Wills Turned Down $5000 Chance To Spar With Challenger Dempsey In 1919

At least Wills had the balls to fight a near prime Sam Langford in 1914. Dempsey wouldn't even take on a old sam langford in 1917, and ran out of the ring against 40 year old Joe Jeanette in 1919.

 

Interesting.....where are sources for those statements?...books or newspapers would be good enough.

 

interesting

 

Is it that usual for fellow contenders to be main sparring partners? Giving away secrets and what not?

 

On Langford and Dempsey, Dempsey did say in his 1959 autobiography that his manager was arranging a fight with Langford and that he rejected it.

He went on to say, if I remember correctly, that he could never imagine himself beating Langford, although he could see himself beating Jack Johnson.

 

'By Jack Kearns' reading the story it sounds like BS and a weak defence of why they weren't trying to make the fight

Even if true why would he take 5k to be a sparring partner anyway, he was already nigh on the number 1 contender

 

Your so biased and disengenuous trotting that Dempsey "ran out of the ring" against the 40 year old Jeannette...B.S.
The truih is Dempsey's opponent cancelled at the last minute and the old Jeannette was suggested at the last minute as a sub. Of course jack kearns refused to trot in a new opponent at the last minute...Think of what a trend that would start, signing a fighter with the intention of canceling out at the last second and substituting a "ringer" at the last moment...
A contract is a contract, is a contract....Jack Kearns knew a helluva lot more than you do I suspect.....
LET Dempsey's soul rest in peace I say...Pick on a guy who can defend himself, hard as it may be...cheers.

 

Which all sort of makes it quite unlikely that Kearns asked the superior Wills to try and publically take Dempsey's head off before Dempsey's most important career fight, without him or Dempsey making a cent out of it

 

mc, I believe you are correct that Dempsey was boxing a benefit and his opponent cancelled out leaving by coincidence Joe Jeannette waiting in the wings...
Pray tell me what fighter in history is maligned on ESB as much as Jack Dempsey by "hollier than thou" posters going way beyond normal criticisms
bordering on paranoia ?...Almost every fighter in history has been flawed
in their lives, but escape the SOCIAL nitpicking that a decent man Jack Dempsey faces by A FEW on ESB. Only on the ESB site by a few disgruntled posters, who get their rocks off lambasting one of the true toughest fighters ever, who gave no quarter and ASKED for no quarter...Cheers mc...