Top 10 heavies: Social impact

One who helped over 100 jews to avoid the concentration camp or escape Germany!

That having been said, his role as a propaganda tool was potentialy game changing.

 

A valid point.

On the other hand, I doubt that the dead people shared this view.

 

Agree. Except that he was not a Nazi. Or a bum. And he no longer "is" anything, since he's dead. Otherwise, you're basically right.

So with those edits in mind...

I agree. :good

 

I love this thread


My top three is the same as my top three greatest fighters. How crazy

1. Ali
2. Johnson
3. Louis


To the original poster, I never thought of the fact that Dempseys name just makes you think of the 20's. Thats awesome and true.


Did you guys see Boardwalk Empire? The very first line in the entire show is about Jack Dempsey

 

Johnson, Ali, Dempsey, Louis, Tyson.

 

If I were a fim director, I would make biopics about these three fighters in cronological order, as a trilogy.

It would form a prety logical sequence!

 

Fats Domino

 

Definitely!

For the longest time, I have thought that there are 5 high-budget make make boxing biopics.


Johnson
Louis
Dempsey
Marciano
Ali


These need to be made!

Each have been attempted on some level, but none of them have done its proper justice.

 

I´d take Schmeling over Marciano but well there is one. Made by Uwe Boll. :|

 

I own TWO of these fine pieces of culinary technology.



And the grill moves him up at least four places on my top ten HW list.

 

1 ali (political black power, vietnam, well known around the world)
2 louis (first "good guy" black champ, refution of aryan supremcy)
3 johnson (first black fighter...really stood up to white establishment..in some ways set blacks back due to being a total *******)
4 dempsey(new style of aggressive modern movie star heavyweight)
5 Sullivan (set the template for "baddest man on the planet)



i think foreman could be 6th....one thing i noticed is that other then sullivan my list is very similar to my greatest fighter list...which is to be expected....since being a great well known fighter will help to make your impact greater...still....a guy like holyfield will rate MUCH MUCH higher on the great fighter list then he will on the social impact list.
6

 

Dempsey was probably the biggest visible figure in bringing big-time professional boxing and spectator sports in general to the forefront of American culture and commerce. He was certainly the highest paid, and biggest generator of profits in that revolution of commercial sporting enterprise.
He made a massive social impact.
He was to spectator sports what Elvis Presley was to popular music. or something similar.

 

Well, they all started following boxing for a start.
Society across the board, from the working classes to the famous, rich and public figures were interested in Jack Dempsey, boxing and the heavyweight championship. They caught trains across the country to pack arenas to watch him fight.
Not just gamblers and rogues and 'sporting men', but people of all walks of life, lots of women .
Watching boxing became popular, respectable, mainstream, with Dempsey.

The true commercial potential of spectator sports as an enterprise, and the magnitude of sporting stars, became apparent with Jack Dempsey.
It took years, DECADES in fact, for any boxer, or athlete, to catch up with Dempsey.