Of the Black heavyweights of the 1920's could any defeat Dempsey?

He also might have been decapitated himself ,fast clever boxers like Tunney and Gibbons gave Dempsey trouble the big guys tended to end up horizontal.

 

Agree. I always thought that when one fighter dodges another the one denied the oppurtunity got the benefit of the doubt?(IE Riddick Bowe dodging Lewis) Dempsey is giving too much credit & too many excuses for having avoided a man for seven years.

Dempsey would claim in a Time magazine article that he would like to fight either Firpo or Wills any time, But then turn around & make outrageous demands of Wills($400,000 up front:shock like the following Time article:

HARRY WILLS PUNISHMENT


http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,727426,00.html

If Dempsey thought Wills was such an easy mark he would have made this fight happen.PERIOD.

 

Mr mcvey, what are your picks on the following matchups?

Dempsey vs Foreman
Dempsey vs Liston
Dempsey vs Tyson
Dempsey vs Lewis

 

They begin with a D, Mr Pontius.

 

He could potentialy beat any of them.

 

He Ducks them?



My point is, you like him over Wills because "the big guys tended to end up horizontal against Dempsey", why doesn't that apply to those big fellas?

 

Tyson and Liston actually don't belong there. They were big, but I think McVey means big and tall opponents. Dempsey did better against taller opponents because he was good at getting under their attack. I would actually give Dempsey a better chance against Foreman and Lewis than Liston and Tyson, Foreman being the only one I'd pick him solidily over, Tyson the only one I'd pick him to lose against.

 

How do you know Dempsey battered Tate? You had to have read this. We don't know how good Dempsey truly was because Dempsey never fought, nor gave any top black heavyweights a shot. Wills was deserving, but never got a shot. Dempsey's title defenses is so minute in the sport, but his popularity is what got boxing off to being a popular sport. His brutality gave fans a rush. Still, we just don't and won't ever know. Beating up sparring partners back then was not their job.

 

No he ****s them,as in knocks them the **** out!

 

How do you know Wills was better than Tunney or Sharkey?
The two black heavyweights that beat Dempsey are One before his time ,Johnson ,and one after, Ali .imo.

 

I certainly do not buy that Tunney was less than Wills. I think Tunney is criminally underrated. A great, great fighter with speed, accuracy, power, toughness and stamina. I am extremely impressed with the existing footage, moreso than that of even Dempsey. His only real fault was brittle mitts.

 

Which he adressed before he met Dempsey by training at a lumber camp ,chopping wood and sawing logs to build up and strengthen his hands, after this they did not give him anymore trouble.

 

Maybe Wills if he could keep away a la Tunney.

 

I don't think keeping away was Wills style. He probably wasn't as fleet footed and mobile as Tunney. He more likely would have tried to clinch and hold when Jack got in close to try to smother his power and tire him out.

 

His resume is significantly better than either.

I'm surprised, no, shocked, that you pick Dempsey without doubt over the likes of Foreman, Lewis, Louis, Holyfield, Holmes and Tyson. :admin

I, too, am very impressed by Tunney's ability on film, but the fact of the matter remains that his heavyweight resume is extremely thin and as such there is no rationale to rate him over Wills.