why didnt dempsey ever fight johnson? This content is protected please support your arguments. thank you
Others here are far better versed on this era than me, but Johnson was pretty old and dilapidated by the time Dempsey ascended to the title. Even if he had made himself a viable contender again somehow for Dempsey's throne, the boxing establishment and white America at large had seen quite enough of him, and I can't envision a scenario that would see him in a title fight ever again. Now there were several great black fighters Dempsey could and perhaps should have fought in his heyday, more viable contenders. That is the real issue we tend to debate around here. Johnson was finished, but he did more to strengthen the color line rather than bust it down, which is too bad.
its something you know more about than me. thank you. i was checking their records and was surprised to find johnsons last fights was 11 years after dempseys.
Yeah, and he did exhibitions well into middle age, I believe into the 1940's even. Somebody may correct me on that, but I think that's right.
He fought till he was very old...but they increasingly where against no hopers. Their is a long standing rumor that dempsey and johnson did have a underground fight in which dempsey won by ko. Also one final bit of advice...you might want to put the names dempsey and johnson in your thread title...that will draw in the guys who know the most about the subject matter.
Johnson wasn't able to fight in the US because he was a wanted criminal at the time. He eventually returned to the US while Dempsey was champ and surrendered to authorities, and spent a year or so in jail.
I can't help but think that Dempsey's style was too "advanced" for Johnson... he's just lightyears ahead of all of Jack's opponents when he fought them. Sam Langford is probably the exception here, but he weighed a measly 156lbs when they squared off. As good as Langford was, I can't compare that to a peak Dempsey. In boxer vs puncher, I normally go with the boxer all the way. But here, the difference in styles/eras is quite significant. I'd make Dempsey a 2:1 favorite.
mind you chris isnt a huge fan of dempsey.... but yea..i feel dempsey has the edge....only guy johnson ever fought who had any kind of activity like dempsey (though cruder) was stanley ketchel..but he was much smaller...
Dempsey silently drew the color line and Johnson could never get another crack at the top. It was a volatile social situation. He never got another opportunity because there was enough chance that he'd win. If not, they would have loved to take his scalp and make him a victim. The last thing to go for Johnson was his defensive ability. He never stood there absorbing blows like Ali. He had phenomenal upper body strength and just wore you out. Whoever was steering Dempsey, whether him, Rickard, Kearns... they all agreed that Johnson was just too dangerous to face. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqMi97-U7VI[/ame]