Who were the best fighters Dempsey beat ?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Sonny's jab, Feb 1, 2008.


  1. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    I would say, the top 3, in chronological order :

    Fred Fulton (KO1, 1918.)
    Tommy Gibbons (PTS15, 1923)
    Jack Sharkey (KO7, 1927)

    And then probably followed by :
    Bill Brennan (KO6, 1918.)
    Billy Miske (W6, 1918.)
    and
    Luis Firpo (KO2, 1923)

    I guess Battling Levinsky (KO3, 1918.), Ed "Gunboat" Smith (KO2, 1918.), Jess Willard (TKO3, 1919) and Georges Carpentier (KO4, 1921) would make up the top 10.
     
  2. Mendoza

    Mendoza Hrgovic = Next Heavyweight champion of the world. banned Full Member

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    Those are good picks. Some of Dempsey's best work was before he won the title.
     
  3. Sardu

    Sardu RIP Mr. Bun: 2007-2012 Full Member

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    The Frenchman lightheavyweight was a great fighter that Dempsey kayoed in 4 in 1921. Georges Carpientier.
     
  4. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    Yeah, I'm sure the first Brennan fight and the Fulton blow-out in particular would add a lot to the way he is viewed, and convince some of his detractors, IF they were among the films.
     
  5. Woddy

    Woddy Guest

    Wasn't Fred Fulton a #1 contender whom Dempsey blasted in the shortest victory over a top rater in history?

    I could be mixing him up with someone else though.
     
  6. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    You're right.
    Fulton lasted 18 or 23 seconds (depending on which report you read), and that's INCLUDING the ten count.
    Fulton was regarded as a leading contender, and favoured to beat Dempsey (he'd already beaten Sam Langford), he was 6'5 and 215 pounds.
     
  7. Luigi1985

    Luigi1985 Cane Corso Full Member

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    Agreed, he was a great fighter, but at HW his resume is pretty thin IMO, his win over Miske was better IMO...
     
  8. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    Carpentier was better when he was a youngster, before the first world war.
    But he was still pretty good when he fought Dempsey, and had recently KO'd Battling Levinsky for the 175 pound title.
    He was a sharp enough puncher to rock Dempsey at one point, but Dempsey really battered him after that.
     
  9. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    This is probably a good list of Dempsey's best works. Although, I might be inclined to placing a Jess Willard a little bit higher, only because he was the champion whom Dempsey took the title from. Of course, I'm aware that Willard was coming off a layoff.
     
  10. Sonny's jab

    Sonny's jab Guest

    Yeah, it's only the layoff that made me put him in the third tier.
     
  11. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    That would have blown peoples minds at the time.

    Going into the fight it was a pick em between the two top contenders with a big weight disparity.

    23 seconds after the first bell it was over.

    1. Fulton bit on a feint.

    2. Dempsey hit him with a body shot putting him on ***** street.

    3. Dempsey concluded matters.

    The crowd had paid good money to see a boxing match. No wonder Tex Rickard asked Dempsey to carry Carpinter for a couple of rounds.
     
  12. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    Willard is a bit of an enigma at that point.

    He went on to beat Floyd Johnson so he probably had something left.
     
  13. Longhhorn71

    Longhhorn71 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    If Dempsey could reach 6'5" Fulton's chin, then he would reach
    6' 5" fighters of today's chins too.

    Dempsey was rock hard, and would probably weigh 200-205 lbs today.

    A collision course with Tyson would have been something else.
     
  14. markedwardscott

    markedwardscott Active Member Full Member

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    Carpentier stunned Dempsey with a right but Dempsey just too big for him. Carpentier one of the all-time great light-heavyweights.
     
  15. guilalah

    guilalah Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Here's a Callis/Jorgensen article on Miske

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