Jack Dempsey Questions?

1. Where do I rank him?

Easiy among the top 10 greatest heavyweights of all-time. I see him beatng everyone until Sonny Liston, and the new era of the "big" heavyweights who weight 200lbs or more. I think his style is too advance for the champions of old, he walks through the 1930's and 40's contenders, and his crowding style (like Galento and Marciano) is too much for Joe Louis.

I think among the fighters of his kind; Marciano, Tyson, Frazier. He was the best. Marciano was too slow and easy to hit - he also cut too easily. Frazier was too one-dimensional - come forward with only one serious punch. Tyson, well...we'll never know how good he could hav been. Dempsey had speed, power, ferocity, boxing skills, a great chin, work ethnic, monsterous stamina - he had it all!

I think I have him in the lower 5 of the top 10. A deserving position for him IMO.

2. What kind of man was he?

It's very well and good reading, talking about and spreading stories on people, but the key is the source. Where does it come from? Somewhere down the line if you can track it you can tell if it's BS or truth. However I'm a firm believer that all lies have some truth, in some cases at least. For example, I call bluff on Harry Greb being a devout Christian, family loving man who never drank or messed around with women. Granted he maybe wasn't as wild as he was made out to be (Ketchel was the real nutter!) but there is SOME truth in it. Stories like that don't just get MADE UP. Which is why I believe that yes, Dempsey probably was a mean bastard outside the ring, as Tommy Loughran said, there was always something 'iffy' and 'dodgy' about him.

However Dempsey as a public figure is hard to digest. Firstly because post-fighting days he was a media puppet who was hell bent on being America's sweet-heart, some of the publicity stunts are cringey as hell - swimming with syncronised swimmers for one lol. And secondly because of the enemies he made - namely Doc Kearns, who spread all kinds of BS.

It's probably safe to say he wasn't a nice guy outside the ring - but can you blame him?

3. Dempey vs...

Greb. Is, as Harry said, competitive for the first 6 rounds, then the size and laws of nature take over. It's not Hollywood, nor David and Goliath, and I think Dempsey pretty much starts to take control of the fight by the 7th and end if by the 10th-12th, probably beating Greb into submission or stopping him on his feet. It's the 1920's version of Walker-Schmeling. One guy is just too damn small!!

Wills. I've said it before and I'll say it again. No disrespect to Wills, but he's overrated purely because he was supposedly "ducked" by Dempsey. Firstly - Dempsey was a tiger, he didn't fear anyone. Secondly - you have to look at the management for the reasons behind that fight never happening. Dempsey was happy to fight anyone, but it was his manager and promoter that weren't so keen.

Personally I think after a competitive few rounds due to Wills size and skill, Dempsey begins to 'cut the tree down' and living up to his famous statement 'big men come down to my size when I hit them to the body.' It's another Willard fight, only slightly more competitive.

In my opinion Dempsey is overrated.

His winning the title from Willard was an impressive performance, but it should be remembered that Willard was not a great fighter - he was kind of like Valuev is nowadays - a man who was renowned more for being freakishly big than for his boxing ability which was lacking and without wanting to sound cruel he was someone who it was not that hard to look good against.

What Stone has written is interesting but I can't agree that Dempsey would have beaten Joe Louis. Gene Tunney beat Dempsey twice - yes I know 1 of them was controversial but nonetheless it is indisputable that Gene caused Dempsey all sorts of problems and Joe was a superior fighter to Gene in virtually every respect, so, not with standing the true saying that "styles make fights", I am convinced that Joe Louis would beat Dempsey.

The fight against Wills is one of the great "what ifs" of boxing... I will sit on the fence and say that I don't know because I have not seen footage of Wills in his prime... (not sure if any exists?)