Dempsey of the Brennan defense vs. Schmeling who KO'd Louis.

Interesting question.

Was the Brennan fight one of Dempseys weaker efforts or was it Brennans Buster Douglas moment?

 

When Dempsey got popped he would get close and rough Schmeling up, stop him from sustaining his success and start piling it on in the later rounds for a similar stoppage. He had far more experience than the shell-shocked Louis at this stage and would combat the sore points with more layers of his game.

Brennan fought the fight of his life this night and shook Dempsey to his boots in the 2nd, but Jack still performed pretty well.

 

This could be an upset decision win for Schmeling. Jack did not keep himself celibate for the Brennan rematch (probably expecting a repeat of his relatively easy earlier knockout of KO Bill), and Max, while past prime when he kayoed Louis, was as diligent a student of his opponent's weaknesses as Tunney was, and would likely have discerned the same vulnerabilities Gene did. (Of course Tunney had the style and ability to fully exploit the holes in Jack's approach.)

Dempsey would not have been beaten down for the count like Joe was, and his late round power was sufficient to pound Brennan out for the full toll with body shots, but they were both beat by round 12, while Schmeling remained fresh at the time he scored his historic win.

Jack likely peaked for Willard and Fulton, and was later prepared to go a full 15 with Gibbons. Although he knew Miske was ill, he was also probably spurred by the recall of how tough the Thunderbolt had been when they squared off before (and Billy would raise hell among the heavyweights after his championship shot). Among his successful title defenses, Brennan II was certainly when Dempsey was at his most vulnerable.

My guess is that this would turn out similar to the ending of Schmeling's loss to Baer. Jack finally manages to get Max in the championship rounds of a close match, with a committed and doggedly determined attack, an outcome I would not bet any money on. But Dempsey was able to come from behind against Brennan and Sharkey, and he exploded from nowhere in the Tunney rematch to produce the Long Count after getting shellacked for six rounds. Max didn't share the survival skills of Tunney or Dempsey, and repeatedly failed to take advantage of a full count in the Louis rematch. That could cost him dearly with a desperate Jack in pursuit.

Dempsey's heart and determination have to be taken into account here. As badly as he got beaten by Gene, he never stopped trying. This was also true for Schmeling in the Louis rematch, but Max did turn his back when Baer came after him following that tenth round knockdown. This is a really close call for me, as Schmeling is one of the most underrated of all the heavyweight kings. (Former manager Nat Fleischer considered Max the very most underestimated titleholder of his lifetime.)