Tunney & The Absence Of Black Fighters On His Resume.

[Ivich]

- - Wills also refused to fight Tunney in the Rickard eliminator for the right to fight Dempsey.

When I first commented on a boxing board, it was to lay to rest some nonsense about Ali. That Rocky ducked Liston and Dempsey ducked Wills ruled the dialogue, but eventually Boxrec came along where timelines could be tracked and histories could be found that proved the dummies were dummies...yup, and we still have dummies on this forum.

Why should Wills fight an eliminator to get his title shot,he had already done that twice and won against Fulton and Firpo and he had been the standout contender for years.

Prior to the match, World Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey said he would like to meet the winner, even if it were Wills. The very next day, it was announced that Dempsey would fight Billy Miske.

[Willie Pep 229]

Why should Wills fight an eliminator to get his title shot,he had already done that twice and won against Fulton and Firpo and he had been the standout contender for years.

Prior to the match, World Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey said he would like to meet the winner, even if it were Wills. The very next day, it was announced that Dempsey would fight Billy Miske.

The answer is obvious. Standing on principle got him nothing. Do you think JJ would have walked away away from the challenge if it was a path to Dempsey?

[Ivich]

The answer is obvious. Standing on principle got him nothing. Do you think JJ would have walked away away from the challenge if it was a path to Dempsey?

Tunney had no intention of fighting Wills and he candidly admitted it later.
I didn't say Wills took the wisest course , I asked why he should be required to fight yet another eliminator?
He had been the stand out challenger for years.

[Willie Pep 229]

Tunney had no intention of fighting Wills and he candidly admitted it later.
I didn't say Wills took the wisest course , I asked why he should be required to fight yet another eliminator?
He had been the stand out challenger for years.

True that.

I had said in an earlier post that Paddy Mullins (after Tunney beat Dempsey) recognized that chasing Tunney for a title shot would be even more pointless than chasing Dempsey.

So I can see truth in the argument that Tunney would have probably thrown up his own road blocks if Wills showed actual interest.

[QueensburyRules]

Why should Wills fight an eliminator to get his title shot,he had already done that twice and won against Fulton and Firpo and he had been the standout contender for years.

Prior to the match, World Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey said he would like to meet the winner, even if it were Wills. The very next day, it was announced that Dempsey would fight Billy Miske.

- - Wills was entitled to a Dempsey fight, but had looked poor in his last few fights like he had nothing left.

Rickard was a promoter trying to publicize Dempsey return to boxing after 3 lucrative years in Hollywood. Wills wouldn't play along, got whooped and retired as Jack did...the end...

[JAB5239]

- - Wills was entitled to a Dempsey fight, but had looked poor in his last few fights like he had nothing left.

Rickard was a promoter trying to publicize Dempsey return to boxing after 3 lucrative years in Hollywood. Wills wouldn't play along, got whooped and retired as Jack did...the end...

Really? He routed Firpo and had 2 early knockouts. You just love making stuff up, don't you?

[Willie Pep 229]

Digression: Because of the 1924 National Origins Act Luis Firpo got deported.

After losing to Dempsey, Firpo returned home for a couple of fights and was then brought back on a temporary visa to fight Wills.

But the loss to Wills cost him plenty. Following that up with a poor showing two months later against Charlie Weinert in New Jersey, Tex Rickard lost interest in Firpo and having no cause to protect him with another big fight, Rickard let the government force Firpo out of the country.

He petitioned, but never got back in.

Isn't the history of prize fighting just filled with acts of humanity, not?

[QueensburyRules]

Really? He routed Firpo and had 2 early knockouts. You just love making stuff up, don't you?

- - Won a newspaper decision vs Firpo over 12 dreary rounds whereas Dempsey KOed Firpo inside 2 rounds in a Barnburner.

Prior to Firpo Wills lost and drew against Dempsey good friend and sparmate Big Bill Tate, not a good look for a contender. This was when the MLB Magnate Frazee was offering he and Dempsey a 300K purse for fights in the Boston Green Monster Baseball Field and Yankee Stadium.

Then he lost to Jack Sharkey who battered him around like U punchdummy, so Sharkey got the right to fight Dempsey.

Best stick to U Mickey Finns sonny.

[Willie Pep 229]

Wills was as dirty a fighter as Dempsey is purported to be. His KD against Firpo was blatant and might have today gotten him DQed.

One reporter suggested that the cheap shot KD damaged Firpo and affected him the rest of the fight.

I am not sure I buy into that, the cheap shot came early on in the fight but nevertheless Firpo did fade after it happened.

[JAB5239]

- - Won a newspaper decision vs Firpo over 12 dreary rounds whereas Dempsey KOed Firpo inside 2 rounds in a Barnburner.

Prior to Firpo Wills lost and drew against Dempsey good friend and sparmate Big Bill Tate, not a good look for a contender. This was when the MLB Magnate Frazee was offering he and Dempsey a 300K purse for fights in the Boston Green Monster Baseball Field and Yankee Stadium.

Then he lost to Jack Sharkey who battered him around like U punchdummy, so Sharkey got the right to fight Dempsey.

Best stick to U Mickey Finns sonny.

You're all over the place, and none of it is correct. Your ignorant response of Wills deserving a shot but looking poor was wrong, as usual, in response to Ivich stating (correctly) that Wills had already been in several eliminators. Now you're trying to say the shot went to Sharkey. But we're talking about Tunney getting the undeserved shot instead of Harry. After fighting for so long as the best available challenger to the heavyweight title I'm sure the wind went out of Wills sails when yet another fighter got a shot instead of him. You have serious problems following a timeline.