Maxmomer: THis is a very fair, well written question: I think Dempsey had a B+++/ A -- chin with A + recooperative powers and an A ++ fighting heart. Firpo was a killer and Jack took his bombs. By Jacks own admittence he had been down many times early in his career but he always, except possibly against Flynn, got up ... He was stung by Carpienter and roared right back. Brennan was a very good 200 pound puncher, Sharkey could swat when he planted himself and tried. Against Tunney he was exhausted and off balance just as much as from a punch and he was up in a second ... However, could he handle a first round blizt by a Tyson ? I doubt it. I hate to say it but with his style I can see a Marvis Frazier ending ...
His chin was among the better ones in heavyweight history but it ocasionaly gets a bit oversold due to his recuperative powers and ability to fight while hurt. If you take the Firpo fight as an example I don't thing many if any heavyweight champions would have clawed the fight back if they were in that much of a fog.
Keep his style in mind ... like a Frazier or Marciano he was almost always coming forward .. he was exposed to full force shots opposed to an Ali or Holmes who rarely absorbed such shots ...
Solid chin. If we're judging him against a standard of people who can take clean shots from heavy without visible effect -- who, exactly, meets that standard?
Bingo Can't believe Hegrant admits it's largely Dempsey's recuperative powers and heart. I basically have been saying what the OP said all along. I think Dempsey's durability in general gets overstated.
I don't think his overall durability is overrated, but his chin might be by some. His heart and general toughness were second to none, but he could be shaken up by a good shot to the chin.
That's a ultra strict definition of a "good chin". By that standard, the only fighters with good chins would be ones like LaMotta or Chuvalo.
You're right, my point was that it seems that Dempsey was hurt when he was caught with a good punch more often than many other ATG's. Guys like Ali, Liston, Marciano even Lennox Lewis were all able to walk through big shots without being too badly affected. Dempsey seems to get hurt more often and by weaker punchers than other great heavyweights.