Dempsey's punching power

[Nightcrawler]

Originally Posted by Seamus

"One punch KO's"? He nailed Sharkey in the nutsack and when protesting caught his unprotected jaw.

He hit Tunney with a combo, albeit a viscious combo, to put him down. Putting down 190 pounders with combo's, allowing them to rise KD you does not a great heavyweight puncher make.

this post is awesome but selling dempsey a bit short. i've argued too that he isn't a heavy puncher in the grand scheme but he made up for it with speed. he was a vicious and tremendously fast puncher, his individual punches werent dynamite. it was the combination of that quickness and aggression that made him so effective

[MadcapMaxie]

I've heard first hand accounts that go against and for Dempsey being a tremendous puncher...some like Miske I think it was said his power was overrated mainly due to his speed and agressiveness others like Willard say he hit so hard that he must've had tampered with his gloves/wrapping because there was no way a man that size could hit so hard.

In any case for a man of his size his power was off the charts.

[Theron]

Listen, Dempseys power is being underrated, people saying hes not a hard puncher Willard had an iron jaw and it was a heavyweight iron jaw and we know what Dempsey did too him.

[dyna]

Originally Posted by Theron

Listen, Dempseys power is being underrated, people saying hes not a hard puncher Willard had an iron jaw and it was a heavyweight iron jaw and we know what Dempsey did too him.

Technically Dempsey lost when he left the ring after the first round because he thought he already won.
It's just that Willard didn't exploit it... because farmers aren't the smartest.

[Unforgiven]

Originally Posted by Seamus

He hit Tunney with a combo, albeit a viscious combo, to put him down. Putting down 190 pounders with combo's, allowing them to rise KD you does not a great heavyweight puncher make.

I agree.
But has there ever been a great heavyweight puncher ?
Most these guys are just products of good matchmaking. Look at Shavers, Foreman, they struggled to put away guys who weren't even a tenth as tough as li'l Gene Tunney.
Half the time Foreman just pushed his opponents around until they'd have enough. Circus strongman stuff.

[Theron]

Originally Posted by dyna

Technically Dempsey lost when he left the ring after the first round because he thought he already won.
It's just that Willard didn't exploit it... because farmers aren't the smartest.

No cause technically he got back in time... and plus it was Dempseys manager who called him back... it wasnt Willard or any of his team saying come back they didnt say anything so i dont know what your saying about Willard not exploiting it he exploited it as far as he could by not saying anything, the only way he could have exploited it any further was to go and grab Tex and shut him up...

[Unforgiven]

George Foreman's power is probably the most overrated.
Look how many punches it took him to put Ron Lyle away.

[MadcapMaxie]

Originally Posted by Unforgiven

George Foreman's power is probably the most overrated.
Look how many punches it took him to put Ron Lyle away.

I disagree Lyle had a good chin and alot of heart and Foreman was confidence shot having just been destroyed by Ali. In any case Foreman unlike say Joe Louis had clubbing power and just wailed away until his man submitted under the sheer force, while a man like Louis was much more accurate, better timing and threw precise combinations. Majority of people who spoke of Foreman's power spoke of it very highly one early opponent said that when he on a farm he waskicked in the head by a horse and knocked out for 2 days straight yet said Foreman punches were harder another opponent said he hit about as hard Lyle but that Shavers hit harder than both combined.

Power is something you cannot truly asses based on filmic evidence alone.

[Absolutely!]

Originally Posted by Unforgiven

George Foreman's power is probably the most overrated.
Look how many punches it took him to put Ron Lyle away.

Nah, that title definitely goes to Shavers.

[MadcapMaxie]

Originally Posted by Absolutely!

Nah, that title definitely goes to Shavers.

EVERYBODY who faced Shavers said that he hit the hardest, him not being able to KO high quality opponents speaks more of his abilities as a boxer rather than his supposed lack of power. What does everyone say about Shavers? Slow, chinny, bad stamina and bad finisher < these go towards him not being able to KO higher quality opponents not his lack of power.

[Absolutely!]

Originally Posted by MadcapMaxie

EVERYBODY who faced Shavers said that he hit the hardest, him not being able to KO high quality opponents speaks more of his abilities as a boxer rather than his supposed lack of power. What does everyone say about Shavers? Slow, chinny, bad stamina and bad finisher < these go towards him not being able to KO higher quality opponents not his lack of power.

No, it speaks for his overrated power and inability to knock fighters unconscious without hitting and holding them behind the head.

What did Quarry say about Shavers's power out of interest?

[dyna]

Originally Posted by Theron

No cause technically he got back in time... and plus it was Dempseys manager who called him back... it wasnt Willard or any of his team saying come back they didnt say anything so i dont know what your saying about Willard not exploiting it he exploited it as far as he could by not saying anything, the only way he could have exploited it any further was to go and grab Tex and shut him up...

If you leave the ring before the bout is over, you lose.

Willard only had to say, hey ref he quit.

[Ricky42791]

Originally Posted by dyna

If you leave the ring before the bout is over, you lose.

Willard only had to say, hey ref he quit.

I dont think willard minded getting a little extra rest, and Jack did legally make it back in time for the next round. Besides Willard would forever be known as a sore loser and a little bitch for taking advantage of such a technicality

[Seamus]

Originally Posted by Nightcrawler

this post is awesome but selling dempsey a bit short. i've argued too that he isn't a heavy puncher in the grand scheme but he made up for it with speed. he was a vicious and tremendously fast puncher, his individual punches werent dynamite. it was the combination of that quickness and aggression that made him so effective

Dempsey was a great puncher. He did sometimes sell himself completely out to land a punch, but whatever, he was a risk taker who wanted to end every fight as soon as possible. Fun to watch at the very least.

[Ricky42791]

Dempsey was pretty much the first combination puncher. He threw fast hard punches in bunches and his left hooks were devastating. He didnt have that Marciano/Foreman brute strength but rather vicious punches with bad intentions written all over them. Marciano could put you down and out with Suzie Q but you'd take a lot more punishment from a dempsey combination than a Marciano right hand if that makes sense. Although controversial the Sharkey KO is a good example of his power, that shot only traveled about 6 inches and it lifted Sharkey off his feet and knocked him out. He dropped Firpo numerous times with hard shots before finally putting him away. Marciano is more of a sledge hammer Dempsey is more of a baseball bat not as powerful but much faster and still concussive. Not shavers type power with slow thudding but explosive like Mike Tyson. He also really torqued his shots with his whole body weight. Tyson and Dempsey are very similar-- punches in bunches super fast and explosive not like Marciano/Shavers or Foreman its no coincidence either the manassa mauler was tysons idol