How great was Jack Dempsey?

[GhostofDempsey]

Dempsey was a novice when he was offered Langford fight first time. Second time offered Sam was shot and blind, they politely declined out of grace.

The money never came through for Greb or Wills. From ‘22 on Wills hadn’t defeated anyone worth a title fight and Wills ducked Godfrey and refused to give him a shot at his World Colored Title. He was also offered a shot at Dempsey if he could beat Godfrey, who was Dempsey’s sparring partner. Wills was never great.

Dempsey’s greatness transcended talent. He made boxing the most popular and lucrative sport. Far out-earned Babe Ruth. He did for boxing in the 1920s what Ali did for the sport in the 1960s.

Read Adam Pollack’s trilogy of biographies on Dempsey if you want a thorough examination of him as a fighter and icon. He debunks all of the ducking myths in great detail and heavily sourced.

[QueensburyRules]

you guys need to find the energy to discuss this one final time. Dempsey ducked Langford in 1916. He ducked Greb for years after having sparred with him in 1920. He would have lost to both.

- - U mommy know U keep spewing U strained peas?

Dempsey and his original mgr/trainer went to NYC for fights and recognition as a pair of Hayseeds coming the the Big City. A local Shark promptly had a wire delivered to Dempsey's mgr requesting his presence at home in an Emergency. Dempsey now isolated had to sign a contract making Shark his promoter and fought two fights against the locals, the last one breaking a rib. Dempsey had been sleeping on park benches and standing in soup lines when Shark offered Langford. Dempsey by then had been highly educated in a Salt Lake City gym that also held fights run by a renown black contender.

Unlike U, Dempsey could do the math and realized he was getting shafted big time, so he hit the road riding the rails back home where he ends up with Doc Kearns as his mgr and the rest is established History, not U barfed strained peas.

[solidman]

- - U mommy know U keep spewing U strained peas?

Dempsey and his original mgr/trainer went to NYC for fights and recognition as a pair of Hayseeds coming the the Big City. A local Shark promptly had a wire delivered to Dempsey's mgr requesting his presence at home in an Emergency. Dempsey now isolated had to sign a contract making Shark his promoter and fought two fights against the locals, the last one breaking a rib. Dempsey had been sleeping on park benches and standing in soup lines when Shark offered Langford. Dempsey by then had been highly educated in a Salt Lake City gym that also held fights run by a renown black contender.

Unlike U, Dempsey could do the math and realized he was getting shafted big time, so he hit the road riding the rails back home where he ends up with Doc Kearns as his mgr and the rest is established History, not U barfed strained peas.

I shagged your mum

[Biledriver]

I shagged your mum

.....

[Dr Z]

Don't get me wrong i love Jack Dempsey. He is one of my idols. However part of me thinks he may have been abit overrated. His resume is poor. He ducked Langford and Greb and Greb was a middleweight. He never fought Harry Wills. He lost twice to Tunney. He was a very inactive champion. How do you guys rate Dempsey?

All ture points and quiet a few of his fights were full controversy, mostly becuase he did not follow the rules. He did not fight the best and got badly exposed by Tunney.

[Bronson66]

It's like a catch 22 bro.

100% understand you and 100% agree with you

But consider this, or maybe you have and have a ready answer:

Langford himself, I'm pretty sure I was informed by Jab so Jabster, correct me if I make a fool of myself.

Anyway, Langford was like 17 or some such similar nonsense when he said anyone but Jeffries.

Dempsey was likewise just green when he said anyone but Sam.

It isn't hard to guess who these young men looked up to.

What might be hard is respecting that respect; not everyone is Rocky Marciano and Leon Spinks, not everyone would crush the man they loved as champion in their youth. We do have things to cite for this as well. Like Nonpariel forcing Fitzsimmons to beat the shiz out of him. It isn't speculation like Tyson/Wlad could be, these things happened.


So there might be an honesty to it that goes beyond prime or not. Like how k2 won't fight. Fair to say either way it's a very forgivable ducking.

Langford was under 160lbs when his manager, Joe Woodman excluded Jeffries from any challenges on Sam's behalf.
On another point.
Whatever rudimentary rules Dempsey may have transgressed were open to be transgressed,by his opponents too,the problem for them being ,they first had to drop him to then stand over him when he attempted to rise.
The neutral corner rule was not clarified, or enforced with any rigour until after the Firpo fight.
Dempsey took advantage of the laxity of officials in implementing such rules as there were,and he never complained if his opponents retaliated in similar fashion.

[QueensburyRules]

I shagged your mum

- - So, U more than dumbo, U dumbo grave robber too.

What grade they teach U that?

[QueensburyRules]

- - I rate Joe Louis, the Ks, and Jack Dempsey over Ali.

Of course the Koolaide boys gonna drink their Ali koolaide because someone told them too.

[JAB5239]

- - I rate Joe Louis, the Ks, and Jack Dempsey over Ali.

Of course the Koolaide boys gonna drink their Ali koolaide because someone told them too.

[solidman]

Im not sure if Dempsey would have ever beaten Tunney