Dempsey vs Willard - best footage i've ever seen

[greynotsoold]

"Bathed in sanguinary fluid." They doth wax poetic.
To get in shape like dempsey, muck ore between fights. (eg shovel rock at the rate of 2-3 tons per hour for 10 hours a day. Makes you strong enough and mad enough to fight)

[gest12645]

to be honest, this looked so so amatuer . Look how Dempsey just punches Willard when he was barely up. I know boxing was like that back in the day, but still this has no technical appeal for boxing "junkies" . Still, Dempsey would def. be a top cruiser today

[Rantcatrat]

Great footage. Wow.

[Beanflicker]

Looks more like a mugging you'd see on Worldstarhiphop than a boxing match. Willard was a complete oaf.

[hardcore_crash]

I love the way Dempsey boxes, along with reading his manual, really great.

Look at the way he carries his left hand, and swings it, almost as if being weighed down.
Not that I am advocating any rumor, just interesting.

[hardcore_crash]

to be honest, this looked so so amatuer . Look how Dempsey just punches Willard when he was barely up. I know boxing was like that back in the day, but still this has no technical appeal for boxing "junkies" . Still, Dempsey would def. be a top cruiser today

What do you mean

[gest12645]

It was a brawl, didn't look like a boxing fight to me. IMHO

[hardcore_crash]

It was a brawl, didn't look like a boxing fight to me. IMHO

I understand, but if you look closely it's all there.
Dempsey's balance, footwork, defense, feints, his punching technique, it's a thing of beauty.

He was just against an outmatched opponent, and didn't give him a second to breathe.

[Violent Demise]

Fight should of been stopped after the 3rd knock down

[Mars_ax]

Fight should of been stopped after the 3rd knock down

True, but back then they almost didn't stop HW Championship fights unless you couldn't beat the 10 count or were knocked out. That being said, the ref definitely should have stopped the fight at the end of the 1st round when Willard was sitting helpless on the canvas. Saved by the bell my ass, the only way he could get up was with the help of his corner.

[beenKOed]

to be honest, this looked so so amatuer . Look how Dempsey just punches Willard when he was barely up. I know boxing was like that back in the day, but still this has no technical appeal for boxing "junkies" . Still, Dempsey would def. be a top cruiser today

I love these old fights, no neutral corner, hitting from behind allowed, no limit on knock downs!
You never see the finesse we expect today, but man these guys are tough as nails.
Seeing Dempsey walking behind the referee so he can hit Willard from behind always makes laugh every time I see it.
Can you imagine any fighter being allowed to take that kind of punishment today?

[Mars_ax]

to be honest, this looked so so amatuer . Look how Dempsey just punches Willard when he was barely up. I know boxing was like that back in the day, but still this has no technical appeal for boxing "junkies" . Still, Dempsey would def. be a top cruiser today

I love these old fights, no neutral corner, hitting from behind allowed, no limit on knock downs!
You never see the finesse we expect today, but man these guys are tough as nails.
Seeing Dempsey walking behind the referee so he can hit Willard from behind always makes laugh every time I see it.
Can you imagine any fighter being allowed to take that kind of punishment today?

I never realized what a big dumb looking oaf Willard was until I saw the prefight footage. He looked like he was getting a stiff one when the guy who was measuring his chest would brush against his nipples, what a fucking fruitcake.

[greynotsoold]

What i find funny is people calling the style 'amateur', 'primitive', and lacking in 'finesse'. Then, in the next breath, wonder about how to throw a wide, lead left hook with the palm down.

[Mars_ax]

Dempsey learned to fight in barrooms/saloons, he honed his skills when he turned pro, but he was always more of a brawler then a boxer. This was never more clear than in his 2 championship fights against Gene Tunney who pretty much boxed circles around Jack.

[Master]

Dempsey learned to fight in barrooms/saloons, he honed his skills when he turned pro, but he was always more of a brawler then a boxer. This was never more clear than in his 2 championship fights against Gene Tunney who pretty much boxed circles around Jack.

Tunney had tremendous fitness from the first to the last bell he appeared to not tire. I also think style wise he was made to beat Dempsey. I read Tunney was adamant he would beat Dempsey when others thought he was mad.