Just think Dempsey's tactics are just a little too primitive, he wrote the first good chapters of the book but it was amended, abridged, available in paperback in 175 countries with a foreword by Jack Sharkey by the time Louis came around ... he might stun him early but I think Louis is just too technically advanced... Dempsey would never have seen a fighter that offensively skilled ... I think he gets butchered after a few rounds
Dempsey would eventually get beat down but I wouldn't rule out Jack having early success and scoring a knockdown.
Perfectly articulated. I concur. It would have been like De La Hoya vs Mayorga in my opinion. Louis would stay in the pocket, inside Denpsey’s Wild aggression and butcher him with shorter, more precise, quicker and more powerful punches.
Dempsey was far from primitive. Best short puncher in hwt boxing history, one of boxing’s hardest hitters, elusive, fast, best body puncher, tough as nails and he could box cleverly. Louis of course was the more overall talented fighter but he was that vs all other hwts. Difference is the slow start off the blocks that you see with Louis vs the frenzied ultra fast start of Dempsey. I envision Dempsey catching Joe very early and he not being able to recover. Dempsey within two rounds or Louis past that.
Louis by laugh. The videos of Dempsey facing Gibbons and Charpentier don't really support the claims about Dempsey's skills, although he had plenty of punching power for a midget
Untrue actually. Gibbons was a great fighter as per Arcel but was over his head vs Dempsey. He fought strictly to survive which made it a lousy fight. Carp was another great fighter, many multiple champion going into this fight. Rumor has it that Dempsey carried Carp. Film quality is rather poor as well which makes viewing a task. This video tells the tale. Reality is that Dempsey was one of the most highly skilled of all hwt champions.
This report gets repeated a lot, but according to the film it doesn't seem to be accurate. Granted, the film is not complete but it reveals there are plenty of exchanges in the bout and Dempsey is just ineffective against a smaller man. Furthermore him failing to put away or ever hurt a 175 lbs guy doesn't look very good as a result despite tactics
Was Sharkey the only guy to fight Dempsey and Louis? It's weird their title reigns are effectively only a decade apart but the jump in skill is huge.
Only guy I can think of... Dempsey wasn’t champion when he fought Sharkey, he had lost the title to Tunney Furthermore, remember that Dempsey went three years without a fight before defending against Tunney ... so really his last win as a champion was 1923 ... Sharkey’s fight with Louis, the last of his career, was 1938 Sharkey was interesting fighter... technically really advanced for the time ... an important figure in that regard but his chin wasn’t the greatest and he was really enigmatic as a person, poorly motivated athlete
Sharkey got starched on the break against Dempsey... he was winning clearly thanks in part to his greater skills
Yes that's right, wasn't he in the midst of talking to the ref about a low blow or rabbit punch or something when Dempsey pelted him?
Dempsey was definitely innovative though, things like the Dempsey shift are still utilised today by fighters like GGG and befuddling modern boxbots who haven't bothered learning the more intricate techniques.
Wrong. Gibbons fought to survive. A great defensive fighter fighting to survive is a difficult opponent to ko. Dempsey was highly skilled....off the charts. No hwt today has his skill level.
w/All DUE Respect to Jack Dempsey, His Legacy, His Role in the History and Evolution of Boxing, He LOST to Gene Tunney... Old Jack Dempsey, Inactive Jack Dempsey, Whatever...He LOST To Gene Tunney...Tunney was an Excellent Heavyweight Champion "For His Day", But He WASN'T Max Schmeling or Billy Conn Either... As Such, Joe Louis Beats Jack Dempsey 8 Out of 10 Times, Maybe 9... REED
In general, I'm opposed to this line of thinking. Imagine applying the same logic to some of your favorites. RJJ lost to Glen Johnson. Therefore, he'd have no shot at beating M. Spinks. It's bogus.
Have Boxing Styles and Techniques EVOLVED From the Time Michael Spinks Fought to the Time Roy Jones Fought???... In Terms of the Way Punches are Thrown, Defended, Feinted, etc., Does 1 Era Look Any More or Less MODERN Than the Other???... No... There was QUITE a Leap from Dempsey's Approach and That of His Opponents To That of Joe Louis, However...Joe Louis was Several MONTHS Old when Jack Dempsey Debuted...Louis Debuted About 7 Years AFTER Dempsey Retired... Dempsey was an Aggressive Swarmer and He Got a LOT of Mileage Out of No Mandatory 8-Count...He'd Drop a Guy, Stand On His Blind Side and POUNCE On Him as Soon as He Rose from the Canvas...Element of Surprise; Catching Guys Off Guard... Gene Tunney's Style Was Considered "Scientific" For That Day and Along w/the Implementation of the Mandatory 8, It Enabled Him to Beat Dempsey TWICE...That Said, REED Doubts Tunney Holds the World Title in Louis' Era... Joe Louis was Taller, Heavier, Stronger, Quicker Handed, Better Skilled and a Better Puncher than Gene Tunney...Offensively, Joe Louis was a Bit BEFORE his Time, Which Was Well AFTER Dempsey's Time... Louis Also Had the Ultimate Poker Face and Would Remain CALM Within Dempsey's Attempted Storm, Exploiting the Openings Created By Dempsey's Overt Aggression... Generally, REED Doesn't Subscribe to the A-B-C Theory w/Fighters Either, But When There's a CLEAR Shift in the WAY Guys Fought, a Level of Evolution That Shows Up ON FILM No Less, It Would Be "Bogus" NOT to Apply the Logic REED Has... REED
That wasn't the argument you made. The argument you made was that since he lost to Tunney, he can't beat Louis. The arguments you're making now are new and stronger. By the way, your initial argument wasn't even A-B-C. It was arguably weaker. I think your prediction that Louis beats Dempsey is a reasonable one. Especially in light of your most recent arguments. I was just commenting that your initial argument, which was that Dempsey couldn't beat Louis because he lost to Tunney, was a weak one.
