How much of Mike Tyson's technique came from Jack Dempsey?

It's not like Dempsey had a big weight advantage over Sharkey, nor is it like Tyson had a big weight disadvantage against these guys.

 

He did the same with Firpo who was much bigger than him. Tyson didn't do that against Holyfield who wasn't bigger than him.

 

They are farily different - Dempsey loved rough inside game, Tyson didn't (probably couldn't) wrestle at all. Tyson had better defense overall, he was better taught how to protect himself. Dempsey was more natural fighter which sometimes got him at disadvantage (like against Brennan or Firpo). Dempsey also could box off the backfoot in a way we never saw from Tyson.

In reality, Tyson was bigger and probably more dangerous overall as a puncher, he was also more consistent in his prime.

On the other hand (taking away size difference), I can't see Dempsey losing to someone like Holyfield in that way - Tyson wasn't smaller than Evander and Holyfield beat him inside and with rough tactics. That's Dempsey game, he would beat 190 lbs version of Holyfield Tyson faced. I also don't think that Tyson would be able to beat Sharkey so far from his prime.

Then I also don't think that Tyson would lose to 220 lbs version of Tunney either.

 

Good observation. He was easier to walk around the ring in a clinch or push back in a straight line too. Holy did it the entire first fight, just walked head down into Mike's wheelhouse, smothered him and drove him backwards with Tyson square on, unable to set himself and never able or aware enough to pivot sideways to try and regain control.

He was a mid-range fighter and never had the infighting skill of a Dempsey or Frazier despite his superior explosiveness, speed and power.

 

Do you think Tunney and Holyfield would have beaten Dempsey and Tyson in their primes?

 

Firpo was a galloot who was small by Tyson's era's standards. My point is that Tyson didnt generally have the opportunity to wrestle and maul given the dimensions of his opponents. Thus he never developed that part of his game. It just didn't accentuate his physical assets. Even Holyfield called this out years later, saying essentially that Mike was pulling a magic act on the entire division, a tiny guy tearing apart the best offered by always making the fight on the terms that flattered his physical assets compared to those of his opponents.

 

Tough to say, but Holyfield showed a gameplan that would be tough to overcome for any version of Tyson.

Tunney wouldn't likely beat Dempsey, but he would always be a tough fight for him. Old Dempsey in his last fight knocked him down, I can't see Tunney surviving that against 1919 Dempsey.

 

I think Tunney might possibly have outslicked Mike. But wasn't Gene kind of a small man? I can't picture an even smaller man than Tyson beating him at his absolute peak (86-88).

Imo Holy would have stopped both Dempsey and Tyson on their best respective days. Holy was the great warrior of heavies, and I only put Louis, Holmes, and Ali above him in the ATGs.