Marciano is the greater fighter, but Dempsey is better H2H. I can see Dempsey beating a Klitschko. Marciano's style is only good for 6'2 and below.
When facts get in the way, just bring up the old BS, plaster of Paris, horseshoes, an anchor from a battleship, ad infinitum etc...atschatschatsch
Giants only look any good fighting other giants, in an earlier time with smaller gloves an elite fighter over 180 could make an impresion much quicker againts a slower man. Today a giant looks like an "elite fighter" because there are so many other giants to fight. In dempsey or marciano's day a giant would be just a giant. ........target practice.
was evander holyfeild a big fighter? As a pro he went from 6'1'' 170lb to being listed at 6'3'' 220lb. Most heavyweights today are not over 6'3 tall and would still have a joe louis type best fighting weight of 200lb if they trained the old way.
Dempsey would have eventually been forced to trade shot for shot with the Rock by the 4th round....Jack gets frustrated and get ko"d in the 6th with a huge right hand
They both deserves credit. There's really no need for all the derogatory statements towards Dempsey's opponents. :good
Just different courses and different horses - I think they both get credit - I would say tho (certainly of the examples given) you do have to remember circumstances - for instance you got to think well Jess Willard was the champion and was accorded that kind o respect that a reigning champion inspires in everyone - especially considering he was the man who had finally beaten Jack Johnson for gods sake!!? And he did have the fear factor of his ridiculous size and the fact that he was known to have killed a man in the ring!! And Dempsey was being warned by his manager things like "if you feel like he might kill you just go down- don't let him kill u" etc and then in some mad moment he goes and bets the entire purse on a first round knockout for Dempsey!!?? And the fights out doors in something like 114degrees heat wave which was melting the varnish on the arena seats for gods sake!! It was Dempseys first shot and in the biggest fight of his life he has to try and chop down a guy like Willard who stands half a foot taller and weighs probably 4-5 stone heavier - whereas for Rock mentally it was a different fight against the biggest icon of the age - possibly ever but who was a shadow of what he had been (which was probably still more than a lot of respectable fighters) his presence alone was awe inspiring but it obviously not a fight that Marciano really wanted - you could tell he loved and respected Joe Louis as much as everyone else and as a result was doubtful operating with his usual belligerence so different fight different circumstances but personally I'd have to say out of the 2 examples Dempsey trumps Marciano here
Willard was not an elite fighter. he was an inactive, far past his prime joke in 1919.. Whose to say a 1919 willard could have beaten johnny skhor?
How do you know this? For all we know, Wlad would have the appearance of an iron jaw if he fought 180lbs opponents his entire career. Hell, just based on the last 6 years his chin would seem to be very good. And let's not forget that a crude but big guy like Samuel Peter looks like SRR compared to Firpo. This is true. The reality is that in Marciano's era, most big guys were knocked out of contention by the smaller men, hence the latter group ended up getting title shots.
Perhaps, but you have to consider that between the 2 of them...Marciano defeated the best big man(6' 200lb + fighter) either faced. So one could argue Marciano is more proven against a higher quality of big heavyweights. After all, Marciano defeated a big heavyweight with an elite jab and sound skills. Dempsey never fought a big man who had skills and who possessed a lethal jab.
Was A Joe Walcott, Ezzard Charles, Joe Louis, Archie Moore all past there primes closing in on 40 years of age.? Of course they were...Pray tell me S, if Marciano was almost 40 years old and these 4 fighters were 31-2 years of age ,would you still pick Marciano over them ? We are getting nowhere in this thread, so time to say sayonara !