BoxRec

A man can absolutely hate what he does and still be an elite. Whether it's Michaelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, when his true passion was sculpture, or Leonardo Da Vinci painting when he absolutely loved inventing; it's the same with athlete's as well.

Willard may have despised boxing, but in many ways alot of the greats did as well. Tyson absolutely hated doing the media rounds and press conferences, it literally put him to sleep. In his mind, boxing shouldn't have any of that stuff; it should just be fights cus the fights sell for themselves. Some men absolutely hated training camps and cut corners to make weight like Benetiz and Duran. In their mind it was all pointless: just fight and may the best man win.

As for men who actually hated fighting but did it anyway, other than Willard, I think of someone like Max Baer or even James Buster Douglas. They never exactly had their whole mind and heart into the business. They loved the money and all that came with it, but not really boxing. Douglas wanted to be a basketball player, not a boxer. Just like Willard wanted to be a cowboy instead of a prizefighter.

But make no mistake, Willard could fight. Willard was tough, well conditioned, had alot of power. He wasn't much different than alot of the other white hopes of the era, besides his chin. However, he was in the right place at the right time. And at the end of the day, that's the fight with Jack Johnson rolled in a nutshell.

An old man, relatively inactive, in financial debt, barely scraping by fights a big, strong, younger man who is driven to a purpose. Ninety nine out of a hundred the old man loses such bouts. End of story.

Kalan wrote: ↑07 Apr 2018, 16:07

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑07 Apr 2018, 10:07 Willard legitimately kayoed Johnson with a perfectly timed right hand that rendered Johnson unconscious. Period.

These myths and legends have tremendously damaged boxings history. It needs to be put away with. Fact of business after the Willard fight Johnson could only beat complete stiffs and journeymen. He was old, it was just his time.

It is about as ridiculous as people who perpetrate the myth that Primo Carnera was completely manufactured, couldn't legitimately fight, etc... No man who was a complete fabrication could get up 11 times from a guy like Max Baer, period.

You're coming up with total Bullcrap again Henry.

Carnera was a real pro boxer with over 100 fights... He had legitimate wins over Sharkey, Loughran, and Uzcudun.

Willard was a FAKE fighter who hated Boxing... He couldn't defend himself well... Willard lost to a Light Heavyweight with a horrendous record a couple fights before Johnson... Dempsey said hitting Willard was like throwing pine cones at the side of a barn... He was the most easily punched famous boxer of all time... Who comes in horrendously fat and in the worst condition of his life for a World Title Fight but Willard? Jess didn't give a crap about Boxing.

After the Willard fight Johnson WON his next 13 fights in a row -- including beating ranked Heavyweight contender Pat Lester at age 48... It WASN'T Johnson's time or he would have quit at 37... He loved boxing and kept fighting until he was an old man... Willard LOST 2 of his next 4 fights by KO and got the HELL out of Boxing after he got the living Hell beaten out of him by raw swinger Luis Firpo -- who found him about as easy to punch as Dempsey and Johnson did.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑07 Apr 2018, 10:07 A man can absolutely hate what he does and still be an elite. Whether it's Michaelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, when his true passion was sculpture, or Leonardo Da Vinci painting when he absolutely loved inventing; it's the same with athlete's as well.

Willard may have despised boxing, but in many ways alot of the greats did as well. Tyson absolutely hated doing the media rounds and press conferences, it literally put him to sleep. In his mind, boxing shouldn't have any of that stuff; it should just be fights cus the fights sell for themselves. Some men absolutely hated training camps and cut corners to make weight like Benetiz and Duran. In their mind it was all pointless: just fight and may the best man win.

As for men who actually hated fighting but did it anyway, other than Willard, I think of someone like Max Baer or even James Buster Douglas. They never exactly had their whole mind and heart into the business. They loved the money and all that came with it, but not really boxing. Douglas wanted to be a basketball player, not a boxer. Just like Willard wanted to be a cowboy instead of a prizefighter.

But make no mistake, Willard could fight. Willard was tough, well conditioned, had alot of power. He wasn't much different than alot of the other white hopes of the era, besides his chin. However, he was in the right place at the right time. And at the end of the day, that's the fight with Jack Johnson rolled in a nutshell.

An old man, relatively inactive, in financial debt, barely scraping by fights a big, strong, younger man who is driven to a purpose. Ninety nine out of a hundred the old man loses such bouts. End of story.

You’re full of it again… Willard was the old man (mentally). Willard got knocked out in 2 of his next 4 fights. Johnson was the young man (at heart). Johnson WON his next 13 fights, beating Heavyweight Contender Pat Lester when he was 48.

You’re also giving Willard undue credit when he was one of the most hittable fighters of all time – as well as a ridiculously inept boxer who couldn’t avoid Dempsey’s loaded punches thrown from the floor. I went over the mountains of evidence that Johnson tanked the Willard fight time and again.

Michelangelo loved art and painting. He painted professionally but was primarily a sculptor. People hated Michelangelo out of professional jealousy and arranged for him to be awarded the Sistine Chapel project because they thought it was an impossible job – and they knew he was primarily a sculptor not a painter. They thought it would destroy Michelangelo professionally. People love to pour hot coals on their professional rivals and Michelangelo did just that. He set out to make the Sistine Chapel his signature accomplishment, much to their amazement.

Da Vinci, was the same as Michelangelo and loved art... He loved drawing diagrams and dreaming up flying machines an what not... When people actually created his flying machines they didn't work... His drawings were like a kid's fantasies... Science fiction writers imagine a world that could never be (since it's difficult to know where technology will take us) and make a story out of it... Truth is actually stranger than fiction... We don't know what "dark matter" is yet.

And NOBODY can be an elite at what he does if he doesn't love his job... After Duran, Toney... Douglas and other fat boxers made millions they became lazy asses.. No matter HOW much you love your job it requires tremendous concentration and drive to stay on top. When people get super rich they tend to slack off – but one shoe doesn’t fit all. Many don’t need to be rich to be lazy. Many work even harder once they become rich (Klitschkos, Joshua, Mayweather etc). Work Ethic is a mindset. You shouldn’t need the wolf at your door or an empty cupboard to work your ass off.