Jack Dempsey v. Ike Ibeabuchi

Did Dempey actually beat anyone as good as Tua in a head to head sense? As good as Byrd?

 

You can just as easily reverse the question.

 

Dempsey was very stationary? Has Dago Wop returned?

 

And if I reverse it, I would say that Ike did beat someone(s) better than Willard and Firpo and Gibbons (at least at heavyweight).

 

Ike looked promising for two fights. Just Two fights. And nobody should kid themselves that Byrd, Tua or Ike were anything more than part of the prospect circuit.

The Tua v Ike fight is held up as some demonstration of how fantastic both guys were. This fight was not deciding the world number one heavyweight. It was not even to decide who was the greatest prospect. This was just two guys, totally untested who hadn't fought anybody yet against each other.

I remember reading a small article about it in boxing news. "Unbeaten Prospect Tua beaten by an unknown prospect in a thrilling Tv fight". Until that fight, Ike was just another guy with a padded record. Then you watch that fight. It's good boxing, good entertainment. And because both guys scored knockouts at a better level afterwards people decide this was some brutal war. It wasn't. And isn't.

It's two over eager kids who have not entirely gotten used to relaxing at a competitive level enough to really follow through. Yes there were a lot of blows thrown and landed in order to stave off the work rate of the other but the tempo ensured there was not a mark on either man. And that was telling.

It was like as soon as one was in position they had to get off before the other did. Milling away with nobody getting hurt. Quite common among guys so evenly matched. A learning fight.

It's incorrect to look at the weights of the two guys and those big muscles and decide no seasoned ATG champion could cope with either fighter.

It's unfair to Tua and Ike to project them to that echelon off the back of that.

Right after that Ike was out of the ring a whole year. Two fights with Tim Ray and Everton Davis. Unremarkable in both fights. Those guys lost 19 times between them.

Then there is Ike knocking out Byrd. He clipped him good but was beginning to look frustrated. At that point Byrd was just a prospect too, so we still wanted to see him again to see Ike against somebody proven like Golota or Grant to get a crack at Lewis or Holyfield.

 

Dempsey wasn't "very stationary". He was very fast and light on his feet in his prime. Very agile.

Every fighter in history "had trouble with movers". Movers are troublesome.

 

Sharkey, Fulton, Gibbons, Willard, Brennan maybe.
Depends how good you think Tua and Byrd are/were ?

 

And looked great in doing so. I don't see Dempsey or any Heavy from that time period defeating any of the heavy's from the 60's on up. Though in pure skill and knowledge he may have been a better fighter.

 

You got me confused with someone else bud.

 

Impressed by a gift decision over Tua and a knockout over mediocre Byrd. You let yourself be impressed too easily. You WANT to be persuaded that Ibeabuchi is better than Dempsey. Throwing punches in punches at random won't work against a mauling counterpuncher like Dempsey. He would get chewed up in there.

 

Nope.

Are you the guy who spreads false boxing dogma? Yes.

 

Someone needs to remind me exactly what Gibbons did in the heavyweight division besides lose an elimination bout to a middleweight and how exactly he would beat a prime David Tua.

How long does Fulton's weak mandible hold out to a David Tua hook?

The Willard that Dempsey proved his mettle against (and admittedly proved it in stunning fashion) was old as dirt and virtually retired. 10 lackluster rounds in 4 years is what I call an active pro fighter.

Brennan got beat 5 times by a middleweight, a great middleweight sure, but can you name me a middleweight who would run the table against Tua over 5 fights?