REVISED: Under 185lb Tournament, FINALS # 1 Rocky Marciano vs # 2 Jack Dempsey

Dempsey mid to late rounds tko., faster of hand and foot,and more elusive defensively. Writers in the 50's who saw both all came down in Dempsey's favour I have Ring mags saying Rocky is not on a par with the Mauler ,and I agree.

 

Please, can someone list for me the people Dempsey beat that give him this aura that he has around here. Which top ATG fighters did he beat please.

 

At his best ? No one in MY opinion. Who do I think had the best shot ? Joe Louis. An early Mike Tyson. A young uncuffed Sonny Liston.
Louis because he was the most perfect heavyweight puncher of them all.Joe was described as a "coil spring unwinding".
Mike Tyson,when young could flatten anybody with his powerful uppercuts
if he caught you.
Sonny Liston ,at age 25-30 was great,could box,powerful puncher with either hand and faster than Foreman.
To me these guys because of styles would be the biggest threat to Dempsey, but I still pick the prime Dempsey because of his bobbing and weaving style,hard to hit flush on the chin ,fast welterweight movements, combined with a great left-hook and potent right hand. And his do or die attitude, never matched by a heavyweight.
And I believe in the OPINIONS of experts who SAW Dempsey prior to his 3 year layoff,such as Sam Langford, Hype Igoe, Damon Runyon,Grantland Rice,Mickey Walker, Gene Tunney, Jack Sharkey, Max Schmeling, Ray Arcel,
and a host of boxing writers who proclaimed Dempsey the best heavyweight they ever saw. And I, who read history, concur. If I'm wrong,
I'm with great company !!!Cheers C...

 

Gotcha. Jack does look impressive on film and he sure as hell had quite the reputation as a destroyer.

You mentioned earlier that if Dempsey is to lose it would be against a fleet-footed boxer. Say we take a bigger, physically strong, very fleet-footed boxer with a proven great chin and iron will and put him in with Dempsey, would you give him a good chance?


Or is suggesting Ali a bit too much for you?

 

but who did he beat to receive such an aura of the best ever.. Which atg fighters did he beat.. let alone destroy to recieve such a moniker? I'm being serious.. I mean to be considered the best of all time.. shouldn't you have had to beat some of the best all time?

 

He beat Jess Willard and Luis Firpo

 

I favor Marciano to win sometime after 9 round in a war. Stylistically I feel he has the edge.
Dempsey is faster but will certainly not be able to fight Marciano from the outside; this fight will be fought mid to close range where Marciano's superior chin and stamina will come into play.
Stylistically as I mentioned earlier, Marciano has the edge:
Both fighters excelled when fighting taller opponents and in this case Dempsey will be at a disadvantage. Marciano will be fighting a taller opponent which he was very much used to, but Dempsey will be fighting someone shorter who will also be fighting out of a crouch. The overhand shots that destroyed numerous foes such as Willard will not come into play in this fight. Dempsey will adjust and rip Marciano to the body and head with hooks but in doing so he is going to get hit numerous times by the Marciano's famous overhand right.
Marciano's incredible ring generalship, shorter height and underrated defense would a play a huge role in this victory along with his ability to survive. He outlasts Dempsey and stops him late, probably after being dropped early on himself.

 

Marciano was used to fighting opponent who possessed better speed of hand and foot, and always found a way to win. Tough for me to see this match-up being any different, especially given that Dempsey's aggressive style will give The Rock plenty of chances to counter with more compact power-punches.

Marciano overcomes an early deficit, surges late, and secures a hard fought decision in a breath-taking war.

 

Its not so much who he beat as how he beat them.

Mike Tyson did not particularly beat anybody great during his prime rampage, but he was beating the best contenders in a quick and explosive manner. The media reaction to Dempsey was strikingly similar.

With regard to this thread, I would sam that Marciano was the greater fighter, but Dempsey probably had the style to beat him.

 

Marciano won't get stopped early and he's too much for Dempsey late. Marciano TKO13 in a brutal war.

 

I agree Dempsey & Tyson are very much alike in their meteoric rise to fame n how they were perceived by the media/fans/experts. Which is kinda my point, we now have a better idea of the quality of tyson n how him n his run should be viewed. Those same revisions dont seem to have taken plce as much with Dempsey (which is my point) My question to you Janitor.. iyo can u be considered the best or even top 5.. having never beat another atg or even close to an all-time great?

 

:good:good:good

 

Oh S,you're hysterical .... At his best he beat everyone he fought.
Dempsey did not PICK the year he was BORN. Even You S ,couldn't turn that trick...
Would you penalize Clay/Ali for never meeting Joe Louis ? Hell NO.
We can only beat the boxers of our time. And don't give me the B.S. about Dempsey not meeting Harry Wills. It is your mantra, I fear.
Aside from that fight never materialized,though they DID SIGN,whether you likje it or not,Dempsey beat convincingly whoever he fought,though I AGREE his contenders on the whole didn't compare to Ali's reign,through no fault of Dempsey's. Dempsey to have fought Ali's foes in 1964 and after would be over 70 years old by then, I fear. Yes Ali fought better fighters than Dempsey in his prime 1919-23, through no fault of the Mauler.
You deride in your thread above Willard and Firpo. True they were not great fighters, but they were big, strong and tough, and I am certain would do fairly well in today's in today's dreadnaughts...
With what I see in Dempsey's few clips of him prior to his 3 year layoff,and watching that part of Dempsey with his left hand free against Firpo,from
almost a clinch, hooking big Firpo with a series of withering left hooks,faster than any I've ever seen before and since,driving Firpo to the floor. And from almost a CLINCH ! This is the prime Manassa Maulker that took the workd by storm in 1919 and after...Cheers S....
P.S. ESB, check that out...

 

Most if not all the old-timers that saw both, say that Dempsey was better. In 1950, the sports writers of America, voted Dempsey as the Greatest fighter ever, even over Robinson, Greb, Armstrong and Louis.

I talked to many, including Ray Arcel, who told me that Dempsey was the best they ever saw.

 

yep, Marciano is definitely stronger from what I've seen, physical strength was a major part of his stlyrstic make up, he leaned all over fighters and was at times a swarmer, mainly a slugger but swarming was a massive part of his game, and physical strength is one of the biggest aspects of that style. Dempsey was more skill, speed, a bit of head movement, and punches in bunches from what I've seen. So yeah, Marciano has the definite edge in strength and Dempsey has the definite speed advantage.

I like Marciano here by stoppage I think.