He'd have had a lot harder time in the 20 s down in weight, how much his punching power would have been affected its hard to say. But his chin would have been the same, so if he was fighting the same sort of schedule that heavy s had back then he'd have had a heck more Ls on his record for sure. He had heart so he'd have been involved in some cracking fight s im sure. How far he gets its hard to say.
Guess, if Morrison had the skills he had in the 90's, back in the 20's, he would KO'd numerous chumps at the start of his career in vicious style. You don't think he'd be as marketed then as he was in the 90's? That's a ridiculous notion. He'd be marketed even more so. Have you seen the flowery language used to described fighters and theirs kills back then? He'd be built up much the same way Dempsey was when he was coming up. There would be no other way.
So you reckon he'd have been a big name coming up back then? Not disputing it at all. Just trying to look at morrison from a different perspective. Taking him out of the 90 s and putting him in the 20s. It's not hard to imagine him being built up as a star player.
I'd imagine he'd have the same hype machine around him Dempsey had, if not more so. That was just the nature of the times and how they built people up. His body alone would make him a phenom back then. Couple that with him destroying people with that picture perfect left hook, and I'd imagine they'd think he was the second coming of _____
Based on what I've seen on film from Wills, Gibbons, Brennan and Greb's ( not on film in the ring ) size, I think Morrison would likely beat all of the above names. While Wills is a heavyweight legend, he did not have a good defense or take the best punch. So this is a close match up, but I'd side with Morrison. Yes, he would be a top contender, worthy of a title shot to Dempsey, whom I think he would lose to.
Dempsey fought for years without any great hype or great matchmaking behind him. He struggled. He did quite poorly in 1916 in New York. He generally showed a lot of toughnes but was not outstanding. It wasn't until he got with Doc Kearns that he was managed and matched right, didn't have to work other jobs and then he started to get better and was properly hyped. If Dempsey hadn't been so tough he'd have been KO'd significantly more than once in those years. Morrison would have been KO'd way more, and far too much in the early years if he wasn't managed right and had to work other jobs and take fights at late notice and for peanuts, like most the up-and-comers did then. He get KO'd too much to get the kind of attention and momentum. He simply didn't take a punch well. Morrison was sponsored and matched right from the very beginning. I'm not saying he had it easy but he was steered and sponsored as a full-time paid prospect contender from day one. By 1989 he had Bill Cayton as a co-manager, the beginning of 1990 he was starring in a Rocky film and getting massive attention. He was suitably protected at the time.
I understand fully what you're saying, but I don't agree he'd get struggle. Have you seen some of the fighters from back then actually fight? Some of these "contenders" were very crude and would be going HOLY **** when they encountered somebody like Morrison. They would've never seen somebody like him. You act like he had no boxing skills when needed. He did. I'm not saying he has the best chin, but why on God's green earth would you expect somebody was far less boxing skills then him, to somehow survive his power shots, before finally getting to him? They wouldn't, they'd be KO'd before his chin was ever tested. I don't think you appreciate the gap him in skill with Morrison compared to some of these men you're speaking of. I'm not talking about the elite, I'm talking about the fillers fighters fight coming up. It no way shape or form are they likely to test his chin before he tests theirs. It nice to say stuff like Morrison doesn't have a chin and would get KO'd, while totally forgetting that he would've likely got to all these scrubs much earlier. Don't have this same vision as you do of him coming up and struggling, not by a long shot.
Good perceptive post !Morrison's complexion wouldn't have hurt either. I doubt Morrison would have been counted out much ,the 20's wasn't really a golden age for heavies as Carpentier being part of a million dollar gate proves!
Come on dude really? Show some class. Out side of Dempsey how many 20's era fighters have anyone seen fight? And how many Dempsey fights that have been filmed? Again were going off sports writers of the era( same sports writers who said blacks are not capable of defeating a white in the ring because of inherited yellow streak) too say even a Morrison level modern fighter wouldn't be successful in that decade against some fighters weighing at middle/light heavy fighting for heavy weight championships is nostageic foolishness. If we had a time machine and could deliver Morrison to that decade he'd go undeafeated. Don't get me wrong. Fighters from the past are far,far more skilled then fighters in the modern era. And esp the last 20-25 yrs. But, But, in my opinion their is a cut off, and lower than the 30's and 40's I don't see anything a modern era fighter (Fighters about 6'2"or 3"and taller weighing 210 and above) would actually have to fear. If we could transport a Morrison of the early 90's to that decade and earlier he'd go undeafeated.
His left hook would become the most feared and most talked about punch in the world. Morrison would definitely be champion material back in the 20s. Kearns would try to move heaven and earth to get Dempsey to avoid Morrison.
And yet with all this talent, only eight men fought for the title in the entire decade. And four of those had been light heavy or lower, before.