BoxRec

I have often heard that Sam Langford was the best HW to never get a title shot. However, I see that Harry Wills fought Langford at least 15 times and got the better of him in most of their bouts. Is there a reason why Langford gets so much more attention than Wills?

Langford was past his best when Willis had the edge in their series. Most peope do rate Langford higher, though usually Wills isn't too far behind.

Langford fought from Welterweight to Heavyweight, beating the majority of the best contenders (white and black); while Wills was primarily a HW whose best wins were based mostly on Langford, and is best known for never getting a shot at Dempsey.

Langford, considering his size and range of fights across weight classes, is regarded as a top "pound for pound" great, while as stated, Willis was a top HW contender (and a big one at that) who fought other HWs.

from what i have read and studyed it seems to me Dempsey AND kEARNS
wanted the Wills fight more than anybody thinking they would make a fortune for an easy fight however the ny commisoner at the time was William Muldoon and going back to the days he managed Sullivan he would not allow a mixed title fight to be held in NY.Wills could not have beaten Dempsey on the best day he ever had . If you have any doubts on what I am saying read the writeup the day after the Will=Norfolk fight
when there was a riot after the 170lb Norfolk layed down in the 2nd round trying to make Wills look great . i was told the deal was norfolk was promised a world title fight with Siki if he did the right thing .The match was made for norfolk to fight Siki in NY however Siki pulled out and went to Ireland insted on St Patricks Day and lost the title When Siki then came to NY He wanted Dempsy,Greb,or Tunney however he was forced to live up to his agreement to fight Norfolk and got beaten so bad he was never the same fighter

I never said Langford was to get the shot at Dempsey, I said Harry Wills is best known for never getting a shot at Dempsey; Langford was more in his prime as a HW during the Jack Johnson era anyways, had he fought Dempsey he would have been knocked out, and I think Wills would have been knocked out too, had he fought Dempsey when he was supposed to, was too old by then.

snoopbee wrote:from what i have read and studyed it seems to me Dempsey AND kEARNS
wanted the Wills fight more than anybody thinking they would make a fortune for an easy fight however the ny commisoner at the time was William Muldoon and going back to the days he managed Sullivan he would not allow a mixed title fight to be held in NY.Wills could not have beaten Dempsey on the best day he ever had . If you have any doubts on what I am saying read the writeup the day after the Will=Norfolk fight
when there was a riot after the 170lb Norfolk layed down in the 2nd round trying to make Wills look great . i was told the deal was norfolk was promised a world title fight with Siki if he did the right thing .The match was made for norfolk to fight Siki in NY however Siki pulled out and went to Ireland insted on St Patricks Day and lost the title When Siki then came to NY He wanted Dempsy,Greb,or Tunney however he was forced to live up to his agreement to fight Norfolk and got beaten so bad he was never the same fighter

"Layed down"??

The account I've read said Willis gave Norfolk a terrific beating practically the entire fight before a hard right hand did the trick in the 2nd.

Langford beat Wills the first few times they met. Then Langford declined while Wills improved and the tides turned for these two great fighters. Had Langford met Dempsey in 1916 or even 1917, he likely would've left Jack stretched out flat.

Cap

langford was also one of the smartest fighters who ever lived aside from one of the greatest punchers .in 1917 when tham was at he end he fought norfolk after being outboxed in the first rd .langford came out in the 2nd to touch gloves ,norfolk being inexperinced asked tham why did he want to touch gloves this is not the last round langford said this is for you nailed him with a terrific left hook and knocked him out

Wills ffglitcr of New Orleans Knocked out Kid Norfolk oC Baltimore in Iho round of their scheduled bout in When hey came out of their corners in tUti Norfolk vent Into a clinch nnd n aler fell o Ihc floor ing tlie full count No at ringside saw Iho slow that him After the he to liis corner and Hit not seem hurl

NEW YORK, Mar. 2. — Harry
-Wills, heavyweight fighter of New
Orleans, tonight knocked out Kid
Norfolk of Baltimore in the second
"round of their scheduled 16 round
„ bout in Madison Square Garden.
When they came out of tholr
£ ;cornerg in tne (second, Norfolk went
Into » clinch and a moment .later
(ell backward to the floor, taking
full count.
No on« ait the ringside saw the
-iblow 'hat felled him. After the
'count h,e walked to his corn

Wills Kayoes^ Norfolk in Second_Round -• Hilltoppers Losejo Yale Freshmen
TOSSERS
*•$•
FANS EXPRESS DISAPPROVAL
P BOUT WiCH ENDS ABRUPTLY

Ah! How caressingly tender has
become one Harry Wills: how very
thoughtful how kind, how considerate!
Or is it something else
Anyway—
They've wanted him to mingle
with Gene Tunney in a ring brawl
—wanted to pay him $100,000 which
would buy almost a packing house
full of those lovely pork chops. But
that gentle souled Harry has said:
"Xo—ho,, a thousand times nix.
That guy is too small and I ain,'t
no sort of fellow to pick on little
men—not ino, ah, no, not 1H' Harry
Wills."
Bulkier Than Tunney

Ah! How caressingly tender has
become one Harry Wills: how very
thoughtful how kind, how considerate!
Or is it something else
Anyway—
They've wanted him to mingle
with Gene Tunney in a ring brawl
—wanted to pay him $100,000 which
would buy almost a packing house
full of those lovely pork chops. But
that gentle souled Harry has said:
"Xo—ho,, a thousand times nix.
That guy is too small and I ain,'t
no sort of fellow to pick on little
men—not ino, ah, no, not 1H' Harry
Wills."
Bulkier Than Tunney

put on their skit, the ozone in
Gotham was filled with rumors that
Norfolk was to bo the victim of a
knockout wallop—so as to "make'
the Dempsey-Wills match; Norfolk
was to be sacrificed upon the altar of
those who lare confident that, if
properly manipulated, a Dempsey-
Wills bout would be productive of a
51,000,000 gate.
The ycalled the turn—a* regards
to a seeming "laydown" by Norfolk.
But the bout, instead of enhancing
the prospects of a meeting between
Dempsey and Wills, has done nothing
hut deal to boxing a terrible body
blow. For when men pay big money
to see a fight—and then see an ooftygoofty—
trey usually chant "never
again"—-and hold to such a resolve.
Boxing hasn't known a very
realthy existence since itwas reborn
in New York. It is dicker just now
and nearer to a new death than
ever before. And the men behind
the Wills-Norfolk "fight" may, in
the end, prove to be its executioners.

thats just a few of the original fight reports on wills-norfolk do need more

I havent seen much of Wills which is frustrating.

I have only seen his 1927 fight with Uzcudan which was only a little
highlight reel.

What other footage have you guys seen?

Who is Willis ???????