Was Jess Willard any good ?

He was a second rater compared to Joe Louis and Max Baer but he also fought and beat some good opponents. And I have those fights on film with no evidence of fight fixing so I count them as legit. As for the fights that I don't have on film, I don't know.

Look at the men Carnera fought, Joe Louis, Max Baer, Jack Sharkey, Tommy Loughran, Paulino Uzcudun, Ernie Schaaf, Larry Gains, Young Stribling, George Godfrey, King Levinsky, Walter Neusel, Jim Maloney.

Jess Willard? He fought Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Gunboat Smith, Luis Firpo, Floyd Johnson, Carl Morris and Luther McCarthy.

 

He was savvy enough to maximise his physical advantages,and box behind a telescopic left hand,if you got by that he had a big right hand, either over hand ,or uppercut .
He had a very good chin,,great stamina ,when in his prime,and obviously courage, if the Toledo massacre is the bench mark.
By and large, I think he gets a bad rep on here.

 

Yes, he was good and even back in those primitive times when he fought, I feel he could have been even better. Willard's nature and ring experiences are somewhat similar to Max Baer's, in that he killed a man in the ring, and didn't have that vicious killer instinct that he should have had.

 

:huh Me too.

 

Janitor,

You are way too nice.......... But I gotta agree with you here..... Jesse Willard actually handled himself well, considering he was aging when he came into play / view.... After all, Willard was only a few years younger then Jack Johnson was when they fought in 1915 down in Cuba...... Willard was no spring chicken when he won the title.... I think J.W. was roughly age 33 yrs........

Willard was a hulk, and when he actually trained and was between 225 to 232 pounds, he was strong and a hard whacker..... His skills were normal.... But, being a farmer, he knew how to rassle cattle....

MR.BILL:deal

 

Yes.

It wasn't a lack of boxing skill that prevented him from being great.

 

Pretty dam good punchin bag.
Heart as well.
Considering the **** kickin he got from Dempsey --- he still kept gettin back up for more.