Prime Mike Tyson vs Prime Jack Dempsey

Probably Dempsey early...too tough and gutsy, superior infighter

 

Tyson early in a shootout.

 

Let's be honest, Dempsey loved a good brawl. Tyson would help him out. Tyson would probably stop him early in a Hagler/Hearns type affair.

That said: Dempsey had the speed and power to switch off anybody's lights. I wouldn't write him off by a long stretch. Let's say 70-30 to Tyson.

 

Decent post, and well structured. Can't really argue with what you say.

 

While I agree that Tyson took very good punches from Ruddock, it's a very large overstatement to say that Tyson took 19 rounds of punishment from Ruddock. Tyson proved just about every moment that he was clearly Ruddocks superior.

 

I pick prime Dempsey by late stoppage.Dempsey is the greatest inside fighter and body puncher the heavyweight division ever saw. Tyson's a great body puncher but he didn't have the inside game, kinda easy to wrap up on the inside actually and rather wild with his punches even when he didn't have his opponent in trouble. Dempsey was just a much more complete fighter and had speed to match.

I couldn't care less about the weight of these two guys because Dempsey is just as big and stronger than Holyfield.

 

Dear Mods: Can we please at least prohibit folks from creating new threads that have already been done to death?? A completely sensible rule that would benefit all. If people really are sincerely interested in Tyson v Dempsey v Marciano v Foreman v Wlad v Louis v Lewis v Liston v Ibeabuchi matchups, at least have them bump one of the existing ones up. Thanks for your consideration.

 

Maybe when Holyfield was a young cruiserweight, a decade before he fought Tyson, sure.

 

Paul Bunyan, I mean Jack Dempsey would likely lose this fight very early on.

 

No, heavyweight Holyfield and Dempsey were the same size.

Holyfield: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/19...7_1_evander-holyfield-george-foreman-column-1

Dempsey: https://secure-images.rarenewspapers.com/ebayimgs/9.28.2013/image052.jpg

H D
Chest expanded: 45 in 44 in
Biceps: 16 in 15 in
Thighs: 22 in 22 in
Calf: 13 in 15 in
Forearm: 12.5 in 12.5 in
Wrist: 7.5 in 8.25 in
Ankle: 10 in 9 in
Waist: 32 in 32.5 in
Neck: 19.5 in 17 in

Holyfield is slightly bigger in 4 categories despite being 16 lbs heavier than Dempsey. Dempsey is slightly bigger in only one category but largely bigger in 2. The rest are even.

These two were the same size.

 

Tyson never got up off the floor to come back and win a fight...never mind getting knocked out of the ring and coming back to win a fight...Tyson wanted to be Dempsey...he wasn't!!! Dempsey survived his youth by fighting in mining and hobo camps to survive....Tyson knocked over old ladies in Brooklyn...Dempsey in his prime was a savage...as one writer put it: "He was the most dangerous unarmed man in the world!!!" Tyson was a punk and a thug...if you weren't afraid of him...you had him...Dempsey out guts him......wins by KO....

 

You can't believe everything you read--sometimes you have to trust your eyes and use common sense. Holyfield obviously bulked up until he was a significantly bigger, more musclebound man than Dempsey.

As far as I can tell, Holyfield probably used the same exact measurements (other than weight) throughout his career. The exact same tale of the top against Douglas in 1990, Bert Cooper and Foreman in 1991, Bowe and Steward in 1993, Tyson in 1997, and Lewis in 1999. Same chest, biceps, and waist measurements even though he aged 9 years, took steroids, lifted weights, and fluctuated in weight from 208 to 218.

 

For Douglas and Foreman he weighed 208. 210 for Cooper. 205 for Bowe and 212 for Stewart in '93. That's a very small variance in weight.

Do you have any sources for these tale of the tapes that you are saying are all the same? All I found were the Foreman and Cooper one.

I am using my eyes. Dempsey had a huge upper body and when filmed up close looked pretty large for someone weighing in the 190s.

This content is protected

This content is protected

Account for colorization and lighting and it's very easy to see how these two fighters are the same size.

 

Your eyes are deceiving you because Dempsey is standing next to a regular-sized cruiserweight while Holyfield is standing next to a 255-lb behemoth. Dempsey mostly weighed between 185-192 in his heavyweight prime, Holyfield between 208-218. What do you make of the 20+ pound difference?

Holyfield was probably literally just as big as Dempsey before he moved up to heavyweight.

More Holyfield tales of the tape:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/03/99/lewis_vs_holyfield/288534.stm
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/holyfields-style-to-stop-tyson-1258424.html
https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4115950.html