Jack Dillon ?- Jack the giant killer

[Theron]

Does anybody know anything about him all i really know is that his fighting style was ''like'' Jack Dempseys.

[Surf-Bat]

Originally Posted by Theron

Does anybody know anything about him all i really know is that his fighting style was ''like'' Jack Dempseys.

A hard hitting and rugged infighter. Very skilled on the inside. Considered one of the top middleweights of the post-Ketchel era and many thought he would succeed the "Michigan Assassin" as champ when the smoke cleared. He lost any claim he might have had when he lost to Frank Klaus twice in 1912 (20 and 10 rounds respectively).

I think his rep as a "Giant KILLER" is a bit overdrawn. While he beat some big men impressively (like Frank Moran, who on paper looks like would murder Dillon) he wasn't exactly stretching them for the count.

Still an amazing battler, though he seems to have steered clear of black fighters. A fight with Les Darcy was talked about and would have been a classic.

[SLAKKA]

And of course phantom Mike Gibbons rendered a masterpiece against him in 1916.

Mike claimed his best weight was 150lbs

[Mendoza]

Dillion is a fighter with no film, at least none that I have seen, and I’ve pretty much seen everyone on confirmed films pre 1940. I get the sense Dillon he had trouble with skilled and speedy fighters. Judging on photos, Dillon had a very good build. He was short, but well put together, so to call him small at 170 could be a bit misleading. Durability was his long suit. He wasn’t an easy out.





With wins over Moran, Flynn, and Gunboat Smith, suggests Dillon might have been a good option for Jack Johnson, or Jack Dempsey. The weight differential between super middle and heavyweight back then were much closer than what they are now.





I would pick both Johnson 1910-1915, and Dempsey 1918-1923 to defeat Dillion, however, I think Dillion would have put up a much better fight than some of the guys who received title shots most notably….Ketchel, Flynn, Carpentier, and Ross.