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Tyson just seemed stronger, he wins, though i'd not count jack out. demps of course likely wins the best of 3 over 5 years, given tysons poor longevity.
tyson was a mid-range fighter with very quick feet. he had the ability to slide on the inside and bomb his opponents.
And there lay the seeds of his destruction. A guy who actually had the balls to try to crowd him, suddenly makes the fight competitive. Easier said than done of course!
Yeah, Janitor Futch, you're the first to come up with that idea Too bad the guys who tried it during his primes years ended up in survival mode.
Dempsey and Tyson were alike in that they were both swarmers. From the opening bell both were looking to knock out there opponents. In that respect, Dempsey was the greater, in that he had 25 1st round ko's I believe. Dempsey, was also a better infighter in my opinion. He had ko power in either hand. Opponents would speak of coming out of a fight with Dempsey, "full of welts and bruises and every bone aching". I watch the bout vs Sharkey, and see him lifted off his feet by a Dempsey left hook that probably travels 6". Dempsey's speed of hand/foot is among the best in heavyweight history. Dempsey, is a hard fighter to hit cleanly and was rugged enough to take punishment. I, recall reading Tunney stating that he couldn't hit Dempsey cleanly and that Dempsey could recover faster that any person he fought.That he "was dangerous with a 5 second break". Dempsey, came from a different time and world, where if you got knocked down, you got up or you didn't eat. Life was tough and it hardened you. It may be Dempsey where the phrase "killer instinct" was coined when speaking about a fighter. Dempsey, wanted to hurt you in the ring and was cold blooded and ferocious in the way he went about doing it. Dempsey, reminds me of a heavyweight version of Duran in many respects. I'm a big Dempsey fan. However I think an early 20's version of Dempsey has too many physical dis-advantages against Tyson whom I'm also a big fan of, in the ring at least. However, if Dempsey had the modern nutrition/training this would probably put him in the 210-215 range. I imagine he would also be around 6'2".This version of Dempsey would be a modern day terror. The early 20's Dempsey was nearly 6'1" and weighed in around 193. The biggest punchers in heavyweight history all had large wrists. Louis had 8" wrists along with Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Dempsey had 9" wrists. Dempsey is a larger natural man then Holyfield. A modern Dempsey, is a larger man. Given PEDS, like I feel Holyfield took, this version of Dempsey is a holy terror in the ring. I have always liked the heavyweight swarmers. Dempsey, Marciano, Frazier and Tyson. Where Dempsey ran into trouble was with boxers. He's a great fighter but watching films he doesn't cut off the ring against Gibbons or Tunney who boxed circles around him. Anyway, matching the real versions of Dempsey/Tyson I think Dempsey probably would get knocked out. But it would be a great brawl while it lasted.
If it is to be conceded that Tyson was the quicker and more powerful of the two, that still does not weigh the fact he'd be faced with the most offensively capable opponent of his career. Nor does it explain how the fight would unfold. The profligacy with which this "bigger, faster, stronger" argument appears merely reduces fighters to trump cards. There's no analysis. If Tyson doesn't catch Dempsey sweet in the early goings it's going to turn into a fire-fight. Furthermore, when Dempsey was hurt he was dangerous; no teetering away in fear, just forward motion, dipping and syncing hooks to the jaw. As Janitor rightly pointed out, in a bout of incoming traffic there's going to be some inside scrapping, and here lies a great disparity. One guy waltzed in the mud. The other worked like a rash. As the taller man Dempsey is going to be the beneficiary of leverage, rabbit punch, uppercut, show Mike he is not in the least phased and grin at the attempted elbow. Tyson had a distinct, preferred range that (sometimes) gave his work a clunky quality - overreaching with jabs and rushing back into a clinch. Dempsey was all activity, hard to shut down. If Tyson doesn't piledrive the man whom inspired his style and early he is going to discover that he has less and less in common with him.
Well said Ted...Along with my man Joe Louis, Dempsey, Louis and Tyson were the 3 greatest offensive heavyweights ever in modern times...cheers.:good
I wouldn't even rank Dempsey above Tubbs. Certainly not Ruddock or even an old Holmes. And for all of Dempsey's riverboat gambling offense, he left holes big enough to drive a Mac truck through. Tyson would exploit those as the appeared plentifully. Dempsey's inside work couldn't stop an aging light heavy in Gibbons. I doubt it would crack Tyson, certainly not before Jack paid a steep price gaining entrance inside.
