Great article posted over on CBZ by Jack Johnson concerning Dempsey with some insightful comments concerning Fitzsimmons, Langford... http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...740,4893899&dq
good read, I have come accross some of the lines elsewhere I think Johnson is being a bit harsh though, and he does have many reasons to be, good and bad Dempsey sometimes used straight punches like a jab or a right cross, he was also a good inside fighter, ripping uppercutts and hooks nicely it's true he didn't seem to know how to box, only to fight, but what a fighter he was ! he was fighting inside of his capacity or skill set, and it worked for him most of the time
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=SCE0ypLQHGcC&dat=19290417&printsec=frontpage&hl=fr this would be what followed the next day interesting to see that Johnson picked Dempsey to KO Wills in 2 or 3 rounds
He's bitter because Dempsey stole his thunder with exiting fights instead of tying everyone up all the time. I'll admit there is some veracity in his analysis but it sounds more like a personal thing then a non-bias theory. Personally I think Jack Dempsey vs Jack Johnson would be a horribly boring fight. Too much clinching kind of like Tyson vs Bone Crusher smith.
Good stuff, here is the next days page. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kWpjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G3kNAAAAIBAJ&pg=992,5017143
OK, where the hell are all those folks lambasting me for suggesting that after John Lester Johnson, hero-to-Classicists Jack Dempsey wanted nothing doing with colored fighters? Well, Jack Johnson says the same thing almost verbatim to my post.
I recall Jerry Quarry quoted as saying something similar ,from Ring Magazine Sept 2000. The article was "Boxing Old-Timers - 'Magical or Mythical'" by Phil Berger 'Back in '68,heavy-weight contender Jerry Quarry would tell me:"Dempsey's hands were bunched close against his chest.He came straight in at you ,low,with the weave,of course,and the hook started from out to the side of his body-not a quick chop,but a real sidearm swing,which wasted space and wasted time.Sure,he hit hard when he landed.But against the quick,sharp guys around today,Dempsey would be knocked flat on his duff the moment he got halfway into that hook-by a fast move in,and a right hand crossed to his head. "And I've seen the rest of them on film... Baer, Carnera, Willard, Firpo, Sharkey... They fought with their hands down,like a bunch of washerwomen. Forget it,Friend.Of the old bunch,the only one who would bother me,mentally,in advance,would be Marciano.The rest I'd figure to take out without much trouble."' .....