How does Jack Dempsey do in the 70s?

Just about to make the same point. Being well-fed risks taking away hunger; literally and metaphorically. Take Dempsey out of the hobo lifestyle where he may or may not have been eating well and there's a good chance you lose some of the wildcat ferocity that took him so far. You can't rob Peter to pay Paul without Peter being out of pocket.

 

Jack Dempsey's natural endowment, developed in to the milieu and opportunities a later era, in ratio to how he developed in his own era.
Well, I think Dempsey, Ali, Foreman and Frazier would probably have been a Big Four, with Norton as the outstanding honorable mention. [We're talking prior to the rise of Holmes]. I can't say much more than that, except that I think that if Dempsey was going to beat Foreman it would by getting to him early. I don't see Dempsey avoiding Foreman for several rounds. I think Dempsey would have to blitz and catch Foreman early and keep up the assault while soaking some sick damage along the way. I favor Foreman, though it's possible that Dempsey's speed/power/chin/heart may carry him through. He's probably the only fighter I see having those combined assets to possibly bring off that sort of approach, though I wouldn't favor him. I think Foreman cuts off to well, and Dempsey's whole temper is to get a threat out of there, to expect Dempsey to string Foreman along until George tires.
No idea how Frazier/Dempsey turns out.
If Dempsey were to get solid training earlier in his career (than he did back in his day), he could conceivably be as great a threat [edit note: I originally typed "a greater threat". I'm walking that back a bit] to Ali than Frazier. (I tend to the view that Dempsey's pre-Kearns technical development (especially defensively) left a lot to be desired). Just positing '70's Dempsey as developing in ratio to how he was able to develop in his own day, I think he'd be a very challenging opponent for Ali, a live underdog, but not necessarily quite so challenging as Frazier.
Wouldn't be surprised if 70's Dempsey were about an inch taller, would expect him to be around 200 lb give or take a little.

 

Somewhere around Bonavena/Bob Foster level.

 

Based on what little film we have on him.
Which shows he was often off balance and wide open.
I really don't believe he'd do very well at all

 

Not me...

 

He was also a hot head in the ring who lost discipline and focus when his Plan A didn't work. That deficiency survived lessor opponents but would not survive even the B tier 70's heavy. He would be closer to Rudi Lubbers than Ken Norton in accomplishment.

 

You don't gotta tell me, Jim.

 

You been talking to Maxine or Estelle?

 

"Jack Dempsey's natural endowment,"

Oh, I've seen the rough draft of a speech President Trump plans to deliver in Manassa Colorado.
(Unimpeachable source).

;-)

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btw, I (like President Trump) have my own Arnold Palmer anectdote, though more directly come by.
When I was a little child (late 1960's) my dad would take me to airports to look around. One summer day were at a fence, looking at some smaller planes. Arnold Palmer was coming back from the Akron, OH Firestone Tournament, saw us, and asked 'Does that boy like planes?' He let us behind the fence, and I got to go inside his Lear jet for a while, which I thought was very kind and generous of him.
Around 2016 my father was remembering back, and told me "While you were in the plane we talked a bit. Then Palmer said, 'Well, I need to get going -- I have my daytime solo license, but I'm not yet licensed for night flying.' Then he added, 'Now, Jack Nicklaus -- he's learning to fly, but he doesn't have his solo yet.' " ;-)

 

I’m laughing at all the people commenting on Dempseys skills as they seem to have drank the koolaid… in a similar case as Marciano… you realise Dempsey was fundamentally better then Ali, Frazier and Foreman right? LOL those three were some of the most technically whacky, unorthodox heavyweight champions… You’d want Dempsey to teach you how to move your head and punch not any of the above by a LONG shot.