How good was Dempsey's title reign?

Carp had been the European HW Champion since June 1913, ONE MONTH AFTER HARRY STARTED HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER! He took the EBU LHW honors in February 1913, and the European MW Title in February 1912, ALMOST A YEAR BEFORE GREB BEGAN HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER! (Prior to that, the Orchid Man was EBU WW Champ in 1911.) While Harry was building up his legend through the advantage of living in a neutral country, Carp was inactive due to valorous wartime service.

Did Greb deserve shots ahead of Miske and Brennan? Probably, but Jack had apparently made pacts with KO Bill and the Thunderbolt that whichever of them got to the title first would afford the other a shot at it. There's no way Harry deserved a shot ahead of Carp though, who had waited the better part of two decades and survived the deadliest war in human history to get to this point. On top of that, the fact remains that they did combine to produce that inaugural million dollar gate, a live audience of 80,183, and more listening on radio.

Harry had 130 fights during Carp's wartime hiatus, but I have too many war veterans in my family (including a few who were gassed in Europe during WW I) to even contemplate suggesting that Harry should have gotten a title shot ahead of Carp. I just can't. Take away WW I, and Carp could well get a heavyweight shot before Greb's 1917 rise to MW contention. (That's assuming Willard could have been any kind of fighting champion.)

Yes, I agree with those who believe Harry was the P4P GOAT, and posted opinions saying so well before Stonehands published his series finale "The God of War." But Carp had waited too long already, in an era where the LHW Champion was frequently viewed as a top HW contender. He had held the EBU HW Title for eight years and defended it twice after the war ended. Harry was never a regional champion at the HW level. Taken within the context of 1921, Carp had established a HW pedigree which made him an acceptable challenger for Dempsey in public opinion.

 

JAB & McGrain... you have no evidence to back-up anything you are claiming here only your own assumptions.
1/. if a poll was held in Manchester in 2008 asking who should be next to fight David Haye - Wlad or Hatton the poll would read 4-1 Hatton.

2/. What you repeatedly leave out of your argument is that when Greb sparred with Dempsey they wore 16oz gloves not 4oz used in prizefights.

3/. you ignore the fact that Gene Tunney beat Greb and had to wait years for his title fight with Dempsey.

4/. you both claim Dempsey said he was afraid of Langford when he was in his youth yet never acknowledge Langford saying "Dempsey was the greatest fighter he ever seen" or that Langford said "Dempsey would beat Harry Wills" whom he fought many times over.

5/. you ignore the claim of Harry Greb that in his own words he thought Dempsey would beat him.

everything you both have claimed on this topic is only your own assumptions with those assumptions never being voiced by any boxing historian and you ignore any links which show historians rate Dempsey as the greatest fighter who ever lived yet you post links by those same historians to back-up your arguments on other topics