How good was Dempsey's title reign?

Hmmmm ...... the plot thickens. Sounds like a case for Marlowe. :hey

Yes, curious that Dempsey called the poisoning story "bunk" almost as soon as it had been reported that he'd said it. I didn't realise he was writing stories about it.
But forgive him for being a bit inconsistent, he'd had his head punched in by Tunney ! He's the last person to know what the hell happened !

 

IMO Demspey looks pretty good against Willard, Firpo - after a rough start. Bad against Tunney the first time, quite a bit better against Sharkey - who put in one of his best performances - and Tunney II - a fight he should have won, longcount.

Mike Tyson was a big fan of Jack and always wanted to be like him. Copied his haircut, boxing trunks, his no-socks-in-boxing-shoes. Even his cliothing style at times. And he tried to emulate his boxing style as well. And Tyson, at least before he lost it, was a boxing scholar who probably saw more film of old timers than anyone on here.

Well, you are right and wrong here. Yes, Willard was past his best. But we are looking at Dempsey´s performances here. And he looked terriffic against Willard and done against Tunney. Of course the opponent had something to do with it as well but there are clearly differences to be seen in Dempsey in both fights, look at his headmovement, his footwork, his shand and footspeed. He so clearly lost a lot between those fights. And no the Tunney fights shouldn´t be forgotten but they need to be put into perspective - as needs the Willard fight.

 

B, finally a little sanity ! But AFTER not fighting for THREE years and without
a tune-up fight,against one of the greatest boxers of alltime, what did anyone expect a 32 year old Dempsey to do ? The people who bring up the Tunney fight to evaluate the real Jack Dempsey, have an agenda that is not based on logic, but a visceral dislike of Dempsey. Of that I am convinced B !
Could a Joe Louis,who battered Abe Simon around until the 13th rd,improved on Dempsey's ko of Jess Willard in Toledo ? NOPE. Was Ray Robinson derided
as Dempsey IS for taking a beating from Ralph Tiger Jones,and was Ray Robinson's great legacy based on this one fight against the journeyman Jones ? The answer is rightfully NO. So why is Dempsey so reviled today by
not a few posters, whilst in my youth,Dempsey was praised to the skies ?
As I posted before Dempsey is taking more of a beating in his grave, than he took in his boxing career ..Cheers B...

 

bodhi and burt, you misunderstood me and im not sure how....

It was a reply to you burt. You laud the Dempsey v Willard fight as the greatest victory of all time...and then tell me the Tunney v Dempsey fight should be forgotten and counts for nothing.

Why should it be forgotten? You say because, he was age 32, coming off a 3 year layoff and was a shell of his former self....

But Willard was age 37, coming off a 3 year lay off, and even more of a shell of his former self...

Isnt it a glaring double standard to not say that this should also count for nothing and should be forgotten? Let alone lauding it as the greatest victory of all time

 

I agree. Jess Willard shouldn't be rated on his performance against Dempsey.

 

Nah, we understood you, at least I did, but I think you mix up two things. When judging Dempsey´s standing as an atg you are completly right. But when judging Dempsey as a fighter and what he was able to do, you are wrong. The Tunney fights aren´t much help there at all since Dempsey slipped a lot. The only thing we can learn from them is if Dempsey is able to overcome adversery in its worst form, beeing outmatched in everything but power. And yes, he did, see the longcount. He found a way to beat Tunney but didn´t get the win - which is to a part his own fault. Other than that, the Tunney fights only show us how much he slipped. The Willard fight shows us what he was capable of at his best. And that is quite something.

 

I´m German. Kidding, joking and the likes is not in my genes. Sorry. :thumbsup

 

There is a difference between saying he should have won the fight and thinking it should have been a win for Dempsey.

 

Double Standards again from the forum Troll.. you say "a fighter goes by the refs count".. yet argue repeatedly that Lennox Lewis was short changed against McCall by the referee :huh you have rules which apply to some fighters and not to others.... JAB is a renowned HATER of Dempsey, Tunney, Tyson, Frazier, Marciano, Pep, Bowe & Ali yet claims Tommy Morrison is up there with the All time Greats of the Sport

 

P, I have never ever said that Dempsey's knockout was the "greatest victory of alltime "! Please P,don't put words in my mouth. I cite Dempsey's ko of Willard as his high water mark in Dempsey's career,as Willard though 37,was NEVER on the floor prior to this bout. And Dempsey having to "punch up"
at the giant Willard was mighty impressive.
To laud Dempsey for showing amazing quickness and power in his Willard
massacre,has nothing in the world to do with UNDERSTANDING the fact that
SEVEN years later in 1926, after not fighting for THREE years,without a tune-up bout, the 32 year old Dempsey was a shell of his tigerish prime...Would U
not agree with this obvious and simple concept ? Dempsey's main attribute
was his welterweight type body speed in his prime. At the time of the Tunney fight, the 32 year old Dempsey had none of this left...Peace...

 

Greb's lack of power was the sole reason the bout was never made...read the link below:
The Morning Leader - Google News Archive Search

Greb's management then tried to arrange for Dempsey to fight an 8 round No-Decision fight with Greb or a 10 round No-Decision fight with Greb... what would be the point in Dempsey agreeing to that?