Muhammad Ali vs. Jack Dempsey who wins?

Question

Heavyweights 15 rounds. In their prime.

Answer 1

Good matchup, but Ali wins for the same reason that he'd beat essentially any hypothetical matchup in history. We're talking one of the all time greats in Dempsey against arguably THE all time great in Ali. His nickname--"The Greatest"--just ain't bragaddocio: Ali fought the best level of opposition in the history of the heavyweight class. More significantly, he was never stopped inside the distance until late in his career (when Larry Holmes did it in his next-to-last fight). That's against some serious power punchers like Liston, Foreman, Frazier, Shavers, etc. Since Ali could clearly take a punch, that significantly diminishes the chances of a Dempsey victory since the "Manassa Mauler" won with his power. There's a number of occasions where Dempsey was outboxed--Willie Meehan did it several times, Gene Tunney as well. Dempsey fought some great fighters--Tunney and Jess Willard come to mind--but his level of opposition was nowhere near Ali's. Then there's the matter of some losses to clearly inferior opposition--a 1st round KO loss to Fireman Jim Flynn?

Obviously Dempsey had no control over the social context in which he fought, but its also important to keep in mind that in Dempsey's era--particularly in the rural west in which he campaigned during the early part of hs career--promoters were very hesitant to match black and white fighters against each other for fear of inciting "race riots". On one hand, this helps explain some of the opponents he faced but on the other hand it raises the question of how many top notch contenders didn't get matched up against Dempsey for no other reason than their darker pigmentation?

Dempsey was a stud, no doubt, but in a hypothetical matchup with Ali its hard to see him prevailing. He certainly couldn't outbox Ali, and assuming that both fighers were in their prime there's not much evidence that he could do what Foreman, Frazier, Shavers, et. al couldn't and knock out Ali. Basiclaly it's a matchup between a powerful guy who needs to win by knockout and who was routinely outboxed against a guy that was never knocked out in his prime and one of the most technically skilled heavyweights in history. Throw in the fact that Ali was a taller (by 2"), rangier (by 3" if I remember correctly) and more physically substantial fighter (outweighting Dempsey by 20 to 30 pounds at various points in their careers) and its apparent that Jack couldn't physically intimidate Ali. Ali would respect Dempsey's power, but put on a boxing clinic on his way to a late stoppage or unanimous decision....

Answer 2

Very interesting matchup Brent F! Jack Dempsey was pne of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history with a great killer instinct if he got you hurt. Ali was the fastest heavyweight with the best footwork and reflexes. Through about 7 rounds Dempsey would land some good punches but Ali would not allow him to land them flush while piling up points with his jab and tying up Jack when he came in close. I believe that Ali would have been too fast for Jack and won a fairly easy decision/

Answer 3

Dempsey - W 65 (KO's 50) TF 82 - W pct 80% - KO pct 61% - wins over Williard, Firpo and Sharkey - KO'ed by Fireman Joe Flynn - #7 ranked puncher - #16 ranked fighter
He later became a referee
It has been rumored that Dempsey hid on the docks to avoid the draft during WW1.

Ali - W 56 (KO's 35) TF 61 - W pct 92% - KO pct 57% - wins over Frazier{2}, Liston[2], Patterson{2} and Foreman - KO'ed by Holmes (he was washed-up) - #3 ranked fighter
Greatest chin/will/heart ever
Won Olympic Gold medal in 1960 at Light Hwy wt
Great boxing skill and athletic speed and prowess

Demsey has the punching power and determination of a Frazier but not the hand speed. The same Ali that fought "Big Cat" Williams appears in this bout. Ali destroys Dempsey within 5 rd by KO.

P.S. What I can't understand why any "so-called" boxing expert can't objectively see that Ali would beat any Hwy wt.

Answer 4

Very interesting, Ali running all over the ring for 15 rounds and wins a unanimous decision over Dempsey, just like Tunney did with Dempsey.

Answer 5

Ali. While both dominated in their primes, the level of fighting got better over time, and Dempsey wouldn't have been able to beat a number of the fighters that Ali dispatched.

Answer 6

Look at Dempsey v Tunney! Tunney wasn't half the boxer Ali was and he run rings around a cumbersome Dempsey. Even in his prime with a 30+ Ali he couldn't compete with the Greatest!

Answer 7

hard to top da1's answer, very eloquent and substantial. personally, i say ali knocks dempsey out in the middle rounds. he most definitely was taller, faster, heavier, stronger, had more endurance, and more heart than dempsey. many forget what power ali had, esp when he planted his feet and went to work. he could be quite lethal when he wanted to be. i see ali outclassing dempsey, in every way, and going home early with a big payday! sorry jack!

Answer 8

Lets settle this right now. Muhammad Ali beats any heavyweight in history on their best night, when he was in his prime.

Both primes.

Answer 9

It was Jack Dempsey poured the first official beer from a pitcher for Jimmy Durante, who took the first official drink, after Prohibition was lifted!!!!!
Muhammed Ali (aka Cassius Clay) just floated like a butterfly, but he stung like a bee!!!!

Answer 10

Muhammad Ali in six rounds.