How much of Mike Tyson's technique came from Jack Dempsey?

Everything but "heart"...

 

I see Dempsey's peak ferocity there, but not too much else. He came forward a lot...I actually think Mike might have just been the gracious boxing historian he always was when he said that.

Look how gracious he was after the Holmes fight, saying unequivocally that he didn't beat the great Larry Holmes, and that if it had been in his prime Larry would have beat him. Mike was like that, he loved the older fighters.

 

I've changed my mind a little in regard to that, mostly by watching the totality of his fights again. If anyone wants a one-fight example of Mike's heart, watch the Lewis fight. He was beat after the first round but he showed tremendous courage trying as hard as he did.

Mike had a heart, it just wasn't a Holyfield, Holmes, or Ali heart. But then, how many did have that level of championship heart?

 

I feel that apart from their "kill or be killed" approach, Tyson was different to Dempsey. Look at their technique. Its not the same.

 

Definitely took his shifting. Patterson as a previous D'amato fighter did not utilise shifting.

 

He didn't maul and wrestle for punches like Dempsey, which is a pretty big difference.

 

Dempsey already used the peek-a-boo in those times. Tyson perfectioned it with Cus.

 

No he didn't, he held his hands pretty low, especially his lead.

 

The way Tyson moved his head, had some similarities, but was fairly different from Dempsey.

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They had pretty different builds, very different backgrounds, and fought under very different conditions, all considered I'd say they still have a good bit in common.

Dempsey was a lot more wild, and much more of a natural fighter. He was tougher and more versatile, but could be too wild for his own good, especially against Firpo. I do actually think Tyson was better overall, he really was a freak.

 

Call it as you like...Tyson covered Dempseys roll and perfectioned it changing the hands position

 

He was stuffing his mouthpiece in the wrong way round whilst on the floor against Douglas.He took Ruddock's power shots, the guy has balls.

 

Apart from going sockless and without the robe ,he had the Dempsey haircut ,and the right hand to the heart,that's about it imo.

 

That's a bit of gap between mauling Tommy Gibbons or even Sharkey and Bonecrusher and Berbick.