Jack Johson & Jack Dempsey : Who would be more effective in today's HW division?

[FinitoElDinamita]

Thoughts?

[IamInuit]

Johnson

[FinitoElDinamita]

Johnson

Agreed.. I think Dempsey would look pretty good against someone like Marco Huck though..

[IamInuit]

Johnson

Agreed.. I think Dempsey would look pretty good against someone like Marco Huck though..

Same. Dempsey does well with many of the smaller hevs I think.

[Rantcatrat]

What's funny is that Ring Magazine did an article on how Wladimir would fare against the great heavyweights from the past and if I recall correctly every single expert on the panel predicted that Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson would beat him. Now I think that's a little crazy, but food for thought.

[bradlee180]

Johnson

Agreed.. I think Dempsey would look pretty good against someone like Marco Huck though..

Same. Dempsey does well with many of the smaller hevs I think.

Nope, Dempsey destroyed big guys. He wasn't called Jack the Giant-Killer for nothing. It's them little $#!ts gave him some trouble as he tried to catch up to them as they skedaddled around the ring...

[bradlee180]

24 year old Dempsey spars 6'6" Big Bill Tate in preparation for Dempsey's challenge of Champion Big Jess Willard.




Challenger Dempsey vs Champion 6' 6½" 245 lb Willard, who had KOed Jack Johnson for the Title.





Current champ 6' 7" 245 lb Vitali Klitschko fights just like Willard, and they're both about the same size. Except Jess had better conditioning and was more difficult to hurt.

[bradlee180]

"As far as his style(Jack Johnson), no. I have no great interest in copying his style because if he was in the modern day, he wouldn't make a penny. Very clever, very smart, but very uninteresting. You wouldn't have to take a laxative or something to fall asleep watching him fight." - Mike Tyson on Jack Johnson.

More than anyone in Boxing history, Tyson fought so much like Jack Dempsey, except Dempsey was a taller bigger man, and showed the ability to turn a fight around when it wasn't going his way and achieve victory.

[IamInuit]

Johnson

Agreed.. I think Dempsey would look pretty good against someone like Marco Huck though..

Same. Dempsey does well with many of the smaller hevs I think.

Nope, Dempsey destroyed big guys. He wasn't called Jack the Giant-Killer for nothing. It's them little $#!ts gave him some trouble as he tried to catch up to them as they skedaddled around the ring...

Don't get me started on Dempsey. He would do ok today against the little guys but that's only because of how lame the division is. Oh he beats the Primo Carneras and Willards of today's world but he gets killed by today's version of Wlad or a prime Vitali. He might beat a few guys in Lennox's day but Lewis himself would destroy him and even guys like McCall. Dempsey ducked every black fighter of his day of any consequence and even avoided Harry Greb. I could name 50 heavyweights with relative ease from his day to the present that beat him. In an era like Ali's he'd be an opponent.

[imp]

Johnson.

Dempsey had nothing to hold him back fighting his best in that era and whay we saw of dempsey was all he could be.

Jack johnson was carrying fighters and was 60% of the fighter he was for fear of being killed at any point due to his black skin.

They both have different respectable styles but you have to factor in the outside influences and the fact jack destroyed everyone in his prime with ease but was holding back so much more.

Such a shame.

[erics44]

neither would be anywhere close fighting like they did and with the knowledge they had back then

with the aid of todays training methods and knowledge both would be up there, assuming they would have grown into real HWs

[Master]

Would they not be cruiserwights today?

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Although Johnson was the big strong guy in his day, his awkwardness and reflexes have me thinking he'd be a somewhere between Dokes, Chambers and Byrd.

Demspey would be a less effective Morrison or Tyson.

I think both would have some success, probably not a great deal at the very top given their size disparity but Johnson would probably have a much longer career

Then again, Johnson's mindset was probably on being the big man, so as a little man he may not have the same strength in mind

[erics44]

Would they not be cruiserwights today?

if not light heavies

[Master]

Would they not be cruiserwights today?

if not light heavies

In that case they would destroy the light heavies and cruiser weights today.