If Dempsey is a modern LHW what other modern LHWs beat Willard?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Kamikaze, Feb 25, 2021.


  1. Kamikaze

    Kamikaze Bye for now! banned Full Member

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  2. swagdelfadeel

    swagdelfadeel Obsessed with Boxing

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  3. djanders

    djanders Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I can't think of any.
     
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  4. reznick

    reznick In the 7.2% Full Member

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    I wouldn’t pick any of them over Willard.
     
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  5. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Rocky Marciano of course! Floyd Patterson...Holyfield.

    Or you mean guys in the top ten now?
     
  6. BitPlayerVesti

    BitPlayerVesti Boxing Drunkie Full Member

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    The Willard that he fought?

    I'd pick Gene Tunney, Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore to beat him.

    Honestly Dempsey's best wins were probably Gibbons and Miske. Gibbons being better overall and Miske being more accomplished at heavyweight.
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2021
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  7. Kamikaze

    Kamikaze Bye for now! banned Full Member

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    Mhm Today’s- and in the early 2000s
     
  8. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Weirdly, that fight was scheduled for 12 rounds, so I think a good dunt of LHWs could expect to outpoint him over that kind of distance. Many of them would be heavier than Dempsey, too, presumably you'd want 196lb Jones from the Ruiz fight, someone like Antonio Tarver, obviously the best boxer type Willard would be anywhere near a ring with, held 200lbs with great comfort and was taller than Jack:

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    Many of these guys, in the end, are probably naturally a bit bigger than Jack Dempsey so for me I see no problem on their replicating one of their good nights to take a decision. Willard was a weak champion.

    Nobody is doing what Dempsey did to Willard though, obviously. That's the big difference.

    I wonder how B-Hop would go? He was slightly smaller than Jack, i think,but he was such a clever fighter, could he pop-pop his way to a dull decision against Willard?
     
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  9. Kamikaze

    Kamikaze Bye for now! banned Full Member

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    Ability is so important we seem to forget that here at times- Hop has it in spades and Willard was well Willard I think he has a good chance to pull it off paired with enough size to survive whenever it gets a little shaky.
     
  10. JackSilver

    JackSilver Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I don’t get this. Why would anyone consider Dempsey to be a light heavyweight, modern or otherwise? He must have been 190 pounds or so against Willard. That ain’t a light heavyweight in anyone’s book.
     
  11. young griffo

    young griffo Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Maybe a couple but they wouldn’t do it with the ferocity of Dempsey.
     
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  12. BCS8

    BCS8 VIP Member

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    Exactly, that's cruiser and there's a lot of cruisers I'd pick over Willard.
     
  13. he grant

    he grant Historian/Film Maker

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    I think that is the point .. the way Dempsey tore through him ... even a great fighter like Rocky could be held and smothered ... of curse he'd win but don't see the same blazing way .. if cruiser is under 200 then you can say a young Joe Louis who weighted 198 for Max Baer ..
     
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  14. HolDat

    HolDat Well-Known Member Full Member

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    I was thinking the same thing.
     
  15. MarkusFlorez99

    MarkusFlorez99 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    This
     
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