By Monte Cox
Jack Dempsey, the �Manassa Mauler? reined as heavyweight champion from 1919-1926. He made 5 successful title defenses. He has more first round knockouts (25) than any first tier heavyweight in boxing history. His official record is 60-6-8 and 6 No Decisions with 50 knockouts, although he had many more bouts that are unrecorded.
Joe Louis, the �Brown Bomber? dominated as heavyweight champion for a record of nearly 12 years between the years 1937-1949. He made a record 25 successful title defenses, 21 of those by knockout and 5 in the first round. Of those 21 knockouts 17 were ten counts. At his retirement as champion his record was 60-1 with 51 knockouts, after an ill-advised comeback he finished with a total record of 68-3, 54 knockouts.
A match up between two of the heavyweight divisions most powerful all time pound for pound hitters has been discussed for nearly 70 years by boxing fans, writers, and historians. Who would win if Jack Dempsey met Joe Louis with each at the peak of their powers?
The Tale of The Tape
Tale Of The Tape
...............Jack Dempsey...........................Joe Louis
Height..................6'1....................... .................6'2....................
Weight.................192........................ ................207...................
Reach..................77......................... ................76 1/2................
Chest/Norm...........42................................. ........42....................
Chest/Exp.............46................................ .........45....................
Waist...................33........................ ................36 1/2...............
Biceps..................16 1/4....................................15........... ........
Neck....................16 1/2....................................17........... .......
Wrist.....................9....................... ...................8...................
Calf......................15...................... ...................14..................
Ankle....................9........................ ...................10..................
Thigh....................23....................... ..................22 1/2............
Fist......................11 1/4....................................11 3/4.............
Forearm................14 1/2.....................................12.......... .......
The Analysis
Looking at the above Tale of The Tape chart we can see that the two men are about equal from a standpoint of physical attributes. Louis is slightly taller; their reach is about equal. Dempsey's weight is that of the Firpo fight his highest and perhaps strongest weight, while Louis weight is that of his rematches with Buddy Baer and Abe Simon when at the peak of his punching prowess. Louis has a 15-pound advantage in weight and must be accorded a slight advantage in size.
When fighters of near equal physical ability meet in the ring it is often the styles of the combatants that determine the outcome of a boxing match. From a styles perspective Jack Dempsey vs. Joe Louis makes for a fascinating study.
Hype Igoe, a famous old-time boxing writer, who saw Jim Jeffries, Bob Fitzsimmons, James Corbett, and Jack Johnson, as well as Dempsey and Louis all in on near their prime years said the following about the two great heavyweight punchers (Sep 21, 1940 Pittsburgh Courier),
�Joe Louis would have knocked out all of Jeffries crowd in one night. So would have Dempsey. Jeffries never saw the day he could punch like Dempsey or Louis.?
Clearly many consider Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis as two of the greatest, if not the greatest heavyweights in history. Certainly they are considered two of the greatest pound for pound punchers in boxing history even up to this day, and many historians continue to rate Joe Louis as the greatest puncher ever. Respected historian Mike Silver rated Joe Louis #1 among "The 10 Greatest Punchers of All Time" in The Ring 1998 Boxing Almanac. Louis was also rated the # 1 puncher of all time in the article "The 100 Greatest Punchers of All Time" in the Ring Almanac 2004.
Joe Louis is generally regarded as the better boxer of the two, and the sharper more accurate puncher. This, however, does not guarantee Joe Louis a victory.
Igoe is of the opinion that Jack Dempsey would "have nailed him (Louis) with a left hook and finished him in the first round."
In his Ring Magazine May 1936 piece Dempsey or Louis? Igoe explains why he would favor Dempsey. "The Toledo Dempsey would have swept away any living man out of his path and the slow starting Louis would never have got started against Jack. He would have been belted so hard and so fast that he would have gone down early. A counter puncher never had a chance against Dempsey of that day, when big Jess Willard was knocked upside down seven times in the first round."
Is Igoe's opinion to be believed? He also claimed that the Toledo Dempsey would have knocked out Gene Tunney in the first round. Certainly not all observers feel the same way. Igoe was quick to criticize Louis at every turn in his Ring Magazine article, while not pointing out any faults in Dempsey.
It is true that swarmers usually have a slight edge over counter-punchers because they force them to get off their shots before they have a chance to get set and put everything into their punches. An example of this is the Joe Frazier-Jerry Quarry bouts. Quarry had to fight Frazier off and it took something out of his punches. However, Frazier was stronger than Quarry. Dempsey and Louis are closer in strength and the weight advantage belongs to Louis.
When forced to fight at a quick pace Louis was certainly capable of doing so. Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer wrote, April 1939 Ring, Louis Stands By Himself, "The Joe Louis who whipped Max Schmeling was great, but the Bomber that halted the progress of his pal John Henry was the greatest fighting machine I have seen in years. He was at the peak of perfection. Until the contest with Lewis I was of the opinion that in a fight between Jack Dempsey and Joe, the Manassa Mauler would have emerged the victor, but the Bomber who fought John Henry would have a better than even chance to knock out the Dempsey who stowed away Jess Willard. Louis has improved a hundredfold since he won the title. He has become a willing fighter. No longer does he wait to feel out an opponent. He sails in crashes his blows to the body and head, gives the opposition little chance to get set for a counter attack and wards off blows with the cleverness of Jack Johnson. Only Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey of the fighters of the last 40 years compare to the Joe Louis of today in all around ability."
Could Joe Louis hold off Dempsey�s first round blitz? This is the key to the entire fight. In an article, Joe Louis Compared to the Titans of the Past in the Oct 1938 Ring Magazine, several experts who saw them both fight gave their thoughts on a potential match.
Joe Woodman, manager of Sam Langford for 19 years, is in agreement with Hype Igoe. "Dempsey's weave would have befuddled Louis completely, and Jack would have won easily. The Dempsey of Toledo would have beaten Louis or any other man that ever lived. He was a tiger that day. No one could have held him off."
Dumb Dan Morgan, a famous fight manager who handled the likes of Battling Levinsky, KO Brown, and Jack Britton, seemed to have some insight on that opinion saying, �Well, Dempsey was easy to hit with a left jab. I believe if Louis kept stepping around and jabbing he would have beaten him. Louis couldn�t afford to stand still because Dempsey�s weave would have puzzled him, and Dempsey always threw punches while he weaved. If Louis could have held him off, he would have won, but he would have to keep stepping around.?
Eddie Forbes, a boxing judge with 40 years of experience, and a ringside official at Louis-Schmeling 2 disagrees with those who pick Dempsey saying, �Louis was too much of a sharp shooter. Dempsey was a hard puncher but he never seemed to know or care where his punches were going. On the other hand, every punch Louis starts, reaches its destination as accurate as the Twentieth Century Limited hits New York. Louis is a bigger, faster and better boxer than Sam Langford in my opinion.?
Izzy the Painter Faber, an old-time boxing instructor, seemed to support the opinion. �Joe would have beaten Dempsey. Rated off the Gibbons fight with Dempsey, I�m inclined to favor Louis, because I think he was a better puncher than Jack was.?Faber mentioning of the Gibbons fight is important, as we shall see after awhile.
�Jack Dempsey was the better, stronger puncher on the attack, but Joe Louis could knock anybody�s brains out that he caught coming in?was the accurate summary of former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson.
The Outcome
Jack Dempsey, the �Manassa Mauler? reined as heavyweight champion from 1919-1926. He made 5 successful title defenses. He has more first round knockouts (25) than any first tier heavyweight in boxing history. His official record is 60-6-8 and 6 No Decisions with 50 knockouts, although he had many more bouts that are unrecorded.
Joe Louis, the �Brown Bomber? dominated as heavyweight champion for a record of nearly 12 years between the years 1937-1949. He made a record 25 successful title defenses, 21 of those by knockout and 5 in the first round. Of those 21 knockouts 17 were ten counts. At his retirement as champion his record was 60-1 with 51 knockouts, after an ill-advised comeback he finished with a total record of 68-3, 54 knockouts.
A match up between two of the heavyweight divisions most powerful all time pound for pound hitters has been discussed for nearly 70 years by boxing fans, writers, and historians. Who would win if Jack Dempsey met Joe Louis with each at the peak of their powers?
The Tale of The Tape
Tale Of The Tape
...............Jack Dempsey...........................Joe Louis
Height..................6'1....................... .................6'2....................
Weight.................192........................ ................207...................
Reach..................77......................... ................76 1/2................
Chest/Norm...........42................................. ........42....................
Chest/Exp.............46................................ .........45....................
Waist...................33........................ ................36 1/2...............
Biceps..................16 1/4....................................15........... ........
Neck....................16 1/2....................................17........... .......
Wrist.....................9....................... ...................8...................
Calf......................15...................... ...................14..................
Ankle....................9........................ ...................10..................
Thigh....................23....................... ..................22 1/2............
Fist......................11 1/4....................................11 3/4.............
Forearm................14 1/2.....................................12.......... .......
The Analysis
Looking at the above Tale of The Tape chart we can see that the two men are about equal from a standpoint of physical attributes. Louis is slightly taller; their reach is about equal. Dempsey's weight is that of the Firpo fight his highest and perhaps strongest weight, while Louis weight is that of his rematches with Buddy Baer and Abe Simon when at the peak of his punching prowess. Louis has a 15-pound advantage in weight and must be accorded a slight advantage in size.
When fighters of near equal physical ability meet in the ring it is often the styles of the combatants that determine the outcome of a boxing match. From a styles perspective Jack Dempsey vs. Joe Louis makes for a fascinating study.
Hype Igoe, a famous old-time boxing writer, who saw Jim Jeffries, Bob Fitzsimmons, James Corbett, and Jack Johnson, as well as Dempsey and Louis all in on near their prime years said the following about the two great heavyweight punchers (Sep 21, 1940 Pittsburgh Courier),
�Joe Louis would have knocked out all of Jeffries crowd in one night. So would have Dempsey. Jeffries never saw the day he could punch like Dempsey or Louis.?
Clearly many consider Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis as two of the greatest, if not the greatest heavyweights in history. Certainly they are considered two of the greatest pound for pound punchers in boxing history even up to this day, and many historians continue to rate Joe Louis as the greatest puncher ever. Respected historian Mike Silver rated Joe Louis #1 among "The 10 Greatest Punchers of All Time" in The Ring 1998 Boxing Almanac. Louis was also rated the # 1 puncher of all time in the article "The 100 Greatest Punchers of All Time" in the Ring Almanac 2004.
Joe Louis is generally regarded as the better boxer of the two, and the sharper more accurate puncher. This, however, does not guarantee Joe Louis a victory.
Igoe is of the opinion that Jack Dempsey would "have nailed him (Louis) with a left hook and finished him in the first round."
In his Ring Magazine May 1936 piece Dempsey or Louis? Igoe explains why he would favor Dempsey. "The Toledo Dempsey would have swept away any living man out of his path and the slow starting Louis would never have got started against Jack. He would have been belted so hard and so fast that he would have gone down early. A counter puncher never had a chance against Dempsey of that day, when big Jess Willard was knocked upside down seven times in the first round."
Is Igoe's opinion to be believed? He also claimed that the Toledo Dempsey would have knocked out Gene Tunney in the first round. Certainly not all observers feel the same way. Igoe was quick to criticize Louis at every turn in his Ring Magazine article, while not pointing out any faults in Dempsey.
It is true that swarmers usually have a slight edge over counter-punchers because they force them to get off their shots before they have a chance to get set and put everything into their punches. An example of this is the Joe Frazier-Jerry Quarry bouts. Quarry had to fight Frazier off and it took something out of his punches. However, Frazier was stronger than Quarry. Dempsey and Louis are closer in strength and the weight advantage belongs to Louis.
When forced to fight at a quick pace Louis was certainly capable of doing so. Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer wrote, April 1939 Ring, Louis Stands By Himself, "The Joe Louis who whipped Max Schmeling was great, but the Bomber that halted the progress of his pal John Henry was the greatest fighting machine I have seen in years. He was at the peak of perfection. Until the contest with Lewis I was of the opinion that in a fight between Jack Dempsey and Joe, the Manassa Mauler would have emerged the victor, but the Bomber who fought John Henry would have a better than even chance to knock out the Dempsey who stowed away Jess Willard. Louis has improved a hundredfold since he won the title. He has become a willing fighter. No longer does he wait to feel out an opponent. He sails in crashes his blows to the body and head, gives the opposition little chance to get set for a counter attack and wards off blows with the cleverness of Jack Johnson. Only Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey of the fighters of the last 40 years compare to the Joe Louis of today in all around ability."
Could Joe Louis hold off Dempsey�s first round blitz? This is the key to the entire fight. In an article, Joe Louis Compared to the Titans of the Past in the Oct 1938 Ring Magazine, several experts who saw them both fight gave their thoughts on a potential match.
Joe Woodman, manager of Sam Langford for 19 years, is in agreement with Hype Igoe. "Dempsey's weave would have befuddled Louis completely, and Jack would have won easily. The Dempsey of Toledo would have beaten Louis or any other man that ever lived. He was a tiger that day. No one could have held him off."
Dumb Dan Morgan, a famous fight manager who handled the likes of Battling Levinsky, KO Brown, and Jack Britton, seemed to have some insight on that opinion saying, �Well, Dempsey was easy to hit with a left jab. I believe if Louis kept stepping around and jabbing he would have beaten him. Louis couldn�t afford to stand still because Dempsey�s weave would have puzzled him, and Dempsey always threw punches while he weaved. If Louis could have held him off, he would have won, but he would have to keep stepping around.?
Eddie Forbes, a boxing judge with 40 years of experience, and a ringside official at Louis-Schmeling 2 disagrees with those who pick Dempsey saying, �Louis was too much of a sharp shooter. Dempsey was a hard puncher but he never seemed to know or care where his punches were going. On the other hand, every punch Louis starts, reaches its destination as accurate as the Twentieth Century Limited hits New York. Louis is a bigger, faster and better boxer than Sam Langford in my opinion.?
Izzy the Painter Faber, an old-time boxing instructor, seemed to support the opinion. �Joe would have beaten Dempsey. Rated off the Gibbons fight with Dempsey, I�m inclined to favor Louis, because I think he was a better puncher than Jack was.?Faber mentioning of the Gibbons fight is important, as we shall see after awhile.
�Jack Dempsey was the better, stronger puncher on the attack, but Joe Louis could knock anybody�s brains out that he caught coming in?was the accurate summary of former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson.
The Outcome
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