Dempsey--one man's opinion.

I cannot believe he never fought Harry Wills, Sam Langford, Sam McVea, Joe Jeanette, Jack Johnson, Harry Greb, George Godfrey, Kid Norfolk from 1916-1925. Not one of them.

 

I think its a fair statement. I think Dempsey is overrated as well. This doesnt mean he was bad, but he was heavily protected and beatable.

 

very (underrated) more so all the time

 

Dempsey is arguably the best swarming mauling heavyweight in history the other fighters in his class and style are Mariano Fraser and Tyson, and maybe Tua. I really don't see many of the avoided black fighters defeating Dempsey although I agree he should have fought them, Greb though as great as he was would have been destroyed by Dempsey.

Dempsey was one of the most ferocious fighters in history as well as being one of the best. And lets forget the size crap he was big enough.

 

:rofl:rofl:rofl

 

Hm, I think only Harry Wills really has the right to complain.
When McVea, Jeanette and Langford duked it out with each other, Dempsey wasn´t up there with them. When he was they were past it and a win over any of them wouldn´t have emant much. Jack Johnson? Really? Dempsey massacred the guy who beat him. Harry Greb? Dempsey beat the man who was the only one to give him a proper spanking. Norfolk just lost too often when up there.
Sorry, Suzie you are a bit reaching a bit here.

 

you don't know what a mauler or swarmer is do you, they are a fighter with a good chin and defense who punch hard enough and work hard enough to wear an opponent down watching Dempsey is a masterclass in this style of fighter.

 

You know there is a reason I highlighted Tua. Why? Because he is an overrated slob not anywhere near Dempsey, Marciano, Frazier, Tyson or even Patterson. There is a gulf in class here.

 

Love what Johnny Ray said about never would he allow Billy Conn to have fought Dempsey. Said something about Jacks swarming footwork closing the gap pronto and knocking Billy out in short order.

 

He would knock out Ken Norton though. :hi:

 

I think the pendulum has definitely swung too far back the other way now.

Dempsey at his peak was an absolute phenom. I dont think that any heavyweight in history would be much better than even money against him.

He was walking through top contenders who should have been able to give him a competitive fight in the same way as a young Mike Tyson. His resume lacks a couple of key names but it also has a lot more depth than he is usualy given credit for.

When people start talking about him being good as oposed to great, then he is definitely being sold short.

 

I also think that Dempsey suffers on the principle that you downgrade your oponents if you dominate them.

In case anybody has forgeotten, Fred Fulton and Jess Willard were oponents who were surposed to give him competitive fights or beat him, not get run over.

People talk about Jess Willard as if he was some sort of circus sideshow who wandered into a boxinbg ring but he was the reigning heavyweight champion for christs sake.

If this fight happened today with no historic record to reffer to,I frankly wonder how many people here would be prepared to pick against Willard given his physical advantages.

Who can honestly put their hand on their heart and say that they would pick a 185lb fighter to beat a guy the size of Vitally Klitschko who had never been stopped before, even if he was limited and had been inactive recently?

 

Tua's competition is far far better than Dempsey's and he'd do him and Patterson in a few rounds most likely