Wills Tunney came close to being made

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by janitor, Jul 16, 2012.


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  1. PowerPuncher

    PowerPuncher Loyal Member Full Member

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    Jack Dempsey: 'Harry Wills will never get a shot at me' :deal

    http://news.google.com/newspapers?n..._pPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sVQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4012,5825153


    More than that, he seems legally entitled to face Dempsey for the Championship, he successfully sued the NY Commission and they ordered Dempsey to make the fight.
     
    PowerPuncher, Jul 17, 2012
    PowerPuncher, Jul 17, 2012
    #16
  2. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    Lets tell the whole story here.

    They ordered Dempsey to make the fight, but refused to let him make it in Ney York.

    You can understand Dempsey getting prety pissed off with them.
     
    janitor, Jul 17, 2012
    janitor, Jul 17, 2012
    #17
  3. Legend X

    Legend X Boxing Addict banned Full Member

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    Did Rickard promote Wills v Fulton ?
     
    Legend X, Jul 17, 2012
    Legend X, Jul 17, 2012
    #18
  4. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    I am not sure, but the papers at the time talk about i being a bout to decide who fights Dempsey.

    Dempsey said that if the fight ended in a draw, he would fight them both.
     
    janitor, Jul 17, 2012
    janitor, Jul 17, 2012
    #19
  5. bazza12

    bazza12 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    This definitely seems to me to be more an issue of circumstance rather than Dempsey simply fearing a fight with Wills.

    On a sidenote, I'd appreciate if anyone could give a bit more info on the relevance of Sharkey's win over Wills. Wills hadn't fought for a year and some of you seem to feel he was past his best by the point they fought...would you equate the win to Charles' win over Louis?
     
    bazza12, Jul 17, 2012
    bazza12, Jul 17, 2012
    #20
  6. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    It was seen as a big win for Sharkey at the time. Although Wills had been inactive, he had still retained his #1 standing. It was the fight that finaly removed Wills from the title picture, to the great releif of many.

    http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...6646,306282&dq=harry+wills+jack+sharkey&hl=en

    http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...695,1476237&dq=harry+wills+jack+sharkey&hl=en

    http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...871,5574165&dq=harry+wills+jack+sharkey&hl=en
     
    janitor, Jul 17, 2012
    janitor, Jul 17, 2012
    #21
  7. Bummy Davis

    Bummy Davis Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    It is a shame that Wills never got a title shot but it certainly appears it was the circumstances and not Jack Dempsey that caused this bout to never occur. I don,t think I will hold this against Dempsey. I think in light of any of the old timers if I am going to rate Jeffries or Johnson I would have to rate Dempsey higher. Things were not perfect in the 1920's but Jack Dempsey was a special fighter and a very special Heavyweight.

    In fact although Dempsey was less active than Larry Holmes, it seems the measurement used differs for people are blaming Dempsey for not fighting Wills (and it appears to be outside influence) while Holmes is forgiven for not fighting Thomas,Page,Coetzee,Tate,Dokes,Weaver all co-champs and never rematching fights that many felt he lost or deserved rematches. Why the double standard ? granted some of these avoidance's are not Larrys fault (blame it on King) and some politics (Coetzee) but Larry still triples Dempsey offense if in fact you can blame him for the Wills avoidance. double standard?
     
    Bummy Davis, Jul 17, 2012
    Bummy Davis, Jul 17, 2012
    #22
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