Tunney & The Absence Of Black Fighters On His Resume.

[QueensburyRules]

Doesn't matter what it was called. You're still all over the place and Wills was seen as the best challenger for more than half a decade. Than you tried to say the shot went to Sharkey. Lmao.....you are truly less than a halfwit.

- - Dempsey had to beat Sharkey to fight the rematch with Tunney.

Yeah, the Sharkey who embarrassed Wills…yeah…

[Willie Pep 229]

- - Dempsey had to beat Sharkey to fight the rematch with Tunney.

Yeah, the Sharkey who embarrassed Wills…yeah…

This is true. Dempsey doesn't beat Sharkey, Sharkey would have gotten Tunney not Dempsey.

Dempsey once said that Rickard wanted two fights from him before Tunney II but Dempsey threatened to quit first, so Rickard settled for one fight (Sharkey).

[JAB5239]

- - Dempsey had to beat Sharkey to fight the rematch with Tunney.

Yeah, the Sharkey who embarrassed Wills…yeah…

Dempsey should have fought Wills instead of Tunney to begin with.. Anything that happened after the first Tunney fight is irrelevant because Wills had been unjustly passed over yet again.

[Ivich]

Dempsey should have fought Wills instead of Tunney to begin with.. Anything that happened after the first Tunney fight is irrelevant because Wills had been unjustly passed over yet again.

True.

[Ivich]

- - Dempsey had to beat Sharkey to fight the rematch with Tunney.

Yeah, the Sharkey who embarrassed Wills…yeah…

Wills was past his prime when he fought Sharkey in1926,he had been the standout challenger for the previous 6 years.

[Dr. Z]

Dempsey should have fought Wills instead of Tunney to begin with.. Anything that happened after the first Tunney fight is irrelevant because Wills had been unjustly passed over yet again.

Okay but Wills was ducked for his prime years. Had Wills subbed in for Tunney it would have Matched a past his prime Wills vs a 31-32 years old Dempsey .

[JAB5239]

Okay but Wills was ducked for his prime years. Had Wills subbed in for Tunney it would have Matched a past his prime Wills vs a 31-32 years old Dempsey .

Doesn't matter, he was still the most proven heavyweight of that era, and to be pat over time and again was an injustice.

[QueensburyRules]

Wills was past his prime when he fought Sharkey in1926,he had been the standout challenger for the previous 6 years.

- - He was offered Tunney to get to Dempsey and took Sharkey instead, still Ring Ranked.

In 1922 he took a loss and draw against Dempsey Sparmate Big Bill Tate, the same year he was offered Dempsey by Harry Frazee for 300K.

After the fact he was past prime, not to Nat who did the Ring Rankings.

[Willie Pep 229]

Doesn't matter, he was still the most proven heavyweight of that era, and to be pat over time and again was an injustice.

By today's values yes.

To them, no! It was complicated and you refuse to acknowledge that reality.

They were growing socially, and Wills' unjust denial of a title shot was part of the growing social awareness that was rising in the 1920s, e.g. The Harlem Renaissance.

The racial history of the HW Championship moves from Johnson to Wills to Louis.

They needed time.

Wills' denial was a necessary wrong that opened the door for activists (within the boxing/sport community,) to later champion Louis' rise to the top; to ensure they wouldn't repeat the same wrong.

They saw their wrong and moved to correct it. But first they had to learn they were wrong. Enter the Wills denial of a title shot.

It was complicated and to just wave a moral judgement over these men, from our current POV, is a historical injustice. It proved to be a decade long debate on racial equality.

P.S. If you insist on a simple, absolute wrong, an 'scape goat' if you will, I suggest you look at Jack Johnson. He is the acorn that led to Wills' denial of a title shot.

He was only the beginning of the "problem" but he sure didn't help matters much.

I'd bet my bottom chip that if JJ never existed Wills would have fought Dempsey for the title.

[Willie Pep 229]

- - He was offered Tunney to get to Dempsey and took Sharkey instead, still Ring Ranked.

In 1922 he took a loss and draw against Dempsey Sparmate Big Bill Tate, the same year he was offered Dempsey by Harry Frazee for 300K.

After the fact he was past prime, not to Nat who did the Ring Rankings.

It was still Tex Rickard. Rickard didn't just do the 1924 rankings. He continued until his untimely death at the end if the decade.

Nat Fleischer didn't hold that level of prestige yet, he still needed Rickard's name.