My top 7 heavyweights (from Dempsey on)

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Sonny's jab, Apr 24, 2008.


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  1. SuzieQ49

    SuzieQ49 The Manager Full Member

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    I am a big sympathizer with jack dempseys early career which was like jersey joe's and i cut him alot of slack but by 1917 dempsey was a full time fighter......he was not the kid around the block anymore. he was coming into his own by then, I am not convinced it was a dive against 38 year old flynn(though I defintley want it to be). Dempsey turned down offers from gunboat smith, sam langford, and frank moran(?) that year
     
    SuzieQ49, Apr 24, 2008
    SuzieQ49, Apr 24, 2008
    #31
  2. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member

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    No Sonny Liston!!!!!

    :yikes:yikes:yikes:yikes:yikes
     
    JohnThomas1, Apr 24, 2008
    JohnThomas1, Apr 24, 2008
    #32
  3. RoccoMarciano

    RoccoMarciano Blockbuster Full Member

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    He took too many dives for Ali :smoke
     
    RoccoMarciano, Apr 24, 2008
    RoccoMarciano, Apr 24, 2008
    #33
  4. Maxmomer

    Maxmomer Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I really don't take into account the Flynn fight when I judge Dempsey. There are too many questions marks and the fact that an incident of that nature was never repeated lead me to believe that there were probably some major unknown factors in play. Just my two-cents
     
    Maxmomer, Apr 24, 2008
    Maxmomer, Apr 24, 2008
    #34
  5. Seamus

    Seamus Proud Kulak Full Member

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    Yeah, hard to believe, isn't it.

    Still, he's on the cusp of my top-10, usually just a little inside.

    That's about the proper respect due the guy.
     
    Seamus, Apr 24, 2008
    Seamus, Apr 24, 2008
    #35
  6. JohnThomas1

    JohnThomas1 VIP Member

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    Yes, i was shocked especially given all the Classic tree's he been knocking down!

    7 to 11 maybe would be fair. Trying to remember where i have him. If one factors head to head heavily it's possible to have him well in the mix - many rate him enormously H2H and it can certainly be debated, like many top 10's.
     
    JohnThomas1, Apr 24, 2008
    JohnThomas1, Apr 24, 2008
    #36
  7. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    I cant do pure head-to-head.
    Most imaginary fights I can see going different ways, so it's difficult to say who would do best against the entire field.
     
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    #37
  8. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    I prefer Dempsey as a fighter, I'd favour him to beat some of those above him. I think his inactivity as champion is a bad mark on him.
    I dont give him the same "massive credit" for 3 wins over Miske. I read the first two weren't great fights, and one was actually a draw. Miske was perhaps recovering from sickness in the third one. Miske was good but not so good to move Dempsey up my ratings.
     
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    #38
  9. Ezzard

    Ezzard Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Ali
    Louis
    Johnson
    Holmes
    Dempsey
    Foreman
    Frazier
    Liston
    Holyfield
    Lewis

    Edit: Just realised that Johnson doesn't count as this is from Dempsey onwards....

    Ali
    Louis
    Holmes
    Dempsey
    Foreman
    Frazier
    Liston
    Holyfield
    Lewis
    Marciano
     
    Ezzard, Apr 25, 2008
    Ezzard, Apr 25, 2008
    #39
  10. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    Did Seamus just come out about his manlove for Sonny Liston ?

    You'd rate him in the top 10 ?

    He gets a mention before Holyfield & Frazier ?

    That's big wet sloppy manlove if I've ever witnessed it. Shocking.

    Then again, your manlove for Tyson is apparent too. What is it, his tattoos ? "The Baddest Man on The Planet", imagine that !
    You know Tyson had a thousand street fights before he was 13, Cus used to take him down to mafia pit-fighting clubs when he was a teenager, sometimes fights to the death, Tyson was knocking out 15 grown men a night before he turned pro. That's why he still got much love from da gangsta thugs, he was repping Brownsville even when they had him out in Catskill. Tyson was invincible back in the day.
     
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    #40
  11. Bokaj

    Bokaj Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    My would be:

    Ali
    Louis
    Holmes
    Marciano
    Lewis
    Foreman*
    Frazier

    * I'm very much on the fence when it comes to Foreman. On one hand he has his destruction of Frazier and his very impressive comeback, but on the other hand he met few ranked contenders and had a bad record against the ones he met. If you merge old Foreman's intangables with young Foreman's physical assets you have a top 5, maybe even top 3, fighter, but separately none of them really gets into the top 10. Tough call.
     
    Bokaj, Apr 25, 2008
    Bokaj, Apr 25, 2008
    #41
  12. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    Thanks foe the suggestions people. :good

    I think Holyfield would round out by top ten before Tyson gets a sniff at it, and Lewis has a record as good as either but he was a bit lacking in the impression he made in his biggest fights. So Holyfield would edge just in front on my list. I have reservations about both Holy and Lewis though.

    But I'm thinking Schmeling might deserve in. Though he got busted up by Baer.

    All the candidates have major blemishes. Liston's quit job was pathetic, Walcott in his peak years dropped decisions to guys like Maxim and Layne - good fighters, and I dont penalize much for losing competitive decisions - but still Walcott dropped maybe a few too many.

    The order of my top 7 isn't set in stone. I can see it jumbled up in lots of ways. Ut I think the 7 names are reasonably solid as of now.
     
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    #42
  13. SuzieQ49

    SuzieQ49 The Manager Full Member

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    walcotts loss to maxim was a bad decision. the new york times described the next day as "the clevelander won a very unpopular decision".
     
    SuzieQ49, Apr 25, 2008
    SuzieQ49, Apr 25, 2008
    #43
  14. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    Thanks.
    But wasn't his win over Elmer Ray a bit strange too ?
     
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    #44
  15. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    Sorry, Q, I meant his win over JIMMY BIVINS was a bit strange, but it was possibly fair.
     
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    Sonny's jab, Apr 25, 2008
    #45
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