Is Jack Dempsey Overrated?

[StarshipTrooper]

I agree with the age argument as a boxers boxing age and birth age can be very different - I use that argument all the time, but in Dempsey's case I think he was very capable of beating anybody at the time he fought Tunney except for Tunney.

Tunney just had his number.

You may be right about Tunney having his number. Like I said, it can make for an interesting discussion. I'd like to get TheGreatA and Jab weighing in on this.

Poet

[geribeetus]

It's not so much age that defines a fighter's prime but rather when his reflexes start to slide. Some fighters are washed up by their early 20s, some carry their primes into their early 30s. I don't think I've seen a fighter carry their reflexes with them past their mid 30s though.

Poet

not to mention how inactive dempsey had been. maybe he still would've lost, but the dempsey of '23 would've given him a different fight, i'd bet a lot of money on that. people talk about tunney not being badly hurt, and that he would've still beaten the count, but he did get 5 extra seconds to recover. if he'd gotten up 5 seconds earlier, who knows if he would've had the sense about him to keep dempsey off of him.

[StarshipTrooper]

not to mention how inactive dempsey had been. maybe he still would've lost, but the dempsey of '23 would've given him a different fight, i'd bet a lot of money on that. people talk about tunney not being badly hurt, and that he would've still beaten the count, but he did get 5 extra seconds to recover. if he'd gotten up 5 seconds earlier, who knows if he would've had the sense about him to keep dempsey off of him.

Yeah, but that was Dempsey's own damn fault. He should have gone to the neutral corner right away.

Poet

[CarlosG815]

not to mention how inactive dempsey had been. maybe he still would've lost, but the dempsey of '23 would've given him a different fight, i'd bet a lot of money on that. people talk about tunney not being badly hurt, and that he would've still beaten the count, but he did get 5 extra seconds to recover. if he'd gotten up 5 seconds earlier, who knows if he would've had the sense about him to keep dempsey off of him.

When you watch it though it's obvious that Tunney wasn't really stunned. He didn't want to get up with Dempsey breathing down his neck. He sat up, put his arm on the rope, and looked to have all his wits. He looked at the ref, acknowledged that he had just begun counting, and waited til 8 to start getting up so he could be up by 9. The ref asked if he could continue, and he was totally fine, and ended up finishing the bout.

I think had Dempsey gone to his neutral corner and the ref started counting, he'd have still made the count.

He was knocked down but he wasn't hurt or dazed, IMO.

[geribeetus]

i do think tunney would've been fine, and yes it was dempsey's fault, but that really was a monstrous punch and it landed flush. i don't think there's any way tunney wasn't still feeling the effect when he got up. like i said, i think he would've held on no matter what, but you never know with someone who can punch like dempsey.

[EzzardFan]

I think that Dempsey just got found out by a better fighter.

[CarlosG815]

i do think tunney would've been fine, and yes it was dempsey's fault, but that really was a monstrous punch and it landed flush. i don't think there's any way tunney wasn't still feeling the effect when he got up. like i said, i think he would've held on no matter what, but you never know with someone who can punch like dempsey.

That's true, I still don't think the ref had any right to delay the count. It seems as though Tunney is totally dazed for the first 4 seconds. Would he be able to get up had the ref started the count right away? We'll never know.

That's why that fight will always have that monkey on it's back.

[Calilloyd]

In your OPINION is Jack Dempsey overrtaed and does he have a overrated legacy?

His legacy is definitely overrated. More so than his skills because he obviously had power, speed, movement and other qualities. But what he actually accomplished is overrated.

[Calilloyd]

I agree with the age argument as a boxers boxing age and birth age can be very different - I use that argument all the time, but in Dempsey's case I think he was very capable of beating anybody at the time he fought Tunney except for Tunney.

Tunney just had his number.

I agree. Style wise, I don't see how Dempsey could ever beat Tunney.

[Calilloyd]

Given that in the early 50s he was considered the greatest HW ever and today he has disappeared from most top 10ATG HW lists, I would think he's rather underrated today.

Maybe he was overrated in in the 50's. How can you rate Dempsey over Joe Louis?