Dempsey, Wills and Langford

[McGrain]

What order to you rank these guys in, all time at HW?

I currently have them

1) Dempsey
2) Wills
3) Langford

But there's a case for having the reverse I would say.

Why do you rate them the way you do?

[mcvey]

What order to you rank these guys in, all time at HW?

I currently have them

1) Dempsey
2) Wills
3) Langford

But there's a case for having the reverse I would say.

Why do you rate them the way you do?
P4P? or head to head ?
P4P Langford
Dempsey
Wills
Head to Head,Dempsey beats both Wills by late stoppage say 9rds.Langford by close dec.Langford beats Wills 2 out of 3 .

[TBooze]

At Heavy it is a no-brainer

Dempsey

Wills

Langford

Pound for pound, again a no brainer

Langford

Dempsey

Wills

[McGrain]

At Heavy it is a no-brainer

Dempsey

Wills



Who do you think fought the better competition?

[TBooze]

Who do you think fought the better competition?

Langford met the best, Wills the most intense, Dempsey the most diverse...;)

[McGrain]

Langford met the best, Wills the most intense, Dempsey the most diverse...;)

Wills met the best competition overall.

There is some comfusion about Dempsey's failure to fight Wills - but Wills certainly wasn't responsible for that failure. In the light of these two facts, how is it a no brainer to decide upon whether or not Dempsey should rank above Wills at Heavy?

[TBooze]

Wills met the best competition overall.

There is some comfusion about Dempsey's failure to fight Wills - but Wills certainly wasn't responsible for that failure. In the light of these two facts, how is it a no brainer to decide upon whether or not Dempsey should rank above Wills at Heavy?

Dempsey was prepared to fight Wills (he would of made a fortune), the problem was the authorites remembered the race riots and deaths that occured post Johnson/Jeffries and made sure the fight did not happen, IMO.

[McGrain]

Dempsey was prepared to fight Wills (he would of made a fortune), the problem was the authorites remembered the race riots and deaths that occured post Johnson/Jeffries and made sure the fight did not happen, IMO.

Yes, I think it's unfair to force the full blame onto Dempsey, but he must accept a portion, I think.

And this doesn't answer the questiona about their respective competition?

[TBooze]

Yes, I think it's unfair to force the full blame onto Dempsey, but he must accept a portion, I think.

And this doesn't answer the questiona about their respective competition?

Well it does, because any half decent black fighter who was a threat to the title, Dempsey would not be able to fight even if he wanted to.

Wills did meet an ancient Gunboat Smith, but basically stuck to fighting black fighters during Dempsey's reign, until he lost to Jack Sharkey.

Langford had novelty value to us Brits (we were still sore the Yankee's won the civil war), and Sammy flattened a couple of our horizontal Heavies, but still he mainly fought black fighters.

[robert ungurean]

Dempsey
Langford
Wills doesnt belong with these 2. I believe him to be overated.
A big man who didnt do anything special in my book.

[Boilermaker]

At Heavy it is a no-brainer

Dempsey

Wills

Langford

Pound for pound, again a no brainer

Langford

Dempsey

Wills

I really dont see how Wills has much of an argument to rank ahead of Langford at all. Prime wills met past prime Langford. By the end of 1917, Langford had knocked him out twice, although he had admittedly lost 2 decisions. It wasnt until 1918 when Langford had deteriorated further that Wills managed his 2 knock outs. Then as the continued to fight and langford deteriorated more, Langford still competed well and was not knocked out. Given the two knockouts a past prime langford delivered, i am fairly certain that prime langford is far too much for Wills
.

[Mendoza]

I really dont see how Wills has much of an argument to rank ahead of Langford at all. Prime wills met past prime Langford. By the end of 1917, Langford had knocked him out twice, although he had admittedly lost 2 decisions. It wasnt until 1918 when Langford had deteriorated further that Wills managed his 2 knock outs. Then as the continued to fight and langford deteriorated more, Langford still competed well and was not knocked out. Given the two knockouts a past prime langford delivered, i am fairly certain that prime langford is far too much for Wills
.

This is how I see it as well.