1919 Jack Dempsey vs 1951 Rocky Marciano

...No

 

Really no

 

Let's talk about who hit harder and how both would be a ripped 225 pounds today.

 

The key to this outcome is that it is being held at the Polo Grounds.

Now Jack, he was a jet-setter and probably spent many an afternoon at the polo pitch watching people whack a ball with a mallet while riding a pony. He would be very comfortable in this setting.

Marciano, son of a shoemaker, probably never attended a polo match in his life. Out of his element here, he has no chance.

Were it held at the Garden, on the other hand, Rocky gets the edge. This is not well known, but he loved to tend his garden and raised many plants and flowers.

In fact, unlike Jack, Marciano was known to have a green thumb. In the comfortable confines of the Garden, he'd take that thumb and jam it right in Dempsey's eye, closing the eye and swarming over his man with jackhammer blows for a stoppage.

That's how i see it.

 

Dempsey is quite a bit faster than the Rock. Dempsey seemed to demolish anyone he could catch. Marciano was pretty stationary, if his feet stayed in one place any longer, they would grow roots. Rocky really relied on stamina his chin and great power. I think this would be a long fight, but dempsey wins in the later rounds.

 

According to a poll conducted during Marciano's championship reign, asking this question
"who would have won between a prime Rocky Marciano and prime Jack Dempsey" ,
by an almost unanimous vote, these boxing sports writers who saw Jack Dempsey and Marciano fight , chose Dempsey because of his greater speed ,better Two handed
punching and accuracy to beat Rocky, who truly missed about half his punches, and so do I...Who should know better then boxing people who saw both men ?...

 

Everyone Rock fought was quite a bit faster than he was. How did it pan out for them?

 

Two sloppy-ass, tough as nails fighters going at it. Because of this, I am throwing stylistic considerations out the window. Dempsey comes out fast, maybe even drops Rock, but his offensive options dwindle as the fight progresses. Dempsey didn't have a very good ring mind while Rocky had a great one. The ring tilts progressively towards Rocky's favor as Rocky puts him in a closet, until Dempsey, a willing target if there ever was one, simply can absorb no more.

Rocky KO10 Dempsey

 

When discussing the outcome of a fantasy match-up between two boxers, decades apart, how can we take seriously the opinions of those who have actually watched both men fight... when we KNOW they will almost invariably pick the one they saw first? Shouldnt we instead form our own opinions... based on what we know and the film (if any!) that is available to us? Wouldnt that make more sense?

Just my $0.02

 

Speed by itself will not compare to a Dempsey that Marciano never
confronted. Dempsey contrary to many on this forum combined a
combination of quickness, power and toughness that Marciano never met before...Dempsey would get there first with the " mostess", and would
surely stop Rocky as the vast majority of boxing scribes who saw them both attested to...The 2 guys who would have been more dangerous
power hitters for Dempsey would have been my man Joe Louis and Mike
Tyson because of their punching speed and accuracy IMO. Only on this boxing site is Dempsey held in such low esteem...Was Dempsey perfect as a fighter?. Nay, but tell me naysayers ,WHO WAS...?