Joe Louis' five largest purses....

HE was under paid in my opinion. Dempsey was making comparable or better purses nearly 20 years earlier, and Louis had greater stardom. Louis should have made a bit more money.

 

Why are you always trying to play the race card??

 

Corrected for inflation (kept in original order):

1. $7.140.388
2. $4.993.799
3. $2.880.746
4. $3.693.541
5. $2.949.299


Today, fighters earn more despite boxing being much bigger back then.

 

I wasn't playing the race card, and how often have I done it to warrant the claim " always? "

 

$350,000.00 in 1936? for Schmeling # 2 was some serious cash in the middle of the depression. I don't know the inflation rate but many cars in those days were less than $1000.00 and now about $30000.00 or more, 30 x more. Here in California my parents bought their first house for $5000.00 in the mid. 1940's and it would be worth about $350,000.00 now, 70 x more. I think food these days is relatively cheap in comparison though. Just for the hell of it I'll say $350,000.00 x 40 for inflation = $14,000,000.00. That's some serious dough for the young champion Joe Louis.

Dempsey may have made more because he was fighting in the roaring 20's, & thing were going like gangbusters. Once that depression hit, it really but the brakes on things. Then WW II comes along, that didn't help earning power either.

 

Yes Ive noticed that about you KKK

 

Maybe the great depression had something to do with it, and that Dempsey came along at a time where economy was boosting

 

There are several sites that allow you to calculate the value of the dollar between various years. Obviously the results differ a bit per calculator, but no more than ~10%.

 

Dempsey's purses were a combination of the boxing boom in the 1920's, his explosive style and Richards ingenious promoting ideas. The Tunney rematch was not topped until Ali/Frazier I - that puts things into perspective.

Joe Louis did very well, financially, considering the desperate era he shared.

The Baer purse was mighty big early on because Max was fresh off losing the title and still considered a big threat. This is what probably sprung Louis into action in what he described as his best ever night in the ring.

 

Quite simply, Joe Louis did NOT "have greater stardom" than Jack Dempsey.

Ah, yes, but without the technology of satellite TV and the PPV system they wouldn't make a fraction of what they make.

 

I think there is enough evidence to prove that he did Sonny.

Dempsey never engaged in a fight where he had virtually most of the world behind him the way that Joe Louis had when he fought Max Schmeling. The political tension of America vs Germany helped both Max and Joe's popularity, but it was a match of mutch greater magnitude than any of Dempsey's biggest bouts. What's more, Joe Louis was a star of the people, and I mean ALL the people. Whites, Blacks, Jews, men, women, rich , poor etc. all rallied to him and viewed him as a hero. Dempsey was only a hero to some but not everyone.

 

Yes indeed.


Fighters earning less makes for better fights and more risks being taken.