If Jess Willard had defeated Luis Firpo ...

Probably yes.

I think that he would have prepared better, and been a lot more safety first.

This would have led to a longer fight, even though he had slowed down a bit.

The outcome would have been the same though.

 

I don't rate Willard at all.

 

I really don't see any version of Willard beating a prime Luis Firpo, but, for this thread, I'll suspend my disbelief. If Dempsey and Willard fight again, I think Dempsey goes at him right away and ends it in the 1st round (IMHO, of course). No short feeling out time, and I think Dempsey wants to put the loaded gloves theory to rest, once and for all.

 

Well you don't get to work with anybody else in this thread.

 

No, he probably would not have seen the 2nd round.imo

 

Nope. Willard was already over 40 years old and wasn't taking boxing seriously anymore. After beating Jack Johnson and finally having money Willard simply wasn't hungry anymore and became uncoachable. After winning the title Willard became delusional and thought he could train himself, so he dismissed most of the team that took him to the title and started consistently showing up out of shape and unprepared.

 

I've never really been high on Willard.

His skills were woeful. He has size, toughness and strength and I guess it was enough to deal with the lower tier guys he faced.

 

He'd be rated better, which might actually improve Dempsey's standing. It's good to have a "name" fighter in your era who's just good enough and notable enough to give your forum supporters ammo.

 

As the man says, Willard doesn't make it out of the first this time. Poor Jess would have to feel the wrath of Dempsey all over again.

 

I am not sure how credible Firpo would look, had he lost to Willard, so that logic might unravel.

I don't think that Willard beating Firpo, is the only way that he could have got a rematch with Dempsey, but that it the scenario that we have been given to work with.

It changes two points in the timeline, instead of one, so the ramifications become complex.

 

He did beat Bill Brennan and Charley Weinert. I think either you easilly be argued as better than an old injured Willard, though obviously not as big names

 

As far as I can tell, Firpo got the shot at Dempsey, primarily based on the Willard win.

Now if Willard beats Firpo, then it is highly likely that he gets the shot at Dempsey instead, exactly as the author of the tread has suggested.

Combined with the loss to Willard, that could hurt Firpo's standing considerably, and put the cat among the pigeons.

As you say, Firpo has a couple of other decent wins.

He would probably still be seen as a better scalp for Willard than Floyd Johnson, but not a huge game changer.

Perhaps Firpo would come back to challenge for a title, and perhaps he wouldn't.

 

I think Firpo was being built up as a big attraction. And it was working. The crowds that came to watch Firpo fights were rivalled only by the crowds Dempsey could draw.

I honestly think Willard was hand picked to endorse Firpo. A kind of can’t miss deal to enhance what they were already doing with Firpo. The idea was to create a huge gate for Dempsey and they were well on their way into making Firpo the second biggest draw in boxing after Dempsey.

I think Firpo v Willard was in the new Yankee Stadium. A huge event.

I can’t imagine Firpo losing to Willard because he was the guy being matched to win.

It would have been an almighty upset had big Jess won. Too much of an upset. Somebody might have gotten killed over it.