Was Jack Dempsey a harder puncher than Evander Holyfield

Out of interest, does anybody think that Holyfield hit harder than Herbie Hyde or David Haye?

He beat better fighters than both of them!

 

Great power is born, like a 100 mph fastball....nothing on earth will turn anyone from good power to backbreaking power...won't happen...even with steriods and hgh barry bonds never hit balls as far as mantle ie bill jenkinson

 

I've never thought of Holyfield as having wipeout, dangerous, explosive power. He had amazing endurance, a great chin, and a warrior spirit. Dempsey pulverized guys, put them into unconsciousness.

So I vote Dempsey.

 

Think Dempsey had the faster hands...caught guys w punched they didn’t see coming along with some decent power. Think it was more his speed that did it for himS. Holyfield early in his career before packing to much weight I felt was better at getting KOs. Got a little slower and he lost it (could have been the wars admittedly but most likely extra weight and age). P4p I would think Dempsey but Evander is no slouch

 

I can't believe this is a serious thread

 

Yeah, afraid I am. I also think the world is round.

 

Quality of opposition counts for a lot here.

 

What we are comparing here is a hurtful puncher in Holyfield, who can break pretty much anybody given enough rounds, and a devastating puncher in Dempsey, who can potentially end a fight at any time.

 

I am not certain that it does, if we are comparing power.

There are guys with granite chins in every era.

You don't have to wait ten years for one to come along!

 

Who did Dempsey drop with a chin comparable to Ray Mercer?

 

Why would you compare them based on who dropped the more durable guy?

Wouldn't a better measure be who stopped the more durable guy?

 

I think he was more likely to drop certain fighters due to the sharpness and explosiveness of his shots. Both those guys needed space to unload their wild swings, which might have generated more force at the point of the punch but was unlikely to be as devastating as a Holyfield combination of rapid fire shots peppering your grill, or a quick unexpected counter shot like the kind that dropped Mercer.

I don't see how that relates to Dempsey though, who was more a puncher in the Holyfield mould than a wild one-hitter quitter.

 

You're right.

Who did Dempsey stop with a chin comparable to Tyson?

 

Willard, Miske and Levinsky all had exceptional chins.

I don't think that Tyson necessarily had a better chin than any of them.