And the war goes on... I must say that I learned quite a bit of both Dempsey and Marciano from reading your and mcvey's posts in this seemingly endless battle, so keep at it!
Sorry to sound like a broken record but i think the super-heavy size and stature of LL would be too much for Dempsey. The difference between big dudes of old and big dudes of today is the big dudes of today have faster hand speed and better skills etc, IMO naturally. No way would i say Dempsey wouldn't have a chance. He was a two fisted fast handed fighter. I just see LL having success hammering JD coming in from long range.
I don't think that I have the sufficient knowledge to make a great call, but it seems to me that Lewis would win a tough decision. Dempsey's a tiger, but it seems to me that he would have a lot of problem with Lewis's size, reach, etc. Dempsey, of course, always has a chance, especially given Lewis's questionable chin. But Lewis is a tiger too, an underrated one at that. Hmm at the bold. I'm just curious, and this is an honest (as opposed to a smart-ass or rhetorical) question: Who do you have actually beating Dempsey?
How is the prime former two time Olympian and long time reigning Lennox Lewis any different from the 37 year old three year retired Jess Willard? I mean they were both at least 6'5" or more right? If the mauler can hammer the giant Jess from pillar to post he should damn well be able to knock Lewis's head clear off, out of he ring and right into some fancy feather hatted ladies' lap to take home as a suvenier. Dempsey trained by running miles every day down a gravel dirt road, swung a sledge hammer and sparred with circus strong men.. And Lewis?? Lewis was ENGLISH ffs... This is a mismatch.
I wouldn't bet my house on anybody doing it, but there are a few guys I would cautiously favor. Joe Louis, Sonny Liston, and Muhammad Ali strike me as people who have the right tools for the job. I see Foreman, Tyson and Lewis as 50/50 type deals. A number of clever boxer types, would likely beat him in practice, but you wouldn't be ready to make them favorites.
Jack never fought anyone near the talent and physical assets as Lewis. Lewis fought plenty of harder hitters than Jack, and hard hitting was about all he had.