I think it fair to ask if Matthews was more of a hype job than Carpentier and perhaps even Tommy Gibbons.
"One could make the argument the Jack Dempsey who Tunney beat in the return fight was better than anyone Rocky Marciano ever beat." Certainly a lot of folks make that argument. My argument would be why couldn't the younger and bigger Gene Tunney do better than fight on about equal terms with the middle Harry Greb. And Dempsey KO'd Sharkey, but why couldn't the bigger and younger Sharkey do better than fight on equal terms with Mickey Walker. So Dempsey's two best opponents couldn't dominate older and probably more shopworn fighters both of whom would at a later date actually still make the middleweight limit. This could be viewed as pulling down these heavies more than it elevates the middles. My take is that heavyweight boxing improved a great deal between the 1920's and the 1950's.
Walcott’s left hook was so fast and sharp in the Marciano fight, and his right was so sneaky..he was throwing bombs in the Marciano fight. I don’t know how Marciano stayed on his feet. Walcott had great feet. Not as fast as in 47 as against Louis, but he mixed in the walk away “waltz” quite a few times against Marciano
It isn't an excuse it's just laying out what he did and what many of us would have done in his place. In following the path he did Dempsey was emulating Sullivan,Corbett,Fitz,Jeffries ,Willard ,but it seems only Jack gets up your nose for doing so.
Walcott was finished after that fight...left everything on the table. He wanted that one badly. The 53 fight was a pay day nothing more
The problem is jack missing out on the best of his era and instead fighting losers of title eliminators and 2nd raters. Had jack fought Greb and Wills, their would be no reason to be critical about Dempsey’s career. Greb and Wills proved themselves leaps and bounds better than the rest of the division
Jeffries defended his title every year. Certainly Sullivan, Corbett, and Willard are wide open for the same criticism and by the way receive it. Fitz? To some extent. But I don't think he ever took two years in a row off like Sullivan, Corbett, Willard, and Dempsey. And all of them (except Fitz) get criticism from me for drawing the color line. And we can add Tunney to that list.
Rocky ruined a few guys. Lastarza,Cockelll,Charles,Walcott,Layne.None ever did that much after. Id say the same about Mathews but he didnt take any punishment and he wasn't that much to start with.Only Moore still had a few good results after tangling with Rocky.
They all picked up easy money on the vaudeville circuit. Johnson too. I'm not referring to the colour bar.
I guess I have a tough time figuring out what point your making, at least about boxing, and this is a boxing board, not a financial board or society board. Dempsey and others could certainly make money by exploiting a fame won through boxing outside of boxing. But like John Mack Brown whom I referenced, and who probably made more money in a week at MGM than he could have in a year in the 1920's NFL, what does this have to do with an athletic career? I wouldn't criticize Brown because he never pursued a pro football career and so neither Brown himself nor his fans claimed he was a great pro football player. Dempsey fans do say he was an all time great or even the greatest, so his performance as a boxer is the bottom line for him. On this basis, however, the #1 guy has to be Gene Tunney who chucked his boxing career and the heavyweight title to marry into the Carnegie fortune. He is the greatest boxer to the same extent that Peter Lawford is the greatest Hollywood actor because he married into the Kennedy family. "I'm not referring to the colour bar." Well, you implied a question in the post I responded to about why I am critical of Dempsey more than other champions. Two reasons. One, he did not defend his title at a reasonable rate even against worthy white contenders. Two, he drew the color line.
Jeez Rez i disagree with quite a few of your boxing opinions but i like having different viewpoints on the forum and you have apparently been treading on some microscopic ice. Ihave no clue what happened 2 months ago or whatever but either way you should leave it alone and stop arguing if you want to stay on the forum
