Tyson versus Dempsey

He's not the most protected fighter on the forum. Some of the best regular intelligent postors like yourself, Bokaj and ChrisPontius put in a lot of time dismantling his reputation and scrutinizing his accomplishments.

Dempsey is probably the ONLY fighters who was rated as a pound-for-pound great 60 years ago who is likely to be laughed out of a p4p TOP FIFTY on this forum today. There's probably a dozen guys here who would scream if you had him in the top 100 !

I didn't say persecuted. You did.

 

The difference between the Lewis and Dempsey cases absolutely exists in the way I was saying.
I'm just less sure of the "drawing a line" system of considering relevant careers. Perhaps all losses can count somewhat, as ChrisPontius suggests.

Lewis seemed quite irrelevant to me too, but you asked about my estimation of him v. McCall in comparison to Dempsey v. Flynn.
And I understand why.

Braddock's just a good example of how a fighter perhaps cannot wipe away fairly recent losses with an improvement - the losses always hang a cloud of doubt over his alleged caliber.
He was never much good, and his record shows it.
There's reason to say he hit a late peak around '34 - '35 with his best spell, a marked improvement perhaps, which is well-documented.
But there's also very good reason to doubt that he's suddenly a "different fighter" or improved enough not to rate him far above the hapless journeyman he was in 1932 and '33. There's plenty of reason to be sceptical, esp. the way he doesn't even look much good against Baer, IMO.

:good

 

And, judging from the general mood, comments and lists I see on this forum, I'm sure many here would agree 100% with you, and would feel the same way.

So, considering where he was rated 40, 50, 60 years ago in a p4p sense, his standing certainly has not been well-protected here at all.

 

Some of them would probably feel sorry for you, having never had a chance to see those fighters and reduced to 'virtual expert' in the computer age, light years removed from boxing's heyday.

 

I think he may have watched just as much footage of film that doesnt even exist, as you have of any fights from the 60's till present day

 

I wonder if Dempsey knew how to jab? :think

 

Considering he KTFO'd Brennan with one i'd assume it was alright, an old school power jab. There's a lot about it in his boxing manual, which is pretty easy to find.

It's possible that the Dempsey we see had deteriorated as a sharpshooter/straight puncher as early as the miske bout.

 

It's hard to find pound-for-pound lists, but Dempsey's name was always still being thrown in the mix in the 60s and 70s, alongside Robinson, Louis, Armstrong.
As a heavyweight, Dempsey was near enough always number 1 or 2, (and top 4 at the very least - even until the 80s).

Ray Arcel, of course.


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