Hatton's Body Attack

[Wiley Hyena]

The bout was set for July 4, 1919. Jess Willard was 6'6", 250 lbs, and had an 83" reach. Since winning the heavyweight title in 1915 by pulverizing the great Jack Johnson, Willard was undefeated.

At 6' 1/2" tall, 180 lbs, and short of reach, young Jack Dempsey entered the ring. The bell rang and Dempsey forced his way inside, administering a body attack that now ranks in the annals of boxing history. When Willard's hands came down to protect his ribs, Dempsey dropped him with a left hook. Willard rose to face Dempsey again and again. After Willard rose from the canvas for the seventh time, blood was literally spurting from his nose, one eye was completely closed, and his head was swollen to nearly double its original size. Miraculously, he survived the round, but after the 3rd the fight was called off. In that first round, Willard's cheekbone was broken in 12 places, he had a broken nose, his jaw was broken in 13 places, he had eight avulsed teeth, and two broken ribs.

Now this is what a good body attack can do to a guy. Of course, Dempsey was one of a kind, but Ricky Hatton also happens to be a specialist in this form of combat, as J.L. Castillo will testify to. This is one area where Hatton has a distinct advantage over Floyd. Will it be the determining factor?

[DIOS DOMINICANO]

The bout was set for July 4, 1919.

[squealpiggy]

Nice try Wiley but Willard was an unskilled heavy handed plodder who was completely out of shape and inactive for four years.

[SkillspayBills]

Nice try Wiley but Willard was an unskilled heavy handed plodder who was completely out of shape and inactive for four years.

Guess that craps on the entire thread.

[Wiley Hyena]

Nice try Wiley but Willard was an unskilled heavy handed plodder who was completely out of shape and inactive for four years.

Wrong on that squealer. I've got the book.

[squealpiggy]

I've got the fight. He never had a prayer against Dempsey. He beat an aging Jack Johnson in the 26th round of a title fight in 1915 and took part in two nontitle fights in 1915 until he faced 24 year old Dempsey (Willard was 37) who had fire in his belly and was in tremendous shape. Willard was something of a counterpuncher but was still a slow and lumbering presence.

There are lots of better examples than Willard-Dempsey.

[Easy-E]

The story is pretty pointless and doesnt have much to do with a welterweights body attack in 2007.

[Wiley Hyena]

I've got the fight. He never had a prayer against Dempsey. He beat an aging Jack Johnson in the 26th round of a title fight in 1915 and took part in two nontitle fights in 1915 until he faced 24 year old Dempsey (Willard was 37) who had fire in his belly and was in tremendous shape. Willard was something of a counterpuncher but was still a slow and lumbering presence.

There are lots of better examples than Willard-Dempsey.

Not really for two big reasons:
1. Willard trained very hard for the fight, he was in great shape for it;
2. Round 1 of the fight is cited as one of, if not the most, brutal rounds in boxing history. All set up through a body attack.

[Wiley Hyena]

The story is pretty pointless and doesnt have much to do with a welterweights body attack in 2007.

True enough. It's just one very famous example of what a body attack can do to an opponent, that's all. The real question is; Can Hatton get to Floyd's body, because we can all be sure as hell that Floyd won't be going to Hatton's in a sustained attack.