey special from the late seventies. He did not comment on Wills in the version I saw.

on Dempsey he said

"stands out among the best"

fair enough comment,

but also when asked about how Dempsey would do in the modern boxing world

"He would have a picnic. These young men are good performers but can't compare to Jack Dempsey."

Picnic with whom? Ali? Foreman? Holmes?

Arcel is certainly an expert, but over-the-top phrases like "journeyman" and "picnic" lead me to a bit of skepticism about his viewpoint as an old man.

**interestingly he does comment on Carpentier on this video. All he says is that Carpentier had to be "built up as a war hero to sell the fight."

By implication, he doesn't seem to think Carpentier was that much of a challenger.