Jack Dempsey vs Sam Langford in 1917 - who would have won?

When there was talk of a Dempsey vs Harry Wills championshipo fight, reporters asked Sam Langford, his opinion of who would win that fight ?.Langford was quotes as saying,'well if they do fight,my money is on Jack, for he is thegreatest heavyweight I have ever seen",unquote...That was sam Langfords opinion, and it's good enough for me....Such was the esteem a prime Jack Dempsey was held in...Today many fans see the old Jack Dempsey with Tunney after a three year layoff...Silly...But they give more slack to Ray Robinson after Ralph Tiger Jones gave Robinson a sound beating....Why the double standard,I ask ?They were two immortals....

 

Flynn knocked him out around this time didn't he? Knocked Dempsey out cold, flat on his back for 20 seconds. I fear what Langford might do to him.

 

Jack is a tough one to gauge. He was such a lethal puncher at his best (eyewitnesses state) but his filmed performances arent like that. Imagine if all we had of Tyson was Berbick, Douglas, Neilson, Botha and holyfield. Would anyone really believe he had the knockout power to blast out the best fighters ever, based on eyeweitness statements?

 

I've always thought Langford was a bad matchup for Dempsey. I'd say Langford by KO.

 

Wasnt Langford blind by this stage? He was certainly well past his prime but Langford would have a punchers chance and it would be a brawl.

 

In interviews Dempsey always said he wouldn't fight Langford because he was too good. It was obviously a quote given out of respect for Sam because Langford would have been chewed up by this point in his career.

Maybe it's rose-tinted glasses but doesn't it appear so much better when these greats have respect for one another than the loud-mouthed idiots who scream about themselves in today's game?

 

First of all Kearns refused a fight with Langford after Dempsey was already champ in early 1920.

Dempsey famously said he wanted no part of Langford during his John the Barber days in NYC ...

I still like Langford big in 1917. I might like him in 1920 ... if Carpentier rocked Dempsey imagine what Langford might do ...stylewise Dempsey was made for him ...

 

like him or not Dempsey was a different class of heavyweight than Langford was beating at the time, yes Sam fought the best of the blacks and some white heavy's but was not exactly beating all of them. Take Harry Wills, a slow, stand strait type of fighter, I think Dempsey would be the wrong style and despite the hype Dempsey would stop him. Sam would be tough but not sure he could deal with the power and speed of the tough and mean Dempsey. Guys like Greb and Langford would trouble Jack for a while but Jack had firepower and speed and would prevail. I also like Dempsey over Wills for all that I have read and seen. I think Wills was big and slow and dont see how he would handle Jacks pure power and speed. I know Dempsey is trashed on ESB but I see something great in him

 

1917 Dempsey was not the finished article. Only towards the end of that year did he even begin to hit his stride, and it was 1918 and 1919 that he really peaked.

 

Langford in 1917
Dempsey in 1918

 

I believe there was a reason Dempsey admitted he was afraid of Langford...

 

There's always a chance that Sam would catch Jack a la 'Fireman Flynn' Aside from that,I envisage a Dempsey stoppage. Too strong for Sam at this stage of their careers.

 

One past his best ,one a bit short of it. Langford would be 34, and turning in some spotty performances by 1917, but probably have enough left to beat the still maturing Dempsey.

Like McGrain, I think the Fulton fight was the turning point for Sam, after that he was still a force ,but a declining one imo. 1917 Langford, late 1918 Dempsey. Posters such as H.E .rightly say Langford is wrong for Jack style wise,but I think the reverse is possibly true too.
Novice Iron Hague ,slow moving and, never in shape, belted a prime Sam to the canvas, but lacked the ring smarts to keep him there. If Dempsey had that window he would have closed it. The same could be said for Firpo v Jack of course.If Sam had Dempsey on the skids ,he would have finished the job.