Jack Dempsey was the greatest boxer that ever entered the ring. He paved the road to fighters like Liston, And Tyson. He was the first boxer to fully utilize the bobbing and weaving tactic and was destroying people that weighted 80 pounds more. The only boxers i can see beating Dempsey is Ali and maybe a prime Tyson.
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Dempsey is not the greatest boxer to step foot in the ring, he is ONE of the greatest. He is one of the first of the "modern" boxers who bob and weaved held there gloves like fighters nowdays do.
That said he's too small for alot of the great Heavyweights I think he'd beat the likes of Jack Johnson, Marciano and possibly Louis the rest of the Heavyweights are just too big Dempsey weighed as low as 180 lbs sometimes. I think Lewis, Foreman, Frazier, Ali, Tyson, Liston, Holmes are just too big even Louis is stretching it. P4P I think he beats a most of them but he's just too small by modern standard Heavyweights -
Agreed but the rules change with the times.Comment
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I don't doubt Dempsey as a great fighter. But I think Johnson would have beat him. Louis may have killed him. Ali. Lennox Lewis. Sonny Liston. Tyson. Frazier. All would beat him. Marciano, Holyfield, Holmes would all have an excellent chance and would be on the fence in my opinion. Beating guys bigger doesn't always mean you beat guys who were better. Jmo.Originally posted by Viktor777 View PostComment
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Dempsey was ahead of his time but he was very flawed defensively, he was really good on offense with his smothering attack as well as his combinations both to the body and head but I have trouble seeing Dempsey beating the best of the best at heavyweight.Comment
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Nobody can doubt someones perception of Dempsey as an all-time great heavyweight, but he was not THE greatest.
If there was no colour line, i'm not so sure Dempsey would have ever been a champion at Heavyweight. He admittedly ducked Wills, and with the likes of Langford, Jeanette and Mcvey around, he would have struggled for a title win if the black men had shots at the title.
I still credit Dempsey as a top 10 heavyweight of all-time, but with so many could-haves, should haves, it is easy to pick many fighters faults. Not to mention coming off second best with someone of a similar size and arguably better skilled in Gene Tunney.Comment
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Dempsey never ducked Wills. He signed twice to fight him, only to be vetoed by the powers that be. Buit still, their is no denying his reign as champ would have been much harder had he been forced to fight Will and others.Originally posted by black.ink View PostComment
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** Wills was the only relevant heavy that Dempsey didn't defend against for the reasons you mentioned.Originally posted by JAB5239 View Post
Greb is the only other significant name in this period, but nobody but Greb seems to have been proposing the fight. Other names are floated, but any anyalysis of the era indicates that they either past their shelf life, too green, or never put themselves in position long enough to really contend for his title. That and boxing politics played a major role in him ending up in Hollywood.
Dempsey also comprehensively beat every possible style save his own. From the tall slugger/monster types, a big brawler/slugger, to clever boxer/punchers. No other fighter could have done to Willard what Dempsey did until Foreman or Tyson comes along.
I'd give Jack a great chance against any heavy that ever lived save prime Tyson/Frazier because of such versatility in the ring. And even against them in his 6 oz gloves, I wouldn't rule him out.Comment
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