When you wonder where all the excitement went in the Heavyweight division of today, here's why. Some of the greatest names in heavyweight boxing history, were really cruiserweights in today's boxing world. Nowadays if you are not 6'5", 250pds you are not considered a legitiment heavweight. And please don't compare the Klitschko's with Jess Willard, or Primo Carnera. Today the best cruisers are from Europe. If you want to see the excitement we are missing with fighters the size of Dempsey, Louis, or Marciano. Check out what a pre-giant heavyweight title fight would look like, look at the David Haye vs Enzo Maccarinelli, title fight. http://youtu.be/jMx4VL3mUgY We are now stuck with oversized guys who are mostly plodders and boring.
I agree with some of what you said... However, Haye/Maccerinelli wasn't a great fight... But yeah, some of what you said...
Were you not around in the 90s where there were exciting HW fights with genuine SHW or big HWs? Bowe-Holyfield Bowe-Golota Morrison-Mercer Morrison-Rudduck Lennox-Rudduck Ibeabuchi-Tua Lennox-Briggs So why are there no exciting fights today? American HW boxing is pretty much dead. Eastern European boxers are typically schooled in a straight up high guard 1-2 style with more focus on defence and keeping distance than aggression. That generally doesn't make for exciting fights. Haye is a counter puncher so against the Eastern Euros has looked boring. The best fights have involved a pressure fighter in Chisora, all of his fights have some excitement
Bowe-Holyfield Bowe-Golota Morrison-Mercer Morrison-Rudduck Lennox-Rudduck Ibeabuchi-Tua Lennox-Briggs First off I am talking about "today", second I am talking about guys the size of Dempsey, Louis and Marciano. 20,000 people thought enough of the Haye - Maccarelli, to attend that fight, and both were cruisers, under 200pds. On the list of fights you provided out of the seven, five had americans. Where is the excitement today in the fights mentioned they were must see fights, today who cares.
Fighting today , if Dempsey and his astute manager Jack Kearns wished and today's "supplements", could have easily come into a fight at 210-15 pounds...Dempsey was a big framed guy with long arms, wide shoulders atop slender legs...His back muscles and deltoids were large for his weight. And even with this weight his animal like moves ala Roberto Duran would still outspeed today's moulded battle ships...Would Dempsey be better with this weight ? Who knows ? By the way I never see 240 pound ballet dancers...They are all lithe and muscular...A Harry Greb, Sam Langford, Jack Dillon, Jack Dempsey, Mickey Walker, Henry Armstrong, Joe Louis, loved to tackle the big boys...Those days those guys knew how to adjust.
Some guys have the body frames and skill sets that could move up better than others ... I completely agree that Dempsey would be a 215 pound guy today and pretty deadly ... however if it would be enough to beat everyone, I don't know ..
he ,nobody can be sure of anything in top elite boxers...But what I have read from so many oldtimers, Dempsey at his best was the roughest, toughest, meanness hombres of the heavyweights...Because of his kill or be killed attitude , swiftness and heavy hands, he very well might have beaten anyone H2H...In every phase of endeavor, someone comes along that is unique, be it a Caruso, Fred Astaire, Harry Greb, Ray Robinson, Michael Jordan, that is never duplicated...Yes he could be outboxed by top boxers but sooner or later he would get inside and get his licks in, and it has been said, whoever Dempsey hit, he hurts"...Years ago Nat Fleischer said during Joe Louis's spectacular reign, a great 200 pound fighter is big enough to beat anyone bigger ". And history bears this out...Cheers...
