Dempsey's greatness.

"Don't let anyone tell you Dempsey can't box. He knows all the tricks" - Tommy Gibbons.

 

"Jack" Dempsey is the greatest counterer the ring has ever produced. He's an absolute marvel in that branch of fighting." - Tommy Gibbons 1923

 

Interesting piece attributed to Benny Leonard, about Dempsey's speed in training for Firpo ...

[url]http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XA1kAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8HoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3806,1279351&dq=leonard+surprised&hl=en[/url]

 

Lets verify the sources. Clay did in his Miske book which Semus quoted after their bout. Where and when did the other quote come from?

 

Do you want me to prove that Gibbons actually said it, or just that someone who could write quoted him as saying it ?

 

[url]http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IAUrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=75cFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6030,805962&dq=tommy+gibbons&hl=en[/url]

 

This one is hard to argue with ....

[url]http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sBtgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7G0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3572,3878285&dq=tommy+gibbons+firpo&hl=en[/url]

 

Wonderful articles. The piece by Leonard perhaps boxings greatest fighter ever to live says plenty. They all confirm the comments of Arcel and Bimstein perhaps boxings greatest trainers. They also confirm the comments by Langford one of boxings all time greats.....as well as many others.

 

Let me add two things not mentioned on Dempsey so far. His book on how to box was one of the two most informative I have of many and includes things none of the others touch on, all things Dempsey knew and used and are of a high skill of boxing knowledge. The second was Jerry Quarry's thoughts about Jack, that is he thought he hit very hard but that his punches were often too wide and looked easy to step inside of with straight right hands. While I can see that with some of Jack's long left hooks I also have noted his short rights and elbow close left hooks which Jack called his shovel hooks.

 

Yep. :good

 

Dempsey rarely threw a wide hook however. Against Willard after the initial KD you will see a few but if you watch closely Dempsey, after the 4th or 5th KD, seems to realize he is fighting sloppy and then starts shortening up his punches. Dempsey threw the shortest, hardest, punches I've ever seen in a hwt.

 

Most importantly Houdini, do you sanction it ?

 

And yes I agree that Dempseys technical discussion on boxing is among the best if not the best I've ever read.

 

Neither .. only what happens in the ring counts and since he ducked Wills we will never know ... who cares what one fighter may have said at one moment and spun the next ... Dempsey's fight against Gibbons tells it all , the good and the bad .. the strengths, the weaknesses, the effects of inactivity and how he matches up against the best of the best ...

I would like you to tell me your thoughts on what filmed Dempsey bout shows him to be one of the best heavyweights ever and where you rank him ?