Tunney on Sonny Liston: "Dempsey KOs him in 2 Rounds"

[Great John L]

After the 1965 heavyweight fight when Ali beat Liston with the so called "anchor punch" Tunney, normally quiet and reserved from the fight game, called the bout an utter disgrace and a shame to boxing.

Tunney was not enthralled with the abiltiy of either fighter, but declared that Liston had no real skills as a fighter, and that Jack Dempsey would KO Liston in 2 rounds.

What do you think of Tunney's degrading of Liston's skills?

[CarlosG815]

After the 1965 heavyweight fight when Ali beat Liston with the so called "anchor punch" Tunney, normally quiet and reserved from the fight game, called the bout an utter disgrace and a shame to boxing.

Tunney was not enthralled with the abiltiy of either fighter, but declared that Liston had no real skills as a fighter, and that Jack Dempsey would KO Liston in 2 rounds.

What do you think of Tunney's degrading of Liston's skills?

I too think Dempsey would throw Liston a beating. If that's what he thinks, I'm sure he has a good reason to say that.

[Wild Blue Yonda]

After the 1965 heavyweight fight when Ali beat Liston with the so called "anchor punch" Tunney, normally quiet and reserved from the fight game, called the bout an utter disgrace and a shame to boxing.

Tunney was not enthralled with the abiltiy of either fighter, but declared that Liston had no real skills as a fighter, and that Jack Dempsey would KO Liston in 2 rounds.

What do you think of Tunney's degrading of Liston's skills?

I think Tunney had a lot of respect &, ultimately, fondness, for Dempsey. They were contemporaries, they got along personally, in spite of their differences, & they shared something quite special together within the ropes.

I chalk it up to bias, being honest. As for an actual Dempsey-Liston clash, I've always had trouble envisioning that. Dempsey often held his hands low, & he hated good jabbers. On the other hand, speed kills --- especially when it's coupled with brutal, bone-crunching power --- & Dempsey has a clear speed advantage across the board over Liston.

Liston's reach. Dempsey's hand & footspeed. Liston's jab. Dempsey's activity level. Back-&-forth you can go. Ironically, Tunney's prediction of an early Dempsey KO is pretty plausible, just for all the wrong reasons (IMO). I think either man could knock the other out, but it probably would go past two rounds. Maybe in four, or five, we'd have our answer.

Either way, Tunney clearly under-estimates Liston, be it by accident or design.

[sonnyboyx2]

i agree with Tunney who also said when interviewd after the Holmes vs Norton fight that Dempsey was the greatest fighter who ever lived

[BigStereotype]

He can think that all he likes...clearly a man blinded by nostalgia.

[Great John L]

Many historians/fighters/journalists, and trainers, rated Dempsey as the greatest fighter who ever lived. It can't be chalked up to only nostalgia. Dempsey had the skills that gave him his legacy as the GOAT in the minds of many. Only nobody today has seen him fight in action and in sparring. The best we have are shaky black and white, incomplete films of four of his most famous fights. Willard, Firpo, Gibbons, and Tunney.

[RubenSonny]

Many historians/fighters/journalists, and trainers, rated Dempsey as the greatest fighter who ever lived. It can't be chalked up to only nostalgia. Dempsey had the skills that gave him his legacy as the GOAT in the minds of many. Only nobody today has seen him fight in action and in sparring. The best we have are shaky black and white, incomplete films of four of his most famous fights. Willard, Firpo, Gibbons, and Tunney.

Many were referring to his ability not his resume.

[BigStereotype]

Many historians/fighters/journalists, and trainers, rated Dempsey as the greatest fighter who ever lived. It can't be chalked up to only nostalgia. Dempsey had the skills that gave him his legacy as the GOAT in the minds of many. Only nobody today has seen him fight in action and in sparring. The best we have are shaky black and white, incomplete films of four of his most famous fights. Willard, Firpo, Gibbons, and Tunney.

Gifted fighter, no doubt. But come on, GOAT? Where did this come from? I've seen it starting to pop up pretty recently, but I've never heard it before. There's no WAY he's the GOAT in my view. Probably a top five heavyweight, but that's far from GOAT.

[Miburo]

Tunney and Dempsey were extremely close friends, not exactly the most objective source.

[sonnyboyx2]

Gifted fighter, no doubt. But come on, GOAT? Where did this come from? I've seen it starting to pop up pretty recently, but I've never heard it before. There's no WAY he's the GOAT in my view. Probably a top five heavyweight, but that's far from GOAT.

you are entitled to your own opinion yet the opinion of many boxing historians is that he was by far the GOAT.. here is a couple of links from the thousands you will find on-line.. it is difficult to find links for any other fighter being labeled as the GOAT...

--------------------------------------
In 1950, the Associated Press conducted a poll of sportswriters to name the greatest fighter of all-time, pound-for-pound, and Dempsey was the runaway winner, collecting 251 votes. [Joe Louis finished a distant second with 109 votes; Henry Armstrong was third with 13.] The sportswriters of the first half of the century named Dempsey as the greatest fighter they had ever seen.

As late as 1962, in the Dec 1962 Ring ****zine, a panel of 40 boxing writers tabbed Dempsey as the greatest heavyweight of all time.



RAY ARCEL ON DEMPSEY

“Arcel was a very quiet and polite man by nature, unbelievably knowledgeable about the fight game, yet never one to brag about how much he knew.
“But when we went deep on Jack Dempsey, Ray’s eyes lit up. For him, there was no other fighter past or present who could compare.”
Arcel’s verdict on the Manassa Mauler was thus: “Dempsey would have absolutely beaten any fighter who came after him – without a doubt. I know all about Joe Louis and how he knocked guys’ teeth out. I have every respect for Joe – I rate him number two. But Dempsey would have killed Louis, George Foreman, any of those guys. What Jack had was God-given – you can’t develop the kind of talent he had.
“Marciano? Same result. Dempsey would have murdered Rocky. I tell you, Jack would have chased everyone out of the ring. I trained Max Baer a couple of times and often got asked how good that booming right of his was and whether it was as good as anything Dempsey had. Are you kidding? It wasn’t even close.
“Mike Tyson might have got through a round with Dempsey, maybe two. People always asked me what Jack’s weaknesses were. That’s the point – he didn’t have any.”
Former heavyweight champ Jack Sharkey expressed similar sentiments in a 1986 interview. Mike Tyson had just surged to the head of the division and Sharkey said of Mike, “There is only one heavyweight that I can see who would fit into the old school and that’s Tyson. They’re all cream puff punchers today except Tyson, and his secret is that he doesn’t waste many punches.” Then Sharkey turned his attention to Dempsey and others “Jack Dempsey was the best because he was a real fighter, and if he hit you in the shoulder he could dislocate it.