Dempey had a great chin for a cruiserweight ... no doubt he was very tough but he did not fight anywhere near the punchers Tyson did ... Mike had a terrific chin .. you really just cannot callit for Dempsey based on the facts ... ay best an incomplete ..
Bets way to measure this is swap their opposition around. Does Tyson get knocked out of the ring by Firpo? Does Dempsey survive the onlsaught from Douglas, Holyfield, Ruddock and Lewis?
Tyson had the better chin..... But even so...I would say Dempsey was tougher because of his heart (yeah, yeah, people will say something about Fireman Jim Flynn, etc, but that was a hard time in US, can´t blame him)....
Tyson. He faced bigger punchers it took significantly more to get him to the canvas. I think Tyson has one of the highest punch resistance for a Heavyweight Champion.
Dempsey. Tyson didn't really turn the tide of a fight based upon his punch resistance like Dempsey did, nor did he ever survive a protracted beating of any kind.
You can't pick and choose different external issues which you deem more important. People handle different situations very differently. Fireman Flynn stopped him in the first round. Is it arguable that Dempsey took a dive? Possible. But it's equally possible that Dempsey was knocked out cold.
Dempsey was knocked out of the ring...and came back in and KO'd Firpo in the 2nd round back in 1923...Tyson never got off the canvas to come back to win a fight...never mind being knocked out of the ring...go with Dempsey...
Different fighters react differently to getting tagged hard, based on their individual physiology I guess. It's not always about "would he get knocked down by this guy" or "would he be physically wobbled by that guy". Some fighters get knocked silly by punches but stay on their feet, they are "out on their feet", tweety birds and stars circling their heads. Some fighters touch down briefly but are clear headed and on steady legs within a second or two. Both Dempsey and Tyson had very good chins. You cannot really compare one to the other. Of course Firpo would be unlikely to knock Tyson out of the ring, because he basically had to lean and push a 192 pound Dempsey to get him through the ropes. It was a half-push at least. Tyson's a 216 pound compact fighter, maybe Firpo would push him back, but he's unlikely to be able to tip him over like he did Dempsey. On the other hand, maybe Dempsey' physiology would allow him to roll with the kind of punishment Douglas or Holyfield would dish out.
None of them had what you might call a cast iron jaw. But they did n't possess glass chins either. About equal.
Dempsey never took the kind of beatings Tyson did, from the kind of punchers Tyson fought. So its not right to say 'just beacuse Tyson didnt get up and turn the fight around Dempsey has the better chin' Also i feel its very overstated this whole Tyson never got up off the canvas and turned the fight around. Not many ATG heavys did either. How many actually got up and turned the fight around, in a fight they were LOSING? I dont think Ali ever did, nor did Lewis, nor did Tyson. I dont think Foreman ever did (maybe against Lyle? but was Foreman losing that fight?), i dont Frazier ever did either. Ill have to double check Tyson did turn the fight around against Botha. Its just the only times Tyson was behind was against Douglas, Holyfield and Lewis. I dont think Tysons got anything to be ashamed of there. Dempsey may have better recuperative skills and more will to win than Tyson, but chin, no way.
How long would Dempsey last with Douglas, Holyfield and Lewis? And do you really think a guy like Firpo would knock Tyson out of the ring...when the above named couldnt?