Dempsey's pre-title run, quality of opposition

Johnson had a solid chin & good defense, so blasting him out early would be difficult to say the least. I would say Dempsey met one fighter who clinched & boxed in a similar style to Johnson, the natural Light-Heavy Tunney who whitewashed him twice. Although i acknowledge Dempsey was Past-Prime & rusty, Johnson is a bigger, stronger natural-heavy.

 

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I'm not too convinced of Johnson's ability to take a punch and I don't think he experienced having to defend a relentless attack like Dempsey's. He was at his best in tentative, low contact affairs, and Dempsey's physical style could shake him up a bit.

 

No he didnt experience the relentless attack that Dempsey could offer. I dont see Dempsey being able to impose his attack on Johnson , who i see holding him and wearing down the smaller Dempsey every time Dempsey tries to put the pressure on.

 

In turn Dempsey did have his problems with defensive minded counter punchers

 

Bingo. :deal

 

solid chin...

And sure the supposed 20 lbs difference would make a major difference given the fact that Dempsey destroyed guys having 60 lbs on him....and JJ used to get kayoed by fighters giving as much as 30 lbs on him.

Dempsey's weight fluctuated allot in his pre-title run.
From 200 to 185 to 193 and back to 200.
Boxrec(if i'm not wrong) and a couple of other newspapers of the time listed him at 202 against Carl Morris.
The Toledo ripped Dempsey was at his lowest weight in quite some time.

Ogh and the way Tunney fought Dempsey with his great in-ring agility and stick and move tactics are completely different from the way Johnson fought in clinch the overmatched middleweights and bums.

 

Not worse then how JJ had problems with agressive, agile and powerful punchers.