Could Schmeling have beaten The mannasa Mauler him self - the great Jack Dempsey? 15 rounds and Dempsey s era rules?
No. Dempsey would have had a fairly competitive fight on his hands for the first few rounds but eventually his pressure and speed would grind Max down for a stoppage by the middle phase of the fight.
This ... Dempsey would absolutely have known he was in a fight because Max was a pretty formidable prize fighter, just like Patterson with Liston his place in history I think is soiled to some by one night against a pissed-off and motivated Joe Louis at full throttle in 1938, but Dempsey would eventually take him.
I think Jack win s but, Schmeling over right could definitely stun him at least once. I don't see an early ko for Jack, I think Max knows the risks and fights a careful early fight. But there would be a ko eventually for the Mauler.
Of course, he could... That doesn't mean Dempsey isn't the favorite... but the question is all about the possibility of a Schmeling win. I can't understand how people can be so sure about a hypothetical fantasy bout that they completely rule out the possibility of a Schmeling win. I mean Dempsey lost and struggled against boxers which weren't as good as Schmeling. IMHO, he has never beaten anyone as good or better than Schmeling (including Sharkey who didn't have Schmeling's punch). And let's not forget that Schmeling COULD beat Joe Louis and that boxing history is full of upsets and wrong predictions.
Unless Max Schmeling did something about his often cold starts, I would agree with you. Whether he could, or would, is part of what makes this Fantasy match interesting. Either way, I do think Jack Dempsey would get him most of the time, well before the final bell.
Schmeling was a better heavyweight boxer than anyone Jack faced up till Tunney. And we know what happened there.
If the less refined Baer could KO Max, then it’s reasonable to think that Dempsey has a good chance of doing same. However, not to oversimplify, but Dempsey’s strongest window is, say, the first 4 rounds for the KO. If Max is still hanging tough after that, fair to say his chances increase incrementally with each successive round? Not to rubber stamp Dempsey as a 4 round screamer because he did carry his power and achieve a later round KO in the Brennan rematch. Also, despite inactivity and distractions - his energetic 15 rounds with Gibbons was impressive for the stamina Jack exhibited against a wily and evasive opponent. So, I’d favour Dempsey but I don’t dismiss Max’s durability, boxing IQ and skills giving the Mauler a very tough fight that might even push Schmeling into an upset victory.
