If Tunney Had Been Sincere About Fighting Wills?

[Ivich]

Apropos of the current Tunney thread ,I wonder what would have been the result if the Marine had actually fought Wills as a final eliminator for a title shot with Dempsey?
What do you think, did Harry have one more great fight in him ,or would Gene have been too fresh too fast and too mobile for the aging Wills?

[QueensburyRules]

- - Shyte Header don’t match the content.

Tunney was ready but Wills refused…simples for simpletons…

[Willie Pep 229]

Apropos of the current Tunney thread ,I wonder what would have been the result if the Marine had actually fought Wills as a final eliminator for a title shot with Dempsey?
What do you think, did Harry have one more great fight in him ,or would Gene have been too fresh too fast and too mobile for the aging Wills?

In 1926 it's not much of a fight. Wills was at his best when Tunney was a LHW, 1920-1924.

By almost all accounts Sharkey dominated Wills in 1926.

P.S. Ran into a funny piece of information.

Howard Cosell announcing an early Clay fight, Sonny Banks, makes the comment that "there hasn't been a fighter as loquacious as young Clay, since Jack Sharkey."

So Jack Sharkey had a reputation as a big mouth? That I didin't know.

I knew he chased Tunney through the newspapers for a couple of years.

[Ivich]

In 1926 it's not much of a fight. Wills was at his best when Tunney was a LHW, 1920-1924.

By almost all accounts Sharkey dominated Wills in 1926.

P.S. Ran into a funny piece of information.

Howard Cosell announcing an early Clay fight, Sonny Banks, makes the comment that "there hasn't been a fighter as loquacious as young Clay, since Jack Sharkey."

So Jack Sharkey had a reputation as a big mouth? That I didin't know.

I knew he chased Tunney through the newspapers for a couple of years.

,
One of Sharkey's nick- names was," The Garrulous Gob."

[Ivich]

- - Shyte Header don’t match the content.

Tunney was ready but Wills refused…simples for simpletons…

No, Mr Ignorant. Tunney's manager admitted they had no intention of ever fighting Wills,they just wanted to promote Tunney and get him bracketed on a par with Harry.

Since I've been here ,you haven't managed any input that is worth a cup of stale piss.
Why don't you try and make an effort or alternatively,do the right thing and hold you breath for 15 minutes and deliver us from your infantile negativism?

I recommend the latter!

[Willie Pep 229]

,
One of Sharkey's nick- names was," The Garrulous Gob."

Well that makes more sense than the Boston Gob.

I guess the press decided to make it less offensive to him.

But the word "gob" works much better with garrulous in front of it. (As in: Shut your garrulous gob.)

Or were they using it in place of sailor? Did this Sharkey have any connection to the Navy?

[joseph5620]

No, Mr Ignorant. Tunney's manager admitted they had no intention of ever fighting Wills,they just wanted to promote Tunney and get him bracketed on a par with Harry.

Since I've been here ,you haven't managed any input that is worth a cup of stale piss.
Why don't you try and make an effort or alternatively,do the right thing and hold you breath for 15 minutes and deliver us from your infantile negativism?

I recommend the latter!

[travestyny]

No, Mr Ignorant. Tunney's manager admitted they had no intention of ever fighting Wills,they just wanted to promote Tunney and get him bracketed on a par with Harry.

Since I've been here ,you haven't managed any input that is worth a cup of stale piss.
Why don't you try and make an effort or alternatively,do the right thing and hold you breath for 15 minutes and deliver us from your infantile negativism?

I recommend the latter!

Did he admit this? I've always had a feeling that was the case. I could never find any shred of evidence of an offer to Wills for the Tunney fight. The only thing I could ever find was a mention of Wills offering Tunney a fight and Tunney made up an excuse to turn it down.

[Willie Pep 229]

No, Mr Ignorant. Tunney's manager admitted they had no intention of ever fighting Wills,they just wanted to promote Tunney and get him bracketed on a par with Harry.

Since I've been here ,you haven't managed any input that is worth a cup of stale piss.
Why don't you try and make an effort or alternatively,do the right thing and hold you breath for 15 minutes and deliver us from your infantile negativism?

I recommend the latter!

Billy Gibson said they would never have fought Wills?

I believe it is important to find out when he said this.

Gibson did Tunney a great wrong in '26 when he forged Tunney's signature and sold 20% of Tunney's contract to a Philadelphia gangster called Maxie Boo Boo Hoff.

In 1931 Boo Boo tried to sue Tunney for 20% of his purse from the Long Count fight.

Billy Gibson hid from the trial in a sanatorium in California and the judge ruled that Gibson was too mentally incapacitated (punch drunk) to testify. The suit was dismissed.

Gibson then came out of hiding and lived until 1947.

So anyway I would doubt anything Billy Gibson ever said, and I would not believe anything he said about Tunney after 1931. They had to be deeply embittered.

[billeau2]

Apropos of the current Tunney thread ,I wonder what would have been the result if the Marine had actually fought Wills as a final eliminator for a title shot with Dempsey?
What do you think, did Harry have one more great fight in him ,or would Gene have been too fresh too fast and too mobile for the aging Wills?

Wills always presented such a dilemna to me. I think the world of him, the way he conducted himself throughout his career, was a native of a great town (new Orleans)... He was a success with no caveats: had a wife of many years, businesses in New York, and I believe he had a long life as well... Wiils even had a great narrative regarding his career. Apparently he had to sub at the last minute for a friend ad did remarkably well.

But as a fighter I never saw much in him. Ive always found it hard to fathom he would have given Dempsey much of a problem and I would have to say the same regarding Tunney.