Joe Louis vs. Jack Dempsey who wins and how?

This was always the big "Dream Fight" back in the early 1960's in all the magazines! Jack Sharkey...who fought both, was asked who'd win in a fight between the two: "If they fought in a phone booth...Dempsey would be the one to walk out!"

 

Durability !!! 68 fights, 6 loses 1 by KO , really ?

 

I think Louis would expose Dempsey to a degree. I still think Dempsey was a great fighter but he wasn't in Louis' class.

In short, Dempsey starts a firefight and Louis finishes it. KO4.

 

First of all, I have the highest respect for Dempsey, one of the greats of boxing.

Then when I talked about durability, I meant that Dempsey had a very high intensity in the first few rounds. Indeed, the majority of his knockouts were in the first 3 rounds, especially in round 1. Less in subsequent rounds, because Dempsey burned so much energy in the initial sprint. In this sense, he had a problem of duration.

I didn't say Dempsey didn't have a good "chin".

 

The question is , are old Schmeling and Billy Conn better than Dempsey ? One did and the other one almost rolled Louis.

Schmeling to me was always B side, solid all around but nothing special.

Conn gave Louis major fits with movement but especially speed of hand.

Dempsey is as fast as Conn IMO and hits way harder than the German plus is as explosive as Mike Tyson.........I believe there is a very distinct chance Dempsey gets Louis out in under 4.......but the longer it goes it is reasonable to assume Louis takes over.

What most people forget is that Dempsey was a real mean vicious SOB behind all the nice suits and movie smiles, the definition of a hard man, that does not mean louis was a P...y but he is not in the same controlled Psychopath league as Dempsey..

Proof? As a pensioner Dempsey knocked out Muggers, as a pensioner Louis knocked over lines of coke.....

 

He's better than anyone Dempsey ever beat.

 

Dempsey too fast, dangerous and tough for anyone... Even louis

Louis defense and chin too shakey
Sharkey thought in prime dempsey might end it in the first.....

 

In that case what you should have said is you think he has high intensity, not that his " one big flaw is durabilty " obvs you didnt expound on your point well, still dont get the word duration, 15 with Gibbons, two 10s with Tunney, seems pretty durable to me.

 

With the notable exception of old lightheavy Gibbons, Dempsey beat a bunch of undisciplined cowboys and saloon fighters. Louis' had to tackle some disciplined, educated and frankly, imposing, professionals. And in his prime he was devastating against them.

If you have to revert to nebulous intangibles, that Dempsey was a tiger and had unmatched ferocity, etc.., then you have no argument.

Louis KO4.

 

Wills was a sparring partner for fulton.... Was offered to spar with dempsey for willard bout but never accepted

 

Any heavyweight, and I'm Including today's super heavyweights that comes straight at Louis will get K'oed. Dempsey was tailor made for Louis. Defensively reckless, overly aggressive, attacks in straight lines, and was fast compared to whom? Its easy to look fast against suspect at the least, bad at the most competition.
Dempsey certainly could hurt Louis. He didn't have the greatest chin.
Would he get the chance? Doubtful.
Louis would know he has a very dangerous opponent facing him.
He would fight accordingly. Dempsey's "Punchers Chance" goes out the window if Louis fights smart,cautiously.
Louis would use his jab, to keep Dempsey off balance, and measured with his offense until Dempsey gives him the perfect counter opportunity, then Louis's faster hands,better punching power, better skills catches Dempsey in one of his overly aggressive openings created by that aggression, catches him clean, stops him in the 1st 5-6 rds

 

I hadn't read that, thanks for the link. Dempsey seems to have given contradicting statements on whether he would fight African American fighters or not.

Dempsey recently (in the last year or so) dropped out of my all time top 10 even though I continue to be a fan of his ability, speed and power. Those quotes are disappointing.

Dempsey's failiure to meet Wills certainly hurts his legacy. I have read that Wills thought Dempsey wanted to fight him and that he never blamed Dempsey himself. Do you know why Wills would feel this way?

 

I couldnt care less about his statements. I prefer actions over words. Anyone who thinks he didnt draw the color line can show me all of the black fighters he fought after 1916, particularly the one universally regarded as the greatest threat to his title for the entirety of his reign. I wont wait up. While they are doing it they can compile a list of all of the bonafide offers (not fake offers devised to give the appearance of Dempsey trying to make the fight such as Fitzsimmons and Rickard) for such fights that Dempsey completely ignored. He wanted nothing to do with Wills and Wills was no Louis.

 

Fair enough.

 

Dempsey had a steel chin...past the age of 21 he was knocked down only three times...and never in sparring and exhibition.... Before that sudenberg knocked him down once at most and that might have been a foul....downing..once, one maybe other opponent once, and flynn