Prime Jack Dempsey vs Prime Razor Ruddock

You overestimate how out of it Willard was.

 

I cant pick a flawed fringe contender who was dropped or stopped by nearly every big puncher he faced (smith, tyson, morrison, lewis). Ruddock could take a hit, but he didnt have good recovery and that makes a huge difference.

 

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And how many rounds did it take Lewis to crack that chin and toughness. Sheeeet, the guy was ko by weakchinned halfout Morrison

 

What' s The answers?

 

He was a part time boxer to begin with. Dempsey got him at 37 with only 10 lackluster rounds in the previous 4 years. Even at that, his second best victory was who? He was beaten to a pulp by a light heavy. Tell me, how is it possible to overestimate how out of it Willard was?

 

Ruddock was certainly flawed. He also had a very low boxing IQ. In other words he didn't use all his talent to its fullest.

On the other hand a guy like Firpo looked pretty shitty on film and he clubbed Dempsey out of the ring. Razor's Smash could change Dempsey's life.

 

It's difficult to argue against the inactivity, but on the other hand, is it possible to overestimate how thoroughly Dempsey trounced him? Perhaps his injuries were exaggerated, but it's not for nothing that the loaded gloves myth arose.

 

Huge Dempsey fan here and even I can't see him besting someone as big, fast and powerful as a prime Ruddock. Dude would be trying to whack Dempsey's head off with every punch thrown. Forget "Bad Intentions", more like "Slaughterhouse Decapitation Intentions".

And I never thought Ruddock had the best boxing I.Q. as someone above already noted. I just don't think it's fair to ship Ruddock in a DeLorean and send him back to 1924.

 

By watching the film lol

Willard turned pro at like 30 years old so your 37 years old is an obvious attempt at a misrepresentation.

 

C and D

 

Tyson is an altogether higher class of fighter than Jack Dempsey.

I agree that Dempsey would beat Ruddock by knock out, however.

 

How?

 

Yeah, he was active in exhibitions and training. A heavyweight title fight was off the the table for several years due to the famine and World War 1.

Willard and Fulton were supposed to fight for the belt as the famine started. The public rebuked it when they found out about the purse amounts.

 

He was doing roping and riding cowboy exhibitions, basically a circus performer. He was often referred to by the press as a "pacifist". He declared in November 1917 that he was ready to retire and that he preferred the circus (he was also reported to be over 300 pounds). He declared again in May 1918 that he was retiring and not assigning a successor. Talk in the columns was that he should abdicate for Fulton or Dempsey to be declared the champ.

The Fulton match-up, proposed as early as 1916, was engineered to be a Red Cross charity bout but Willard stalled long enough for Dempsey to take care of the Plasterer.

To quote the Trenton Evening Times... "There never has a more over-rated champion than the the present master of the heavyweight. Willard has failed to demonstrate even once that he is worthy the title he is carrying around."

 

He proved himself against the best of his division as champion and defended against his top contenders.

Jack Dempsey did not.


Aside from that he just looks better in every way