Was Wills Record In Dempsey's Reign That Awesome?

Dempsey is always castigated for not meeting his leading challenger Harry Wills. Wills is portrayed as a black Ahab looming on the horizon of the white whale .An ebony nemesis.

Let's look at his record during Dempsey's title years.
Only the significant fights are included.
July 4th 1919 __________ Sept 23rd 1926

1919.The day Dempsey annihilates Willard [July 4th] Wills defends his Coloured Title

w 8 Sam Langford . Langford is 37.
wt ko 4 Jeff Clark.[33 year old Clark is washed up.]
w10 Sam Langford [37]
w8 Joe Jeannette. [Jeannette is 40.]
w15 Sam Langford [still 37].

1920.
w15 Sam Langford ,[now 38].
wko3 Fred Fulton.[Fulton had been destroyed in under half a minute by Dempsey. ]
Thrown out along with his opponent Sam McVey for stalling N C
wtko4 Jeff Clark ,[34 and further washed up].

1921.
wko2 Bill Tate
wtko2 Jeff Clark [now 35]
wko1 Gunboat Smith[ a finished Smith in his last fight,[[" I just went down for the boat ride]".
wko1 Denver Ed Martin,[ Martin was 40 years old, and had 3 fights in the previous 6 years.]
w12 Bill Tate,[ Tate, 7lbs lighter than last time gives a good effort.]

1922.
l dsq1rd Bill Tate.[ Wills knocks Tate down after the ref calls break.]

Draw10 Bill Tate[ Dempsey's sparring partner holds Wills even].
w10 Sam Langford [Sam now 40].
wko2 Kid Norfolk[ Wills ,36lbs heavier takes out the lhvy]
wtko2 Jeff Clark [ Clark now 36 and ,not only washed up, but ready for bed,]
wko3 Jeff Clark [ Clark in his pyjamas].

1923.wko2 Homer Smith [in and outer ,mostly outer Smith, succumbs early]

1924.


w15 Bartley Madden.[respectable win.]
w12 Luis Firpo ,[emphatic but dreary points win for the cautious Wills]. [Dempsey took out Firpo inside 2 rds.]

1925 wko2 Charley Weinert [ good stoppage of the clever Weinert].


After this, Wills is beaten by Sharkey ,and Uzcudun ,and no longer figures as a challenger.

Did Brennan, Miske , Gibbons, Greb,Godfrey , Carpentier ,all duck him during those years?

Is this resume the stuff of legend?:think





Below .Wills at the end of the trail, bowing out to Paulino.

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Thats fair comment.

Dempsey's pre- title resume ,isn't too shabby either.

 

Solid yes. Awesome no.

 

Given the respective ages of Jeannette, Langford , Martin and the form of Clark I disagree ,I don't think Wilis opponents during Dempsey's reign are anything special at all. In fact the best two men he fought during that period were ,imo Firpo, and Fulton ,and the pair had been destroyed by Dempsey in under 5 minutes .

Unless someone can prove to me that Gibbons, Carpentier,Brennan,Godfrey, Miske, and Greb ducked Wills. I will view Wills claims with reserve.

Wills refused to fight both Tunney, and Godfrey that we know.

You can counter by saying he should not have to fight them to prove his claims for a title fight,I would agree, but the fact he has so many names conspicuously missing from his record during his contendership gives me pause for thought.:think

Wills ,during Dempsey's reign ,was decribed as feeding on a diet of, "well chewed meat". I thnk that is an accurate description.

 

An honest man.:good

 

What I have done is re-examine Wills record during Dempsey's title reign.

I have categorically not tried to justify Dempsey's failure to defend against Wills .
Nowhere have I said that the contenders that Wills did NOT fight during Dempsey's reign deserved title shots before him.

Neither have I attempted to "rewrite history", what I have done is attempt to analyize the men Wills met during Dempsey's title tenure , and where they respectively were pugilisticaly in their own careers.

Nowhere in my thread have I asked what Wills did to merit a title shot,in my very first sentence I described him as ,"the leading contender during Dempsey's title reign".

I believe I have done that honestly.If you think otherwise you are more than welcome to put your case here.

My question to the Forum was how awesome was Wills fights during Dempsey's reign ?

Not did Wills deserve a title shot? Or did Dempsey's challengers deserve title shots?

Instead of trying to put words in my mouth ,something you have a penchant for, perhaps you will address the question I posed in the title of my thread?

You derogate Tunney by saying , " he established himself as a contender off victories of smaller, older , more ring worn men".

I never mentioned Tunney , but your description of his climb to contendership fits precisely Wills fights during Dempsey's title reign .

Your aggressive, and pompous posts remind me instantly of someone who was banned from here, Mr Klompton.

In fact I would not be at all surprised if you were not he.

NOW WHY DONT YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION POSED IN THE THREAD INSTEAD OF YET AGAIN ATTACKING DEMPSEY?

 

A good record , but in no way awesome.
No one disputes that Wills deserved a title shot . Or that he was a great fighter.

Neither of which questions was asked by me.


Dempsey would have certainly entered the ring a big favourite against Wills.

I believe he would have been a prohibitive favourite over any of the fighters Wills beat during his title reign too.