Dempsey & Louis" Trained" Today?

Both of them also had very fast hands to go along with that leveraged power. Jack Hurley used to say "balance and leverage make punching power, not big muscles."

 

Hard to be sure, but this is my best guess.

Dempsey would probably have started his career at light heavy, started fighting serious opposition at cruiser, and topped out as a heavyweight of 210lbs. He might just be able to make 210 without losing much.

Louis might start at cruiser, might pick up a belt, or might simply bypass the division and go for the big money. He could probably be very effective at under 220lbs, but some trainers might ruin him by making him 230.

 

Why would anyone change Louis? He aleady had speed and power? How exactly would any type of change benefit him? In what areas? Where was he lacking?

 

The best of both fighters was exactly how they were. Wayyyy to much emphasis on weight. It's the skill and quality of fighter that is important. Weight is important at lighter weights where five pounds can be significant. Dempsey or Louis as they were could ko any fighter at any weight.

 

Jesus...if size and weight are so important...then Andre The Giant is the greatest wrestler of all time!!!

 

It is a good question.

Frankly he was probably big enough to demolish anybody at 207lbs, and you might risk making him worse by bulking him up.

I suspect that you could get him up to 215/218lbs without sacrificing anything, and that would give him a bit more strength in the clinches.

If so then it is frankly a bit of a scary thought.

 

about right imo.

 

No they wouldn't vlad would be like Willard .would be destroyed

 

Fitz, is a really interesting on this subject. After retirement he weight 200 lbs (it may have been during the time of his last fights actually i am not sure). He looked in perfect shape, not overweight in the slightest in the photographs shown in the papers at this time.

He studied and trained the game immensely, and while his methods were not conventional, he took to his training like no otehr. If he had todays training there is not reason tho think he wouldnt do the same with the weight lifting/strength based training. And if he did, i think that leaves him at 5 11 and 200 plus pounds.

This potentially makes him more than capable of fighting in the heavyweight division. When you further consider his style which is a patient counterpunching one which relies trap setting rather and power rather than movement and defence, as well as the fact that his chin and recovery powers were proven, i think that if he were time machined to today and given a 2 year training camp (using the modern ideas and training), he would probably be the best chance right now to upset Wlad.

 

LOL Louis would be about 6'3, 230 and be killing folks. Dempsey would still be around 200 and dominating the crusierweight division.

Remember, if these guys were 25 right now theyd be taller and heavier and stronger and faster. Still great.

Prime Louis brought forward into 2015 and grown to where he would be with evolution and training beats Wlad 7 of 10

 

Here we go with size again. Louis would have no need to be bigger. His ATG skills would allow him to dominate the straight up European style of Wlad.

 

I think the obsession with massive HWs is a reflection on modern society young people I meet seem to think that Vlad and co because they have massive cut muscles and are very tall would beat any HWs in history because perhaps they look how they think HWs should look .people on this forum think that Larry Holmes and foreman would not be big enough to beat Vlad can you believe that ! Looking at fighters from the past and comparing them to the current giants its easy to forget that huge size is no match for speed skill natural punching power toughness and ring brain but plenty of I think younger guys can not or will not grasp this concept.

 

how many examples in 120+ years of boxing history are there of someone overcoming a 40lb+ weight disadvantage against a legit championship level opponent?

 

Many. Going back to Fitzsimons, Dempsey, Louis, Moore. List is endless. Size works today because no one knows how to fight. We have a diluted, watered down talent pool in the hwt division. The result 30 years of multiple champions and 40 top ten contenders.

 

fitz has zero
dempsey has 1
louis has 2 over baer and 1 over primo
moore has zero

in addition-sharkey and baer(max) had one each over primo.

so in about 50 years of champions bouts we have 6 wins over 4 fighters, none a major upset. (i'm sure there's a few more, but 'endless'? not even close)

i'll stick to the theory that weighing 40lbs more than your opponent is quite a big advantage in boxing.