Can Dempsey Be Rated Over Louis?

[Perfect Plex]

Can a case even be made, or better yet does anyone actually think Dempsey should be ranked above Louis on a HW ATG list?

[Barn]

Taking in H2H ability then yes, depending on how you see it.

Based purely on longelevity, resume and accomplishments then no way.

[The Surgeon]

Joe has to be rated higher.

Dempsey was a terror tho and he might well knock Joe spark out if they had fought.... I think my money would be on Louis even in a head to head match tho


There was a video on here a lttle while ago with an old Dempsey and Joe fooling around in the ring on tv, the mutal respect was evident

[Wild Blue Yonda]

Can a case even be made, or better yet does anyone actually think Dempsey should be ranked above Louis on a HW ATG list?

Possibly --- but it would have to be on the proviso your list was purely based on hypothetical head-to-head, & you had Dempsey defeating Louis (plausible enough, though I wouldn't personally bank on it, nor would most I don't believe).

Dempsey had an outstanding run pre-title, & though his reign itself was fractured, the competition was quite strong after he decapitated Willard as well. Still, Louis has his measure on accomplishments.

[Steak]

not a chance.

Dempsey is overrated. best win over Sharkey, and he only won that through a lowblow hit on the break combo in a fight he was losing.

[CarlosG815]

not a chance.

Dempsey is overrated. best win over Sharkey, and he only won that through a lowblow hit on the break combo in a fight he was losing.

Dempsey was thought to be the best fighter ever by those that saw him fight and they stood by this up until they died.... He wasn't called over rated until far after those who saw him were dead and gone. To call him over rated is total BS.

[Steak]

Dempsey was thought to be the best fighter ever by those that saw him fight and they stood by this up until they died.... He wasn't called over rated until far after those who saw him were dead and gone. To call him over rated is total BS.

the best fighter ever 80+ years ago. He was in a weak era, and his best wins were over Willard, Brennan, Fulton, Firpo and Miske. Gibbons, Carpentier and Levinsky might have been good wins if they werent lightheavyweights, so I only give Dempsey partial credit for them. Gunboat Smith was past his best, dont bother bringing him up.

He didnt fight the best opponents around, since he refused to fight Langford(even he admitted this), Jeanette, McVea(these two were not during his championship reign, to be fair), and most of all Harry Wills, who was the #1 contender for forever while he was champ. His time as a world champ was wasted by him not fighting.

Theres video of his fights, you dont need to have been born while he was fighting to judge him.

[Clegg]

He may (or, more likely, may not) beat Louis in a fight, but I don't think he beat the better fighters or proved himself to be greater.

[CarlosG815]

the best fighter ever 80+ years ago. He was in a weak era, and his best wins were over Willard, Brennan, Fulton, Firpo and Miske. Gibbons, Carpentier and Levinsky might have been good wins if they werent lightheavyweights, so I only give Dempsey partial credit for them. Gunboat Smith was past his best, dont bother bringing him up.

He didnt fight the best opponents around, since he refused to fight Langford(even he admitted this), Jeanette, McVea(these two were not during his championship reign, to be fair), and most of all Harry Wills, who was the #1 contender for forever while he was champ. His time as a world champ was wasted by him not fighting.

Theres video of his fights, you dont need to have been born while he was fighting to judge him.

We will have to disagree. At the time a fight with Langford was proposed Jack was a nobody and declined the fight citing that he knew he wasn't ready for that caliber of fight yet, as he hadn't really fought anybody and most of his fights were in back alleys and bar rooms.

Had they fought after Dempsey was champion, there is no doubt in my mind that Dempsey would have destroyed Langford in spectacular fashion. When was the fight with Langford proposed? 1914 or something?

[Steak]

We will have to disagree. At the time a fight with Langford was proposed Jack was a nobody and declined the fight citing that he knew he wasn't ready for that caliber of fight yet, as he hadn't really fought anybody and most of his fights were in back alleys and bar rooms.

Had they fought after Dempsey was champion, there is no doubt in my mind that Dempsey would have destroyed Langford in spectacular fashion. When was the fight with Langford proposed? 1914 or something?

I believe it was 1916.

maybe premature...maybe....but Wills is the big problem with Dempsey. Wills was pretty much the only other notable Heavyweight around at the time, and beat a few of Dempsey's best opponents, like Firpo and Fulton.

I sort of get why Dempsey didnt fight Wills, but the fact of the matter is that Dempsey never fought the only other very good heavyweight of his era.

Willard isnt even that big of a win either, since Willard hadnt fought in 3 years.