Joe Louis vs Jack Dempsey Bare knuckle 20 rounds.

Dempsey takes out Louis inside 2 rounds.

 

Wills best wins were prior to Dempsey's title reign .He did nothing to keep his place either.

 

What film out there of a prime Wills leads you to believe he was slow?

Secondly, if Wills was cake why didn't Dempsey just prove it in the ring?

Dempsey never fought a man of Wills size + skill level/punching ability before.

What makes you think Dempsey was so invincible on film? We have film of Dempsey being knocked down, knocked out of the ring and saved by a typewriter, being staggered by light-heavyweights, getting his ears boxed off, getting hit with a lot of right hands.

I am not the only one out there who believes Wills career merits a top 15-20 all time ranking, placing him near Jack Dempsey.

 

They didn't have ratings but he was the NYSAC mandatory after he put down payment. That's why Dempsey stopped fighting, because it was fight Wills or don't fight so he didn't fight. Wills tried to sue numerous times. Eventually trying to block the Firpo fight too, Dempsey angrily said he'd never fight Wills now...after however many years of not fighting him already. Dempsey would rather stop earning a living fighting rather than fight Wills.

Norfolk was a blown up LHW, just like Langford was a blown up LHW, just like Dempsey was a blown up LHW, just like Greb, Gibbons and Tunney were blown up LHWs. That's the era. Langford was 31 when Wills first beat him and he was the best for many of the era before, hence it's generally considered a great set of wins.

Gibbons does have a decent record but it's not in Wills class. He was coming off 2 shut out losses to Greb coming into the Dempsey fight and avoided all the big men of the division. The Norfolk fight was well past both mens primes.

 

I can laugh at this one, because I know Dempsey wasn't in Louis' class. Joe would destroy Jack Dempsey, and it wouldn't last long. After the fight, folks would marvel at how badly Louis outclasses Dempsey.


Then again we all know Dempsey wouldn't fight Louis. He would draw the color line. After getting his ribs smashed by John Lester Johnson, he never fought a black fighter again. He turned down a fight with Sam Langford in 1917 and ran out of the ring against 39 year old Jeanette in 1918.

 

Still recycling the "why didn't Wills fight the white contenders who ducked him' diatribe? How disapointing

 

Not to mention Norfolk twice smoked Miske, who is considered one of Dempsey's best wins.

 

Great question. In bare knuckle environment i would say the manassa mauler jack dempsey would best joe louis

 

Louis' opposition is far above Dempsey's in quality

 

Miske has a good case for bettering Dempsey prior to him getting sick with Bright's Disease and going on a losing run prior to their fight. Greb ofcourse shut Miske out too.

It's hard to know how good Miske was at his peak to be fair to him.

 

Looks like the healthy version of Miske fought Dempsey to a draw

"Neither fighter gained a commanding lead and a poor draw was the general verdict. Miske outboxed Dempsey most of the fight with the exception of the seventh round, when Dempsey, sinking a hard left into Miske's stomach and putting a right to the jaw, evened up the battle. Up to that time Miske had claimed three rounds and Dempsey two and one was a draw. Miske was plainly worried in the seventh but he held his own the rest of the way. The fight was without a spectacular feature. Miske continually resorted to infighting and managed to get inside most of Dempsey's blows. Miske landed one hard blow in the fight, a right cross in the third round. Dempsey scored in the second, third and seventh rounds and his supporters seemingly were inclined to give him a shade for this work. On the other hand those who gave Miske a shade based their verdicts on the fact that he made Dempsey miss many blows." (Indianapolis Star) According to George Blair, the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reported Miske to be the winner. $13,400 gate.

 

I've seen what is available and Wills is significantly slower than Dempsey and reports of his bouts confirm it.

 

Billy Miske, whom Wills never fought.

 

You say they ducked him but offer no proof of it ,just the same old mantra .How disappointing.
We know Wills ducked Tunney and Godfrey.

 

He turned down a fight with Langford when he was a kid.
.He never an out of the ring from Jeannette that is silly talk that you should know better than to indulge in.
Dempsey was giving an exhibition for nothing there was a last minute hitch when his opponent failed to appear and Jeannette wanted to replace him.Dempsey refused to fight Jeannette under those terms
To suggest Dempsey was afraid to fight boxers because of their skin pigmentation is rank stupidity.
Your hatred of Dempsey is akin to Mendoza's of Johnson and just as biased and irrational.