Jack Dempsey vs Tysons 86 to 91 opponents? How does he fare

I would say that Smith is a level above Firpo, if not two. For one thing, Smith actually had a trainer (and a pretty good one) and Witherspoon, Weaver and Bruno represent a better tally than a positively ancient Willard and a lil' Weinert.

 

Tucker survived them for a reason.

They didn't bring much inside game to the table.

I have never quite understood why Firpo is held up as a model of success against Dempsey?

Yes he took him to the brink of disaster, but it was little more than a fluke, in a fight were he was otherwise dominated.

Saying that Smith could do as well as Firpo, is basically like saying that Smith has a punchers chance.

 

That is not necessarily very well though.

 

Biggs, Holmes, Tubbs, Spinks, Williams, Douglas, Tillman, and Stewart don't stand a chance.

Berbick, Smith, Tucker, and Bruno get stopped. Ruddock would be a good fight. Probably a stoppage.

If he fought them all consecutively I'm sure at least one maybe two would go the distance. That's just boxing.

 

Do you honestly think Smith, Ruddock, Bruno, and Douglas beat Dempsey? I could understand an argument for Ruddock but Smith, Bruno, and Douglas? There's no way.

Douglas showed up one time in his career in good shape at his best and that was against Tyson where he was almost knocked out. Smith shouldn't even be given credit for going the distance with Tyson because he avoided the fight the entire night and kept walking away from Tyson and put forth no honest effort to win rounds. I have no problem in seeing Dempsey able to finish the job when this guy couldn't even beat Marvis Frazier and other very less than stellar opponents. Smith just isn't in the same league.

Bruno was a huge puncher no doubt but his stamina was garbage and he had problems with intense pressure fighters. Ruddock and Bruno are the most likely to knock Dempsey down but I can't see them winning the fight. Dempsey would pummel them. He wouldn't be at such a major height and reach disadvantage as Tyson was which played a factor in the Bruno fight because Bruno constantly hit and grabbed in order to smother Tyson's assault.

 

People seem to expect tornadic consistency from a guy who, in his championship tenure, was extended by a hapless Brennan, rocked by an even more hapless Firpo, rocked to his heels by a 170 pound heavyweight non-entity in Carpentier, extended the distance by a lightheavy in Gibbons, and beaten by a coddled heavy 190 pound heavy contender in Tunney. Yet, you try to tell me that he is going to blow thru and KO every one of these modern sized, strong heavies with giant punches? Hyper skilled guys like Tubbs and Tucker and Thomas? Murderous punchers like Bruno, Smith and Ruddock? Or a Tunney equivalent (a great lightheavy who defeated twice an old great heavy) in Spinks? And he is not going to miss one beat or make one of the mistakes he made against the guys mentioned against this crew and be brought to pay for it?

One would have to be tipping the scales mightily in favor of Jack to assume all that with a straight face.

 

Because they didn't have the skill or physicality to beat Dempsey. Spinks and Holmes were at the tail end of their careers or old. I don't think I have to explain why Tillman and Douglas don't stand a chance. Their performance speaks for itself.

Mercer wasn't particularly skilled. A very tough guy with a good jab but not that high up in the skills department and his conditioning wasn't top notch. Check out the Lewis fight. Tubbs got stopped in 2 rounds by Tyson.

Carl Williams got stopped in 2 by the notoriously slow starter, Mike Weaver. Do you think Dempsey couldn't replicate something similar to that? He never really beat any top notch fighters in his prime either. His chin just wasn't good.

It's not just about punching power. I'm sure all of these guys have the power to knock out heavyweights. Spinks was almost 32 years old and never beat any good heavyweights other than Holmes (narrowly). I don't see how Cooney being 240 is relevant. He hadn't fought for over a year and only fought 3 times since he lost to Holmes.

Dempsey is light years better than old Foreman. Anyone that old Foreman could beat, Dempsey would murder.