Any thoughts?: 'By the process of elimination of all other heavyweight champions except Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, and comparing the more numerous and serious weaknesses in Louis' career as against Dempsey's, I feel justified in stating that Jack Dempsey was the greatest heavyweight of all time. I don't want it thought that I have anything but the highest regard for Louis. He reigned longer than any other heavyweight champion and remained at his peak longer than any other champion. The answer to whether or not Louis was the greatest ever gets down to what one thinks about Dempsey. For if Dempsey was not, surely Joe Louis was... ...I am of the belief that Dempsey would have caught Louis with a left hook early in the fight and started him on the road from which he could never recover, despite his great powers of recuperation. Dempsey was a tiger as a finisher. As a hitter, Louis was a kiIIer; but I think Dempsey would have beaten him to it.' - Gene Tunney, St. Cloud Times (Minnesota) - Tuesday 10th January 1950
Dempsey and Tunney were friends so its not shocking Tunney would say that. Dempsey does have a punchers chance but surely Louis would be favoured.
What If: Jack Dempsey vs. Joe Louis For what's its worth, Dempsey's own trainer, Teddy Hayes, favoured Louis to beat Dempsey.
Honestly I'd pick Louis over Dempsey and Tyson over Louis and here's why; Tyson has the chin and durability to take a lot more of Louis' punches than Dempsey does. Dempsey was as tough as they come but as the fight goes on I think Louis' fists will be delivering cheques that Jack's frame can't cash, there's a genuine chance Louis is put out early if he isn't careful though.
The logic of Tunney's thinking: Tunney > Dempsey (twice), Dempsey > Louis, ∴ Tunney > Louis There's not just a little bit of self-interest in Gene's ranking of Louis and Dempsey.
It is his opinion. I don't necessarily agree with it. But I never fought on the undercard of Dempsey fight and made it my life's work to some day beat him, nor did I fight him twice,get knocked down by him and get up to win. I never fought Harry Greb, much less fought him 5 times. I've seen Joe Louis fight, on videos, and I have seen Dempsey and I think that Louis would win. I would never disrespect Tunney's opinion because there is no way that I could possibly understand boxing like he did.
It’s entirely possible, Dempsey has the power proven against bigger than Louis… lot of tenacity and finishing ability to garner a final count from the ref - if it’s in his era and he could sucker punch Louis as he rises it’d be a helluva first 3 rounds… I don’t like his chances, you don’t go to Louis and survive that’s a beaches of Gallipoli effort, Dempsey for me is good odds for anyone who isn’t pushing 6ft4-6ft7 240lbs-260lbs - give him any classically sized boxer up to the early 80s and he has a shot at mugging them but Dempsey was very much kill or he killed so you’d get your Firpo moments of desperation in there with some confusing names - I think he’d kill guys like Liston, Frazier, Patterson, Braddock , Charles and Baer in his own time.
Yeah, I can’t see where Gene went out of his way to qualify that he was talking prime Dempsey - the version that Gene himself didn’t face. But then Gene also thought that an average HW boxer could beat a Gorilla. Perhaps Gene talking/writing under the influence again?