Dempsey's thoughts on Modern Heavyweights

Funny thing about this thread, H, remember like yesterday sitting with Dempsey in the gallery at Stillman's Gym (and he may just have been self-deprecating, as a boxing elder statesman) and he said, very matter-of-factly, no way could he have beaten Marciano. He was a much harder puncher.

This was about '52, so none of the others you mention were even a consideration.
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Dempsey said that kind of stuff about a lot of fighters, actually. Sam Langford, Jim Jeffries, Jack Johnson and Joe Louis spring to mind. He didn't necessarily say they all would have beaten him, but close enough.

 

He always fancied Frazier to beat Ali.

 

Did he call Frazier over Ali in the FOTC?

 

He spoke prety highly of Ali early in his career.

He disaproved of his political asociations but spoke glowingly of his talent. When Ali was banned he said that "it was a shame bacaues he was the only man who could have revitalised interest in the sport"

 

Very interesting. Before Marciano became champion, Dempsey felt Clarence Henry was the best of the up and comers, not Marciano.

Joe Louis also said he did not think he could defeat Marciano, because Louis did not like to be crowded.

 

Jack believed he would have beat Ali, I can still see the headline on the Ring mag before their fight of the century,,,,Frazier will beat Clay, I would have. Jack Dempsey

 

Dempsey was always boasting up other fighters he hardly ever to my knowledge spoke plainly about who he could or could not beat even when he thought he could ,so much different from the cocky loud mouths of today

 

I always thought they should do a movie on Dempsey, and said as much to a client of mine who's an asistant director, who not surprisingly didn't know who Demsey was.

 

You mean like the movie Dempsey

 

Maybe he means a good movie? ****, Dempsey's life story provides enough material for an HBO mini-series event.

 

I know he spoke pretty lowly of Louis at one time. Jealousy of course.

 

Apparently, he wasn't a terribly big fan of Sonny Liston. I believe someone here ( perhaps Old Fogey,) once mentioned that Dempsey said " the first man who stands up to Liston will beat him."