Dempsey Above Ali, Pound For Pound?

[McGrain]

What do you think?

I guess there'd be less than 20 pounds between their peak weights...

[Duodenum]

Yes, Dempsey above Ali, pound for pound. Ali may have been the fastest man in boxing during his peak, but nobody inflicted physical damage on an opponent so much larger than Willard was to Dempsey. (Keep in mind, that until Carnera/Loughran, this was the greatest weight disparity ever between contestants for the HW Title. (I think it might still hold the record for second place.)

[Robbi]

Yes, Dempsey above Ali, pound for pound. Ali may have been the fastest man in boxing during his peak, but nobody inflicted physical damage on an opponent so much larger than Willard was to Dempsey. (Keep in mind, that until Carnera/Loughran, this was the greatest weight disparity ever between contestants for the HW Title. (I think it might still hold the record for second place.)

I disagree. Dempsey may well have inflicted more physical damage on Willard. But that accomplishment alone doesn't make him special, well it obviously does to a certain extent, but not special enough to have a career more impressive than Ali's. Dempsey reigned for longer than Ali did without tasting defeat, I'm not going to dispute it.

Ali beat Liston, Frazier, Foreman, and Norton. Does Dempsey hold wins over fighters of equal or greater quality than those four?. The awnser is, no. Willard, Firpo, Gibbons, etc. Ali also came back from adversity during his career. His ability to regain the title after Frazier beat him was questioned, and nobody gave him a chance against the powerful punchers, Liston and Foreman.

What other heavyweight has wins over three other heavies who could easily make a top 10 list. Liston, Frazier, and Foreman.

[Muchmoore]

Alis accomplishments are greater than Dempseys by far plus he was faster despite being bigger.

[DaveTheWave]

20 lbs doesn't matter much. Once you get above 185-190, you can hurt anyone. Ali would have dealt with better opposition than Dempsey.

[NickHudson]

Yep, I think this statement ends the debate in one sentence!

If you 'scale' Ali down to Dempseys size, his speed and elusiveness start to go through the roof.

Alis accomplishments are greater than Dempseys by far plus he was faster despite being bigger.

[C. M. Clay II]

Yep, I think this statement ends the debate in one sentence!

If you 'scale' Ali down to Dempseys size, his speed and elusiveness start to go through the roof.

Imagine if Ali was a welterweight. He would make Ray Robinson look like a lummox!:yep

[McGrain]

If you 'scale' Ali down to Dempseys size, his speed and elusiveness start to go through the roof.

Quite right - but is it not also true that Dempsey is stronger and more powerful scaled up? If he's already hitting harder than Ali as things stand...

[Muchmoore]

Quite right - but is it not also true that Dempsey is stronger and more powerful scaled up? If he's already hitting harder than Ali as things stand...

Great point, imagine a 210 pound Dempsey.

[McGrain]

Great point, imagine a 210 pound Dempsey.

Enough to keep Vitali Klitschko awake at night I guess.

[PowerPuncher]

Great point, imagine a 210 pound Dempsey.

Hes called Mike Tyson

[C. M. Clay II]

Hes called Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is not 6'-4".:D

[rekcutnevets]

I would have to pick Ali over Demsey. Ali faced all comers, Dempsey could be held behind the "color line." It may not have been Dempsey's fault, but is true anyway.

[Ramon Rojo]

Ali is better than Dempsey in every field, that includes power.

[hobgoblin]

Hell no. Apples to oranges here. Ali was a completely different KIND of fighter - size is not the issue.

[McGrain]

Ali is better than Dempsey in every field, that includes power.

What an astonishing claim? Do you really think so? Why do you think that?

[groove]

Dempsey is extremely powerful. He also has a better arsenal of punches than Ali. Dempsey pound for pound is one of the greatest punchers ever.

[janitor]

Ali is better than Dempsey in every field, that includes power.

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

[janitor]

I think Dempsey has it pound for pound by virtue of being smaller.

If they met at their prime weights of 210 and 190 lbs respectively it is not a given by any means that Ali would win.

[Duodenum]

Frazier basically had one arm, one eye, and stumpy legs he stomped on while charging forward.

Dempsey was a two-eyed, two-fisted panther, who attacked the nuts relentlessly. Bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, with knees bent, he'd dart in while scrunched down to a height of about four feet, then, lurching up after ducking a jab, he'd strike out like a cobra. As fast as Ali was, even a bloody Cooper was able to make him miss. Sir 'Enery had nothing like the speed, power, mobility, chin, or resistance to cuts which Dempsey possessed. Head to head, peak to peak, Dempsey would have been no picnic for Muhammad, who would have found Dempsey too low to the ground and sneaky to wear down by pulling on his neck. As dirty a fighter as Ali was, does anybody really think he could hold a candle to Dempsey in that department? This is a guy who as a referee awarded a 20 round decision to Uzcudun over Baer on account of Paulino's superior fouling! (If Dempsey had been the referee and judge for Ali/Wepner, Chuck might have won the darned thing.)

[Muchmoore]

Hes called Mike Tyson

:lol: :good

[Ted Stickles]

Dempsey would have given Ali trouble because of the crouch style which Ali has often admitted was his hardest style to fight.I do think the speed of Ali would have been too much because if you think about it Tunney was a mover like Ali and Dempsey had tons of trouble with him and Ali was way better than Tunney