Jack Dempsey, we need you now !

Off hand, the last i can think of was back in the 90s where a 175 lb Michael Moorer started knocking fighters out left right and centre, and eventually trailblazed his way to the world championship.

Although he was obviously no Jack Dempsey, he was still a solid contender into the 2000s.


If you take away the two Klitchsko brothers and Lennox Lewis, then (if we could magically get rid of politics and have just one champion) some of the fighters who would have held this title at some stage in the last 20 years would include: Holyfield and Haye - Former Cruiserweights, Byrd - Former Light heavy and Roy Jones and Toney - former middleweights.

 

This was the state of play before Wlad became the #1 contender:

Title Vacant
1.

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2. Hasim Rahman
3.

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4. Lamon Brewster
5. John Ruiz
6. Monte Barrett
7. Calvin Brock
8. Wladimir Klitschko
9. Samuel Peter
10. Nicolay Valuev

 

Dee da dee dee dee, dee dee

 

So, Byrd and Toney were come forward powerpunching heavies?

And anyone who followed Moorer's career closely knew he was on a starvation diet to make the lightheavy limit, seriously, a boiled egg and fruit for the whole day. Was that Dempsey's diet also? I don't recall reading that in all the books I have read on Dempsey. And Moorer's diet showed in his LHW performances... his legs would go, he would get pushed around quite a bit and was saved by his southpaw stance and power.

 

But which of these "heavies" were of Dempsey's style? Would Dempsey fight as a defensive wizard and mull about the division trading wins and defeats?

 

He is buried in the Southampton Cemetery in Southampton, New York. Go get him!

 

Boiled Egg and fruit? Sound similar to certain other diets that were in vogue a while back.

I wonder what the likes of Haye, Povetkin and Chagaev would all weigh, if they ran 10 miles a day. Do you think they would drop the same sort of weight that chris Byrd did?

 

Dempsey would probably be a little heavier in todays HW picture due to the fact that fights are 12 rounds not 15 or more. Lets say 195-200lbs. Whatever he weighs he would still make noise in todays HW scene. He could punch, move and had fast hands. Some of the bigger boys today would be unaccustomed to a fast moving bobbing and weaving puncher like Dempsey. Today it's mostly hit then clinch, separate and repeat. Dempsey would try to tear the other guys head off from the opening bell. No comforrt zone here. Would he succeed? Can't say for certain but I wouldn't be shocked if he did. I always felt that Dempsey and Joe Louis were 2 of the old time greats that could fit in any era and do well. Todays HW scene only reinforces that belief.

 

To be honest with you, these guys had a much worse style for tackling larger opponents than Jack Dempsey did.

The small technical heavyweight with limited power, is probably the type that a super heavyweight can neutralise most completely. They have a chance against a bigger fighter with comparable reach, but a super heavyweight with a significant reach advantage, can totally neutralise their boxing ability.

The variable that will give a smaller fighter the best chance of overcoming a larger opponent, is finishing ability. A Jack Dempsey or even a Rocky Marciano, has an equaliser if they get through.

 

A single boiled egg and a piece of watermelon twice a day? Right. Sure.

Chavaev actually ran quite a bit... if I remember right, actually hurt himself on a training run. Don't let his physique fool you. Don't know about Haye or Povetkin.

 

Do da do do do do, do do

 

Right. Every fighter has a best weight for them. Too much weight drains speed, and stamina, throwing off the defense as well. Dempsey's best weight was 185-190. I could see him being about 200 before the extra weight takes it toll.

 

Dempsey would be a LHW journeyman today unless he learnt how to jab

 

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Dempsey fighting nowadays... to see him brutally KO'd by random journeymen cruisers and LHWs.

 

Ya theres no way Dempsey would be a competing HW in todays era! He would be a glorified punching bag for the SMW, CrW, or MAYBE the LHW division at best.