Evander Holyfield fighting in the Dempsey era and before?

You're forgetting Dempsey criticised Greb for allowing a Negro in Flowers a shot at his title. Dempsey wasn't facing a dangerous challenger, neither was Tunney

 

Well, it's a matter of perception, or rather mis-perception. Holyfield wasn't percieved as all that dangerous when Tyson first fought him. Could a Dempsey-era Holyfield have had a similar career patch where people underestimated how much was left in him? I don't think Dempsey gives Holyfield a shot, but Tunney had a penchant for declining names, and also did challenge Wills; he might have gone after Holyfield if he thought the time was right.

 

very smart n outweighed n outgunned. wills wasnt on holyfields level

 

be very fun until the mid rounds when holyfield would knock tunney out

 

After saying he'd never give Wills a shot, Wills sued the NYC Commission. Dempsey was then forced by the NYC Commission to either reach an agreement with Wills or vacate his title, he conveniently had the purse fall through. Today that would be called step aside money

Many papers at the time highly criticised him not facing Wills from 1919 onwards anyway

Ali I believe wasn't loved in America in his early days, which I believe was part of the reason for his European tour. I think it'd be easy to claim he was too uppity to fight for the title in the 20s.

 

Holyfield was the best at Cruser pre drugs and was probably pre-steroids when he tore through the HW division to become champion. He also fought in an era when everyone was doing steroids pretty much

 

Impossible to say without visually seeing how good Wills was but Holyfield has beat so many 6'3+ men, Wills would be the one on unfamiliar ground

 

Different times and the TV era, the black dynamites weren't given that type of exposure with no massive promotion behind them

Tyson while proving himself great, from the start was also a marketing phenomenon by his management

 

Okay, Douglas was a blob, but Evander at, what 208(?) in that fight was the perfect specimen, as sharp as he ever was and as quick of foot as he was of hand.

That's the 'best' Holy IMO.

 

Agreed, everything aside this title shot was Holyfield's everest, as it is for most challengers, he was 100% razor sharp for that one. Not sure if he was juicing then, I think he probably went harder on the gear post Bowe 1 of maybe pre Tyson

You mean like Langford If they can't make enough hype for Johnson to find it worthwhile to fight Langford, a black challenger just isn't going to have the backing in that era