A prime Dempsey of 1919...the Willard Dempsey...the Dempsey who fought to survive in hobo camps out west...has a field day with the heavyweights of today...
I honestly can never envision jack beating wlad. He has much chance as haye does. Haye has some of the quickest reflexes in heavyweight history and he came nowhere near getting beyond wlad's jab. Jack is more open and aggressive which will see him pummelled into submission. Probably dropped multiple times.
hate to be a kill joy, but how can a man who had horse hair gloves, had the advantage of being able to stand over his opponents and still he couldnt knock out ol jess, and last but not least, he got knocked out by a light heavyweight, whos ko record is 2nd to last next to maxie rosenbloom. maybe with modern training, diet, and rules he would be better but who really knows.
Luke ,how come it took the great Joe Louis 13 rounds to stop Abe Simon, hitting Big Abe with everything in the book for THIRTEEN ROUNDS ?...What Dempsey done weighing but 187 pounds to a massive Willard who was NEVER FLOORED before was amazing..And Willard took everything Jack Johnson gave big Jess for TWENTY THREE rounds, without hurting Willard at all...Read up on history L, it'll do you good...
Come on Burt .. Johnson was 37 and not a monster puncher and definitely not a fast starter while Dempsey fought an old, highly inactive Willard and caught him cold ... that being said no doubt Dempsey could punch but the thoughts of him giving up twenty five to fifty pounds against every guy and succeeding today is a hell of a reach ...
he, Then by your standards Dempsey who had 25 first round ko's in his career caught all his victims "cold" ? . Dempsey whether you like it or not was a powerful puncher at his best...He flattened many big men before he went Hollywood...Why is it that until the last few years and especially on ESB, Dempsey is so put down now ? The fighters and managers, trainers were in awe of his vicious onslaughts in the ring seeing him ringside in his prime...Why in heck should today's naysayers, know more about the Manassa Mauler, 90 years later than the people who saw him ??? I just can't understand...Yes he, Willard was no youngster , but he was NOT shopworn...And he was a powerful man with a great chin...And Dempsey is today's WHIPPING BOY...And if Luke crticizes Dempsey for not putting Willard to sleep after flooring Jess 7 times in the first round, what does that say about the great Joe Louis who hit Abe Simon with his great combos for THIRTEEN rounds and still couldn't put Simon in la-la land... Why is their A DOUBLE STANDARD ? Another thing he. In this thread I responded to a poster about Dempsey/Willard and not about today's big boys...One subject at a time... Cheers...
So, I imagine that Tommy Gibbons pretty much outpoints them, too, because that scrawny rascal lasted 15 with a primed, feral, out of the hobo jungle on his dancer's legs, son of the soil, well-muscled, supple-waisted, narrow-hipped, tiger of a man. Dempsey on film really divides those who have an eye for openings and flaws and bad technique from those that are enchanted by fables and have the need for strong father figures. He is so W I D E open for right hands, squared-up and off-balance when he goes on the attack. A guy like Povetkin, yes, fat, butterball, unmotivated shitty Povetkin would have a field day against the bar room brawler that Dempsey turned into when he smelled blood.
He beats the lot for me except Wlad. Wlad to me has a similar stick and move style to Tunney, I give Dempsey a punchers chance but no more, I think Wlad gives him a hell of a beating.
He wasn't perfect. Of course he has noticeable flaws. Every fighter has. That's part of the appeal of boxing. It's virtually impossible to fight a flawless fight, or develop a style that fully utilizes strengths and at the same time eradicates weaknesses. Mistakes will be made. Flaws will come out during the action. It's ******ed to suggest Dempsey was a bar room brawler with bad technique. Completely idiotic. The man was good. He could box. He boxed well. I think you must be kidding here. Who else does Povetkin "have a field day with" ? Marciano ? Louis ? Marco Huck ?
Dempsey and Wlad are an interesting pair in that they are polar opposites in the sense that Wlad may be the first great HW champ to be defined by his weakness in terms of style, whereas Dempsey's style is defined purely by his strengths.
Good post... If you are comparing W Klitschko to Firpo or Willard he is in a different class. Dempsey whatever his punching power, is extremely undersized and would also be open as you say to one of the best right hands in heavyweight history. I expect that last post to attract alot of criticism, but it is extremely sharp powerful and accurate, and has the potential to put people to sleep with single punches,. Something that can only be said previously really of Louis and Lewis.
In terms of tightness of technique, defensive ability and all round H2H ability a prime Tyson is also on a different level to Dempsey.
I didn't say he was a bar room brawler, only that he reverted to that form when he smelled blood in the water. It almost (and should have) cost him the title against a true barroom brawler in Firpo. He remained easy to hit and showed flaws throughout his fights, too squared up, the left stupidly low while leaning closer to his opponents. I fear what Roy Jones with his lightning leads could have done to that approach. OK. Maybe the drink got the better of me. I think they would produce a good fight and that Povetkin would win in a tough one.
