Very close, and it could potentially go either way. I think the two most likely scenarios are Marciano winning a brutal SD, or one of the two, most likely Dempsey, falling from a seemingly lucky shot in the late rounds. I think Marciano winning by decision is probably the most likely outcome, but nobody is getting out of that fight in good shape. I mean err, both were bums and not even top 100 heavyweights
Yes. Comical. Keystone Cops. Dempsey running around with his left cocked far out until he gasses and Marciano swinging for home runs with every shot, spinning and tripping over himself. Comical.
You're crazy. It would be one of the most thrilling, explosive brawls in the history of boxing. It would go down in the history books as a war
Dempsey by ko from one to 15..... Dempsey was as good or better in virtually every dept one can think of compared to marciano, cept for stamina, and that is not by much at all....both of them went 15 rounds only once and dempsey, unlike marciano, was on his toes the whole time...i don't think marciano realistically could really deal with dempsey
Well for me Dempsey is More explosive Faster Better footwork Better head movement Hits just as hard I think Jack does ALMOST everything better. Maybe Jack stops him or decisions him either way Dempsey wins. Rocky is a taught fighter Dempsey is a natural born killer
I've read all the Bios on Jack and I agree. I also have all his autobiographies but hes to modest to talk himself up. Arthur Merchante's book has a couple very good pages on Dempsey..I'll yell you what there is no one I can see beating Dempsey in a street fight. The man knew his sh@@
I used to go back and forth on this one, but after seeing enough film, Dempsey just didn't have a good defense and seemed to be a bit of a front runner. I think Marciano who beat better fighters and often fought better as the rounds went on has enough to survive an early Demsey onslaught if needed. The early rounds would be awesome, and that's where Dempsey has the edge. I'd pick Rocky via later round TKO.
This is a fight I've done a complete 180 degree turn on over the past few years. I used to think about Marciano's slow starting as opposed to Dempsey coming out of the blocks like a greyhound, his (relative) dominance of and reliance on his right hand compared to Dempsey's two-fisted knockout power and the speed advantage that Jack has, and lump it all together to see Dempsey getting Rocky out of there early. But one great article by someone on an old forum I used to frequent got me questioning this, and the more I think about it, the more I see Marciano coming out on top. Marciano's slow starting probably gets exaggerated because in some of those notable examples of him losing the early rounds he was against quicker, technical guys who liked to box and move on the back foot and walk their man on to a jab - but that wasn't Dempsey's game. I dare say that Dempsey might have been made to look a bit of a slower starter too had he been facing Walcott, Charles, Moore etc. rather than Willard, Firpo and Carptentier. Chances are he meets Marciano head-on which takes Rocky's supposed slow starting out of the equation. I think Marciano is definitely the more durable and better-conditioned of the two, as well. Dempsey had a tendency to shoot his bolt in the early rounds and Tunney might well have stopped him had they been over the fifteen round distance rather than ten. Jack was obviously a little more explosive and quicker than Rocky, but if he doesn't end it early I'd expect Marciano to be in command as the fight goes past the seventh or eighth round. I'd also throw in the fact that while I'd still put Dempsey down as having the greater punch variety and agility, I've nevertheless downgraded him a shade in that area over the past few years, while I've upgraded Marciano slightly. So while Dempsey might still have the edge in those regards, I have the gap a lot narrower than I used to (I also think that Dempsey's defence apparently being much better than Marciano's might be exaggerated, again due to the opposition they faced making it appear so). I think Marciano out-toughs and outlasts Dempsey enroute to a late TKO. Would be a great fight, though.
I voted Marciano by decision, but a KO wouldn't surprise me that much. Dempsey might have some success early and even floor Rocky, but after a while I think Marciano's relentless work rate would see him take over.
