Dempsey's punching ability compared to the 90s heavyweights

Reg Gutteridge was a good man. Grew up in the boxing business. Boxed a bit himself.
Lost a leg to a land mine in Normandy June 1944 and went into covering boxing in the media, newspapers and later television. Not a bad contribution, I reckon.

 

All well and good. Much respect to him.

Did he ever see Dempsey fight? Did he ever see Tua fight?

 

If anyone can find me a light heavyweight that punches remotely as hard as any top heavyweight today I'll concede the point that perhaps this topic is worth discussing. Even then the onus will very much be on them to prove the point to me.

 

Well yeah it does change depending on the era you put him in since heavyweights since Dempsey's day have become vastly larger and more athletic, as well as benefiting from the effects of performance enhancing drugs which would have been unknown in Dempsey's day.

You cannot honestly look at Dempsey winging his crude LHW punches at some lumbering oaf in the 1920s and come to the conclusion that he punches on the same level as a Tyson or Tua knocking legit 230lbers out with brutal explosive head snapping shots and still be considered a sane, thinking individual. It just can't happen.

 

He's better than Kovalev or Ward and you could put those guys in todays hw scene with some more weight added. Put about 30lb of lean muscle on Dempsey and he'd be smashing the absolute sh it out of people.

 

You couldn't ever put Kovalev or Ward in today's heavyweight scene and expect them to do well. Just wouldn't happen. Put 30lbs of muscle on Dempsey and he loses his speed and general mobility and just becomes another undersized lump, a la Adamek and Haye.

 

Maybe, but we're talking 90s scene. I would give Haye, Povetkin, Adamek, a definite shout at being 90s champs. Plenty stiffs won belts in that era, there wasn't really a dominant force like the Klits holding all the belts for years. And you're just guessing he'd be slower anyway. Wouldn't need as much cardio for 12 rounders vs slower guys.

 

No, he didn't see Dempsey fight. At least not a prime Dempsey fighting in a boxing ring. Gutteridge was born 1924.

I'm pretty sure he saw Tua.

 

Of course size means more power. Boxing still obeys the laws of physics.

That said, technique is more important than size, which is why smaller guys can still generate huge force.

All things being equal, however, bigger is more powerful.

 

Dempsey threw proper punches.

 

Not according to the Willard fight he didn't.

 

He threw loads of great punches in that fight, short hooks and uppercuts.
People tend to remember the bits where he had Willard seemingly hopelessly hurt and got reckless in round 1.

 

Tua and Lewis and Morrison and Foreman and Alex Stewart and Michael Moorer and Bert Cooper and Bowe and Bruce Seldom and Tony Tucker all threw proper punches.

 

Maybe because he looked like a rank amateur during those moments.

 

In terms of technique, he is better than any of them.

He had to be really, because of the amount of weight that he was giving up.