1919 Jack Dempsey vs 1951 Rocky Marciano

WOW , what a brilliant observation on your part by saying "how can we take seriously the opinions of those who ACTUALLY watched both men fight"?...But you are correct stating that it is your 2 cents opinion...atsch

 

Although he'd probably have dropped him I can't see Dempsey keeping Marciano down, Marciano would come on and eventually knock Dempsey out IMO.

 

My thinking is Dempsey early or Marciano late. This might play out similar to Walcott/Marciano 1 where Walcott came out very aggressive from the opening bell and laid into Marciano even dropping him in the first round. Marciano survived and battled walcott tooth and nail before koing him in the 13th. A big question is if Dempsey does something similar, and I think he probably would, would he finish Marciano or would Rocky survive and grind Dempsey down to a late round stoppage? I really don't see this fight going the distance, not with these two fighting each other so these are the only two outcomes I can see happening.

 

Objectivity is apparently the greatest insult to Dempsey.

 

I don't think their views should be taken as gospel. These guys were as biased and fallible as anyone else and like every generation in boxing, they were probably talking through rose-tinted specs. The same old-timers who were saying Marciano didn't belong in the same ring as Dempsey were ten years later claiming Clay didn't belong in the same ring as Marciano!

As to the fight, they're quite evenly matched. A quick starter vs a late bloomer. I think Dempsey hurts Marciano early, maybe scores a knockdown or two. Either he finishes the job, or Rocky hangs on, works his way back into the fight, and pounds out a decision or maybe a late stoppage of a tiring Dempsey.

 

Marciano was no Smithy, toolpusher, gandy dancer, duce reader or full nelson.

He was more refined than anybody Dempsey fought.

 

Marciano would be 6'6 and 260 today with the samw style and even more stamina, maybe he would be a real pronlem for the planet because he would ko even militar guys in tank, maybe Montreal duran or tokyo Douglas could stop him

 

I love the idea that being born a few decades later would make someone fully 8" taller and 75lbs heavier. On that basis, Jimmy Wilde would be the size of Valuev were he around today!

 

Did you catch my irony right?

 

I did... though I had to read it a few times. I have read deadly serious posts of that nature about Marciano so sometimes it's hard to tell.

Btw, if Jess Willard were around today he'd be the size of King Kong.

 

Nothing brilliant about it... just stating the obvious: that we should take what oldtimers say with a pinch of salt as they have a tendency to prefer the boxers they grew up with over those they watch decades later. I dont understand how anyone can disagree with that!