Who was the harder hitter, Dempsey or Baer

Logical and concise.:good

 

Ah c'mon Baer hit harder. That & endurance was what he had, he threw everything behind those telegraphed punches, threw them fast & from anopther zip code.

Dempsey said Marciano hit harder for single blows, he needed to budgeon his opponents. I'll bet he would acknowledge Max hit harder.

Which has nothing to do with who was a better fighter with greater technique, which is too obvious to state.

 

Makes sense to me, I give it to Max for one shot power. Dempsey the more lethal because of timing and speed.

 

The left hook Dempsey put Williard down with for the first knockdown even on that grainy old film looks a devastating punch. The perception with Dempsey is that his power came from combinations and Baer from one punch power.
I don't think for one punch power there is that much between them but Max might just have the edge.

 

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Yeah, I tend to agree with this. If you are talking about pure punching power alone, Baer would be the choice. However, when you factor in the other elements that enhance punching power, such as those you discuss, this puts Dempsey higher.

When I think of Dempsey, I think of ferocity. And Dempsey had this in spades, while Baer did not. And that makes a difference in assessing punching power. Having a powerful punch is important, but so is being able to deliver it effectively.

 

Dempsey was the better fighter...but Jesus,...Baer could hit with that right hand...

 

What is the point of a powerful right hand if it is telegraphed as Max Baer's
was ? I loved Max Baer because of his personality, but I also remember that Paolino Uzcudun took Max Baer TWENTY rounds and won a decision over Maxie... So how powerful or effective was Baer's right hand ?
Dempsey would have flattened Uzcudun [ a tough guy], in short order as Joe Louis did. My point is how much power Baer's right hand was compared
to the Dempsey short punching and fast two hand attack. ? To use an analogy in baseball it doesn't matter how hard a batter swings at a ball, but
his timing and hitting the ball on the nose that ultimately counts...Same with Baer's long range grenade throwing against a Dempsey short
punching left hook and right cross...Power is speed and timing...

 

Good point Burt. Both men hit hard but when you factor in things such as speed, timimg and accuracy then I would say dempsey is the harder puncher. Someone likened Baer to Graziano in his delivery of his right hand and I think that's accurate. Does anyone really picture Carnera lasting 11 rounds or so against a rampaging Dempsey? It would've been Firpo redux. Max wound up his shots and telegraphed them. Jack could knock you out from half a foot away with a short left hook. Baer hit hard but for my money it's Dempsey.

 

Effective power is being confused with Power.

Accuracy, endurance, timing, combinations...Sure Dempsey was better.

But that has nothing to do with the question of who hit with more pure force.

Willard was shot against Dempsey, old, long inactive, had lost muscle & gained fat, & Jack was exhausted. I have no idea if he would have gotten Carnero out of there earlier, he may well have.

But for one punch power Max hit harder. Dempey even said Marciano hit harder, nthat he needed sustained blows to take guys out.

 

That's sort of like the Tyson/Foreman debate. Dempsey would hit you faster and with more torque and snap on his shots. He'd hit you and you might not see it coming. You wouldn't have time to deflect or brace and lessen the blow. Baer probably hit with more crushing force, albeit slower, and you could see it coming easier and get ready.

My personal opinion is that Dempsey was a 6'1" 190 lb boxer who hit like a 6'3" 220 lb boxer. But his proportions are pretty much right for his size. Max Baer was 6'3" 210 lbs and hit like a 6'6" 240 lb guy, which makes sense since his son and brother both grew that big. Baer's upper body is that of a 6'6" guy too, which suggests to me that he had a childhood illness that stunted the growth of his legs, but not his upper body and musculature.

 

dempsey the harder and better puncher with two hands. baer i think hit harder than anyone with his right- but not by much over dempsey agree with burt

 

i agree with most of this, pretty perceptive.

I do not know about that last point. Interesting possibility, not too unlikely, but neither is one brother being several inches shorter naturally.