Could Dempsey Be Competitive with Modern Super Heavies?

Perhaps it is more a question of whether they could be competitive with him.

 

Dempsey couldn`t handle Tunney`s jab because as he crouched down coming forwards his head dipped down moving it closer to Tunney`s lead hand meaning Gene`s jab didn`t have to travel far to land making it harder to evade, Cus D`Amato pointed this out to Ali, stating that Muhammed would have had little trouble dealing with Dempsey for this reason and it makes sense, I feel any heavy with a good jab and a reach longer than Gene`s might have been too much for Jack, Fury has a reach of 85 in! No way could Jack have hit a 6'8-9 boxer with an active guard like Fury, he wouldn`t get past Wilder`s lead either and AJ would just keep tings at long reach with his guard up, no I think Jack would have stuck with the cruisers, Willard couldn`t jab like any of today`s top heavies.

 

Fred Fulton had the height and reach of a modern super heavyweight, and was said to have had one of the best jabs in the business, and he lasted a grand total of 23 seconds.

I don't dismiss DAmato's observations, but I don't think that a jab alone would get you very far against Dempsey.

 

With the rule set and gloves of Dempsey's time, yes I'm quite confident he could. With modern gloves and rules I'm not as sure. (For instance Dempsey plastered Fulton so fast by lowering his guard with a couple wicked body shots, which I'd imagine are far more punishing in smaller gloves. I think there were only three or four punches thrown in the whole fight.)

 

How good was Big Bill Tate's jab? It would be interesting to know how prominently that figured in their sparring sessions.

 

without an issue, yes.

 

Based on the surviving footage, a key component of their sparring sessions, was training Dempsey to avoid the jab.

How good was Tate?

There is circumstantial evidence that he was better than his record suggests.

 

Great chin ,severe punching power, a lot harder to hit than given credit for .He'd definitely hang with them and More .Dempster's s a killer What ever era he's in .

 

AND DEONTAY WILDER IS HIT WITH A PARALYZING LEFT HOOK, AND SENT DOWN TO THE CANVAS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER

Yes I'd say he'd do very well, until the Hollywood women get to him again...

 

Lol because clearly Fred Fulton was a skilled and as good as modern fighters. You dudes who still live in your fantasy worlds where these 160 to 190 pound guys from 80 years ago could compete with modern fighters. Dempsey couldn't compete with modern fighters his size now days. Dempsey and every fighter doing that era would be consider club fighters of amateurs just based off their skill level.

Any half way decent current heavyweight could destroy anybody from Dempsey's era.

 

Dempsey was a killer using 4 ounce gloves, again unskilled 180 pound white fighters. Yeah so that must mean he could compete against guys who are much bigger than him and much more skilled than him.

 

whats this "could dempsey contend with a jab". wtf. could they contend with demps throwing punches in bunches at them. A slow jab is a points winner, not a tool to stop getting koed.

 

why are the gassing fatsos starting late from failed first careers, more learned than dempsey learning his trade as a kid?

wat - cos they'd got a videoplayer to watch fights on? cos thsats such a better way to learn things than actually doing them with a ten year headstart, yeh?

 

not must mean, he did.