No doubt it was a mistake to hitch their wagon to the Chicago contract but I wouldn't t blame Harry Wills but instead his people (Paddy Mullins).
It's hard to understand why in '26 Mullins would still believe he could coerce Dempsey into the Chicago fight.
You would think for all the smoke and mirrors he had to suffer at the hands of Doc Kearns and Tex Rickard back in '22-23 he would have 'smartened up" and realized he needed to take the Tunney fight.
Me thinks 'Irish' Paddy Mullins had too many Tammany Hall Irish politicians (Muldoon/Farley/Phelan) whispering in his ear; their failure back in '22 should have shown him they didn't have the clout to force Dempsey's hand.
It was Tex Rickard who got Wills his two best paydays (Firpo/Sharkey) yet Mullins kept depending on the 'legal/justice/political' argument.
The more I look into this the more I think Paddy Mullins failed Wills.
What if Mullins back in '21 threw in completely with Rickard instead of the Irish? -- Granted with Rickard, Wills never gets a shot at Dempsey, but boy does he make a whole lot more money being promoted by Tex Rickard.
Rickard got Wills $124,00 for Firpo in 1924 and a very good payday for Sharkey as well. (I heard close to $90,000, but I can't confirm it.) Only Tex Ricakrd could get Harry Wills those kind of purses.
Yea, I think Paddy Mullins failed Wills.
It's hard to understand why in '26 Mullins would still believe he could coerce Dempsey into the Chicago fight.
You would think for all the smoke and mirrors he had to suffer at the hands of Doc Kearns and Tex Rickard back in '22-23 he would have 'smartened up" and realized he needed to take the Tunney fight.
Me thinks 'Irish' Paddy Mullins had too many Tammany Hall Irish politicians (Muldoon/Farley/Phelan) whispering in his ear; their failure back in '22 should have shown him they didn't have the clout to force Dempsey's hand.
It was Tex Rickard who got Wills his two best paydays (Firpo/Sharkey) yet Mullins kept depending on the 'legal/justice/political' argument.
The more I look into this the more I think Paddy Mullins failed Wills.
What if Mullins back in '21 threw in completely with Rickard instead of the Irish? -- Granted with Rickard, Wills never gets a shot at Dempsey, but boy does he make a whole lot more money being promoted by Tex Rickard.
Rickard got Wills $124,00 for Firpo in 1924 and a very good payday for Sharkey as well. (I heard close to $90,000, but I can't confirm it.) Only Tex Ricakrd could get Harry Wills those kind of purses.
Yea, I think Paddy Mullins failed Wills.
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