Willard of Havana vs Dempsey of Toledo ..

It would have been competitive.

 

It would have been a tough fight for Dempsey.
I'd still expect him to win because he's faster, more skillful, a more elusive target.
On the other hand, if it is 12 rounds no decision, Willard might retain the title.

 

Fleischer who watched both Johnson and Willard train in Havana wrote that Jess was fit to fight the world for his bout with Johnson. Nat described Willard as the first white hope to be trained to fight a bout over 25 rounds. His trainers had him run miles over the steepest terrain they could locate to strengthen his legs. All this being said however that blitzkrieg left hook he hit Willard in round one still lands and Jess still goes down in sections. I don't see the fight turning out much differently. As well trained Willard was in Havana, Dempsey was a tiger at the top of his game that day in Toledo.

 

I don't think it would change Willard's performance during the early rounds but he would have better stamina to go the distance. For the Toledo fight I think had the fight not been stopped early that Willard would have gassed anyway.

 

Just based on age you have a 24 year old Dempsey, a ring veteran of 67 bouts vs a 33 year old Willard veteran of 30 bouts, another way of looking at it Dempsey would be fighting a boxer who was older than Dempsey was when he retired.

 

This would have been a tough fight for Dempsey.

The fight that actually happened was toght for him, but only he ever acknowleged this.

In the end, Dempsey just has too many tools for Willard!

 

He was also heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
That's got be an advantage in a boxing scenario.

 

Cowboy Jess was heavyweight champion of the world, and he was a giant. Moreover, he was a perfectly proportioned giant. He was every inch an athlete. He tapered down beautifully from derrick-like shoulders, and his muscles were so smooth you could scarcely see them rippling under his sun-tanned skin. He towered six feet, six inches and a quarter. He weighed 245 pounds. In comparison I shaped up like an infant or a dwarf although I nudged past six feet and scaled 180 pounds. My weight was announced as 187 pounds; but actually I registered only 180.


But when I saw big Jess across the ring, without an ounce of fat on his huge frame, I wondered if Kearns and Deforest had been bringing me pleasant but false reports to bolster my courage. I won't say I was scared as I gazed at Willard, but I'll admit I began to wonder if I packed enough dynamite to blast the man-mountain down.

- Jack Dempsey "Championship Fighting, Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense"

 

Jack Dempsey was far too quick for Jess Willard during their bout. As a result, I wonder how Willard at his best could keep up with the best version of Dempsey.

- Chuck Johnston

 

I believe the Willard of the Johnson fight while being in better shape was still susceptible to be taken out early. Willard was trained for a distance fight in the Johnson bout as were guys of that era and as was Willard for the Dempsey fight. I don't know if any thought about fights ending in one rd. Wasn't Johnson giving him hell the first 20 rds or so? If an old Johnson was pounding Willard, a much younger, faster and heavier puncher like Dempsey would have caught Willard early and had the same result. No matter what is said about Willard's condition he was in condition for going strong for the first rd, in the Dempsey bout.
Dempsey ushered in a new era in boxing, guys like Willard were fighting in the old style for wars of attrition. Dempsey was ready to go from the first bell, that was Dempsey's edge, guys like Willard needed rds to warm up and get into the fight, Dempsey didn't let them he took them out early.

 

An intruiging proposition,and probably a different fight I'd pick Jack to win ,but Willard could have his moments.Jack almost punched himself out trying to get Willard out of there.A fitter focused Jess who hadn't taken his opponent lightly would be an entirely different man to the complacent, rusty and flabby giant that Dempsey crucified that hot and humid day.

 

I've never heard anyone describe Willard as athletic. Sturdy, in shape, somewhat clumsy and focused for the match would be a better description.

One can view several rounds of Willard vs. Johnson today, and the surviving footage is rather revealing. The footage was pretty much even in many of the rounds shown before round 20, and in some cases, Willard had the better.

The bonus footage is Johnson's corner had Sam Mcvey, who helped him sparring before the match and actually offered to fight Willard for free after the defeat!

Willard was better on the outside, Johnson, better on the inside. Jack knew when to attack, but lacked the power to hurt or even badly markup Willard and was smart enough to know he could not clinch and maul a much bigger Willard like some of the other much lighter fighters he fought.

Good defense was not Willard's thing. He had next to none. In 15 rounds, Dempsey is going to land too much and stop him, though Dempsey wouldn't blow him out as quickly as he did.