Dempsey's crazy 1st round KO record

"I was a miner and I was a cowboy but mostly I was a hobo. I fought wherever I could, in school halls, outside saloons, any place they were putting up a purse. I once walked thirty miles across the desert to a town called Goldfield in Nevada so I could fight for twenty dollars.

I got beat a lot. I improved. But I remember the beatings I took. Once I got beat so bad they had to take me out of the ring in a wheelbarrow. Later some said I was a killer in the ring. They got that wrong. I killed nobody. But I took out other guys quick. That much is true. I got more one round knockouts than anybody, sixty knockouts in the first round.

I beat a good Heavyweight in New Orleans once in fourteen seconds. I knocked out Fred Fulton, six-foot-four, 250 pounds, in nineteen seconds. How come? Not because I was a killer. Other way round. I was always afraid that I'd be the one who was killed. Get 'em quick and you live to fight another day."




60 1st round KOs.



While it's true that some of those occured in semi pro, barely regulated barroom brawls, and some happened without the neutral corner rule, it's still very impressive. It speaks to both the quickness/ferocity of Dempsey as well as his superb finishing ability.

Statistically, if he manages to hurt you, it's very unlikely you'll make it to the 2nd. In terms of h2h discussions, that must count for something regardless of how you rate his era or your attitude towards his size/technique. The guy was fast as hell, hit like a truck, could be very elusive, good accuracy, and showed zero mercy. His power was effective on very large opponents.

My question is: Is Dempsey the most dangerous fighter of all time in the first round?

 

There was one time when Liston lost to Marry Marshall.

Or Wladmir lost to Ross Purrity.

I could go on.

Both had far more experience than debuting Dempsey.

 

Modern big men over 220 lbs can't move as quickly as Dempsey. Wilder and Usyk are the only guys in the modern era with good fast twitch muscle and athleticism for their size. A lot of them are lumbering behemoths.

I think Dempsey would have a harder time with the tall movers who had good jabs of the 80's than most guys of today's era, and that says a lot.

 

From Google:

"Strychnine prevents the proper operation of the chemical that controls nerve signals to the muscles. The chemical controlling nerve signals works like the body's “off switch” for muscles. When this “off switch” does not work correctly, muscles throughout the body have severe, painful spasms.

When ingested, strychnine causes muscular convulsions before death through asphyxia."

Can I ask why a boxer would intentionally take strychnine?

 

Willard showed insane toughness despite his arrogant attitude. He was the opposite of a bully who folds when getting hit back and seriously tried to win. He just had absolutely no chance against the mad tasmanian devil tearing him whenever he attempted to land something.

It's a bit like the Foreman vs Frazier fight. The fact such a big puncher dropped Frazier 6x and he could still get his feet on his own shows how good Fraziers chin was. A glass jawed or even an average jawed fighter isn't getting up that many times against so many flush bombs to the head.

I agree the Willard fight was Dempsey at his peak in terms of ferocity. He channeled a rage you usually only see in people who are defending their home from a break in. The sweet science combined with raw savagery. He had enough sense to use lateral movement, head movement, and paced himself well in smoldering heat while landing 4, 5, 6 punch brutal combinations.