Time is the great eliminator for everything. The saying goes their are three deaths: When you physically die. When your body is buried so it can no longer be seen by anyone. When everyone who knew you dies so now any first hand memory is gone. Every step along the way accomplishments are minimized as memories fade and as memories disappear. This occurred with every hwt champion. It will happen to Louis. It will happen to Ali. None are any less great. Eventually those that remain can only look back and speculate. Speculation leads to the diminishing of accomplishments as all the details are lost and only snippets remain. Time, it is said, eventually overcomes even the Gods.
Based on what they did, Dempsey wasn't THE GREATEST HEAVYWEIGHT ever, but he was a great fighter nonetheless. And for a 188-pounder he was exceptional. List your the all-time top 10 heavyweights and then ask yourself who they beat to make them great ? Truth is, a few of them at least would have some fairly thin credentials in terms of beating other great or excellent fighters. We know who Dempsey beat. Fulton, Brennan, Willard, Gibbons, Firpo, Sharkey, Miske etc.
It is starting to happen to Louis and Ali, but of course there is abundant high quality film of both.
However the details of those bouts get distorted just as they become distorted with Jeffries, Johnson and Dempsey. Then you have individuals who purposefully distort history to sell a book (personal gain....."Dempsey the worlds hwt champion was afraid to fight a middleweight champion", "Dempsey hit Sharkey in the *****") or for notoriety (publishing a controversial article perhaps...."Ali Frazier 3 was a lousy fight", "The myth of ropeadope" etc) and these then distort the minds of people like you can read on these boards. It's a question of the disappearance of the memories where all the details are found, individuals distorting the history by linking points that should not belonged and presenting snippets to present a historically inaccurate picture. Good films are not enough to prevent a flood of distortion filled faulty information. I lived all through the Ali era and see this first hand today. Complete distortions of reality. That's only 40-50 years ago and huge numbers are still living who understand the truth. Just imagine the level of distortion going on with a known ATG like Dempsey where NOONE IS ALIVE WHO CAN VOUCH FOR THE DETAILS. Yet the distortions continue unabashed.
It really isn’t hard to reconcile Dempsey’s record with what people said about him. Just assume that he was a head to head monster, who lost a bit of his appetite for the game once he held the title, and everything falls into place. Neither is it hard to reconcile his brutal upbringing, with the way that he conducted himself as champion. People from that sort of background tend to value something that gives them a comfortable lifestyle.
Actually the history shows Dempsey wanted to fight and fight often. It was Rickard and Kearns who wanted Dempsey to mirror most of the hwt champions before him. Instead of having real bouts often, Rickard and Kearns wanted Dempsey to fight exhibitions, appear in vaudeville and the new media silent motion pictures. It was during this period that Dempsey lost some of the edge that brought him the championship.
In the 70's The Ring held a poll to decide who was the top puncher out of the heavyweight champions. Dempsey won it. Since then many who voted for Dempsey have died and we have had several more standout champions these polls will always be fluid,as the supporters of different fighters pass and new champs come along. I give those who saw these fighters live great credence.
I think there's more to it then that. So following the 70's many of those who voted for Dempsey died, but then most of those alive then started voting for Louis? I don't get this. I do fully understand how someone like Foreman or Ali could jump over the greats of the past, but it's harder for me to understand why the order of the past changed, particularly between Louis and Dempsey.
I've given one answer that I believe was a major contributory factor I don't pretend it is the only one ,nor that I know the complete answer to your query!
