Dempey had some truly bad performances

Over four to six rounds Willie Meehan was almost unbeatable. Dempsey, Langford and Jack Dillon as well as many others found this out the hard way. At the end of his career Meehan started to get stopped but only by quality opponents like Tommy Gibbons and Fred Fulton.

Losing to meehan over four rounds didn't make anybody a bad fighter.

 

Kayoing Lennox in under four rounds was possible even when he was champ. Down in the boondocks where Meehan operated during the 1910's lots of fellas most notably Dempsey had a go at blowing Willie away and didn't manage it.

Meehan was simply very hard to beat in under four rounds, only Gibbons and Miske actually pulled that trick off. Though by then Willie was on a major losing streak. Styles make fights and Meehan's style was one Dempsey struggled with.

 

Yup other folks could have used Willie's Meehan's lardball bellywhop style to beat Dempsey, however the last time I looked heavyweight title fights tend to be scheduled over slightly longer distances than 4 rounds. A Dempsey v Meehan match over 10, 12 or 15 rounds would have produced a Dempsey ko because Willie would have keeled over due to exhaustion.

Dempsey's shot at beating the likes of Lennox lewis is based on the fact that they won't be fighting like Willie Meehan. They will be using their own style which has the kind of flaws a fighter like Dempsey could exploit.

If early career fights were a valid measurement of fighters then Nick Wells and Duane Bobick would have been legendary heavyweight champs on the basis of their amateur defeats of Larry Holmes. Sadly life isn't like that, Dempsey improved after his series with Meehan, Willie on the other hand went downhill.

Dempsey could be beaten but nobody managed it until Mr Tunney came calling.

 

I would not offer that bet if I were you. Meehan was a super durable guy. Meehan was only stopped once in his first 136 fights, and the stoppage was due Meehan falling out of the ring during a rough wrestling clinch, and hitting his head on the floor.

During his first 136 fights, Meehan went the distance with guys like Dempsey, Wills, Langford, Fulton, and Dillion.

Meehan was one of those slightly over weight fighters that seemed to be able to absorb punches very well. He had a bouncy type of spring in his footwork, could cover up extremely well, and had a slapping quick handed type of attack.

I picture him a bit like Chris Byrd.

 

Well, there wasn't much chance of beating him when he didn't defend his title for three years.

 

so says the man who calls Billy Mike a "journeyman"

 

Oh yes, just further proof that Dempsey was no good! After all, no other great fighters EVER had a subpar performance, or a loss in their careers! Any fool should know by now that there weren't any great fighters before Ali. It has to be true because all the 80's babies and the dime store experts say so!

 

Have you actually read some detailed fight reports on him? Chris Byrd, my a**! Pardon my French. The reports I mentioned about his three fights with Fulton show it very well, that he was a very fat short guy, with terrible defense (except going into a clinch) against both left and right hands, and that's despite Fulton being very slow with both hands and feet.

 

Reports smorts. Meehan was hard to get out of there. He faced many punchers, and none stopped him until the end of his career. I do not think Sullivan Ko's him 5 out of 5 times.

 

I agree, you frustrating idiot, you.

 

Under the rules that Meehan and Dempsey fought under (4 rounds and decisions only rarely entered), wouldnt lennox had have likely draws with the following fighters:

Greg Correll, Dan Murphy, Jean Maurice Chanet, Osvaldo Occassio, Gary Murphy, Levi Billups, Mike Weaver - Among others.