Prime: Jack Dempsey VS Max Baer

Jack Dempsey. You'd see Baer clinging on, rough housing, trying to land the big blows. Dempsey would be moving, countering and beating up Baer for ten/fifteen.

 

I was expressing this realization in post #4 when I said "If the Larruper made his mind up not to be taken out, but hang tough...," and am not convinced Louis floors him if Max comes in with a LaMotta/Chuvalo type mind set for that one. On film at least, he only looks to be in truly genuine sense separating distress at the conclusion of the career ending Nova rematch. Arthur Donovan officiated Max's bout against Louis as well as the Nova rematch, and certainly had the context for knowing when Max was finally truly helpless and in need of rescue.

Regarding the combination of steel jaw with glass mentality, Max presaged Oliver McCall by over 60 years.

By stoppage or decision though, there's no way he takes the win over Jack, who outscored a far better boxer in Tommy Gibbons off a two year layoff.

 

Not only that but his right hand was lethal. He got complacent after he won the title and after that seemed to be satisfied with his career and become even more of a Playboy than he already was.

I often wonder what Baer would be like today with modern nutrition, training, etc. He was 6'2.5" and 215 or so in top shape I can only imagine what he would be with all the PED's that are around today.

It can be argued the Baer's beating of Carnera is 2nd to what Dempsey did to Willard as far as how brutal someone won the Heavyweight title. Baer literally chopped Carnera down like a tree and Primo took some savage right hands in that fight flush. One of my favorite old fights to watch seeing a huge guy like Carnera just helpless and getting obliterated.

 

The issue with Baer in the Louis fight was his hands not his heart. He had bad hands at that point and had to get shot up before the Louis fight to help numb them and they didn't time it correctly.

 

Wasn't he figuratively shitting his pants in the dressing room before the fight?

 

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really? was dempsey a harder puncher? no.. was dempsey as big? no... who had the better chin? baer.. he had a longer reach? baer... who had stylistical advantage here? baer...

 

You are probably right on all counts, but I would still have to favour Dempsey significantly.

 

You're joking right ? Dempsey is crude ? And Baer a heavyweight Benny Leonard I suppose ?

 

Baer was a crude hwt. Great chin, killer right hand, ....that's about it. Dempsey was the real deal...rated by the best trainers of his day as one of the greatest hwts of all time. In terms of skill, speed, boxing ability, athleticism, ...it's all in Dempseys favor. Baers only chance is catching Jack coming in but no one is taking prime Dempsey out with one shot. Dempsey gets in close and just devastates Max with body shots and then brings that power up to the head. Max had no inside game so it's all Dempsey. The fight does not go 5 rounds.

 

Speed of Dempsey may make a big difference but Max could really punch as well, I see this fight going the distance with JD by points

 

Just one thought. During the Max Baer era, NO ONE in the boxing business ever thought of putting Max Baer in the same class as Dempsey...Baer would be helpless with a fast,
killer who would get inside of the wide swinging Baer and flatten him. Only a Joe Louis of that era would Dempsey have problems, because of his lethal straight and short
combinations...Baer had to have punching room, Dempsey would do to Baer what he did to Firpo. Style. style, style...

 

Very very true Burt.

 

One thing that is distorted concerning Dempsey is that he is looked at as a Marciano or Frazier type fighter.....completely untrue. Dempsey was more akin to Louis than either of these two.

 

His right hand was pretty deadly against Schmelliing, too.