Jack Dempsey v Joe Louis in their primes

Well i think those kind of comments should be taken with a grain of salt. A big grain.

For one, that punch with which he knocked Dempsey down landed square on the jaw. Many other punches did. "I never hit him on the chin" is a pure lie. Film undeniably shows this, which is why i don't trust written accounts on fighters on who there is little or no film. Some of them make you think Johnson was a jabbing, slick dancer which he absolutely wasn't.

Second, Tunney did not threw all that many hard punches to begin with.

Third, praising a legend is something that always makes you more popular. Foreman did this all the time after his first retirement and it worked like a charm.

 

The punch he hit Dempsey with that caused the kd ,landed on the cheekbone actually ,as to Tunney praising Dempsey in fact he was most uncomplimetary ,bitterly refering to the number of rabbit punches Dempsey threw and talking about Jack throwing rabbit punches in the Brennan and Carpentier fights ,he said he compared notes with Ccarpentier about how they affected him.Tunney didnt throw many hard punches to begin with? Dempsey said a right to the heart in the 7th round after Tunney had been down was the hardest punch Dempsey ever took,this was confirmed by Gus Wilson who was in Dempseys corner.If you dont want to beleive Tunney so be it,perhaps an acocount from someone who never actually witnessed the fight first hand holds more credibility with you,You don't like Dempsey |Mendoza doesn't like Johnson ,objectivity is the loser imo.Dempsey had to be led to the centre of the ring to shake Tunneys hand he was nearly blind from the punches that didnt land ,thats why he refused a rematch ,fearful of his sight.Tunney was the last person to worry about popularity he was indifferent to the fight crowds opinion of him,so much so that he refused to be introduced into the ring ,unless he was fighting that night[ie,getting paid],he said ,"they will have to pay to boo me"

 

Praising a legend? Referring to the Ali fight ,"I was drugged" The Frazier fight ,"you mean that thing was his hook?"

 

Just watch the fight and see for yourself!

Yeah, they weren't the Marciano KO13 Walcott punches obviously, but then again, those don't land in 95% of all fights.


My point is that he makes it sound asif Dempsey was some kind of defensive master. His defence was good, but fact remains that Tunney could hardly miss him those nights. So he kept his chin tucked in, all decent fighters do that.

 

He did say that.


But Foreman said a lot of things. Most of the time, you hear him say that he was scared of Frazier, that he was lucky Frazier just missed him with his vaunted left hook which he felt just going by him, on how Muhammad Ali tricked him and knocked him out, etc. The man changes his opinion more often than a woman.

 

I have seen the fight probably 35 to 40 times.Dempsey wasnt a defensive master but he wasnt kod much either and for a swarmer he sure looked and sounded a lot better than Frazier after he retired,in fact he sounded better than Frazier does now when he was 80!Louis on the other hand was probably second only to Patterson for the number of times he was dropped and by slow punchers like Galento and wobbled by non hitters like Conn.imo Dempsey gets Louis out of there inside 3 rds.Who did Tunney find it hard to land on ? Apart from in the early Greb fights he pretty much outboxed everyone he met.

 

Frazier did actually land his hook in both fights ,no effect!

 

True, he did land that hook. That is one point about Frazier i agree with you on: although he's a good puncher with a high knockout percentage, he doesn't really have that one-punch KO power.

 

No, he is a relentless grinder.Still it took two ATG's to beat him.

 

Prime on Prime I'd take Dempsey by kayo in about 5 rounds. Louis was the better boxer but the Mauler was stronger and had a better chin IMO.

 

Agreed, Sardu.

 

If it went deep LOUIS would do better endurance wise,but it wouldnt DEMPSEY was to fast a starter for LOUIS he would tear into joe before anyone knew what was happinin ,the only kind of fighter that would have a chance against DEMPSEY would be a guy that can really move away(fast)

 

Dempsey was a puncher and a mean fighter that had good speed and took a good shot, Louis was a combo machine.....Louis had trouble with crouchers and crowders, Dempsey could hurt Joe but Joe was smart, had a good solid jab and found the openings....I see this as a good fast paced action fight with Dempsey taking the early lead and having Joe down and in some trouble, Louis returns the favor and the fight is ebb and flow....I see the fight winding down to the 10th to 15th round with Joe turning the tide with a stop...after a great battle and Jack rocking joe quite a few times

 

Joe Louis K.O. RD.1
No way Dempsey can hang in there with Joe.
Granted Jack's left hook would be the bread and butter punch
(Louis could be hit by a left hook)
a fighter would have to sacrafice taking one before giving one.
Joe's right would land first.

No fighter would be able to take a shot from Joe Louis.
The greatest finisher in the history of Boxing.

 

Great match up.