Dempsey v Marciano - I think Marciano wins

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I would guess that Dempsey would be the popular choice in this hypothetical fight but I would favour Marciano to win this.

I think most people would back Dempsey simply because he was a better, quicker and more dynamic boxer. I think this makes him better suited to blasting out lesser fighters but I feel Marciano overall may be better equipped for the head to head. Here are just some thoughts:

Early favours Dempsey: Dempsey was a fast starter, Marciano was a slow starter. This is true enough. Dempsey was known for being quick out of the blocks and his superior speed and agility meant he could get to his opponents quicker. Marciano was slower and relied on catching up with his opponents more. However if you look at most of Marcianos top level fights, he was fighting boxers who wanted to stay away from him and outbox him. So while Marcianos lack of comparative speed meant he had to settle for catching up to his opponents where Dempsey might get to them quicker, I don’t think its necessarily by choice that Marciano wanted to start slow. He had just had to chase. Dempsey fought guys like Willard, Firpo, Brennan, Carpentiers and Sharkey who were far more inclined to stand in front of him and slug it out. Dempsey didn’t blast out guys like Tunney and Gibbons and like Marciano he was forced to chase them with no better results really. In Marciano against Dempsey one can guess that Dempsey will come out of the blocks quickly and Marciano wont have to chase at all. The two will meet head on and probably start exchanging. The basic point being Dempseys quick start - is it all that significant in this fight?

The Firpo fight: Of all the fights either fighter had, this is arguably the one that Marciano v Dempsey might take after in outset. Firpo was a pretty average fighter. One handed, limited, durable and possessing a strong right he made Marciano look like technically brilliant. What happened in this fight was Dempsey flying out of the block and Firpo meeting head on with knockdowns galore. Firpo was a lot bigger than Marciano but even more limited and cruder yet he still had Dempsey down and almost out. Dempsey by his own admission brawling on instinct in that first round and was hurt. Although Demspey rallied to win, it’s a fight that I think would give Marciano a lot of encouragement. Perhaps Marciano is better suited to the brawl?

Defence: Dempsey is considered to the better defence of the two. Chin tucked behind the shoulder and fighting out of a crouch. Marciano considered to be easy to hit by comparison. However I don’t think Dempseys defence, or at least his ability not to be hit is as superior as made out. Marciano was fighting accurate, precision punchers like Charles, Walcott and Moore and he did get hit often. But Dempsey was getting hit by much more limited fighters like Carpentiers, Sharkey and Firpo. Not as accurate punchers and all guys who didn’t struggle to find him. Tunney who was a more precision puncher landed on him frequently. So is this as big an advantage to Dempsey? Would it be a significant factor?

Opposition: I would say most people who watched both would conclude Dempsey was a better overall boxer with regards to speed, punch selection and agility and I think he was better overall. However Marciano was a sum of the parts fighter and overall I think he gets a harder time for his opposition with respect to Dempsey when there maybe isnt a great deal in it. Even aged versions of the likes of Moore, Walcott and Charles or fighters like LaStarza I think are superior to Miske, Firpo, Carpentier and Willard where Dempsey forged his reputation.

Late favours Marciano: Marciano was more proven in this respect. The flip side of his lack of speed and explosiveness which made Dempsey the dynamite fighter he was early, was that Marciano had a relentless about him that could go all the way to the final bell. Dempsey on the other hand was not so proven in this regard. Tunney said in both his fights with Dempsey he felt Dempsey tire towards the end and felt if the fights were 15 rounders he would have stopped a weary Dempsey. Dempsey was also noticeably slower in his 15 rounder with Gibbons by the end. And as with many fast starters, they run the risk of shooting their bolt early and fading down the stretch. In this sense I think Marciano is certainly better equipped if the fight goes long, but given the respective styles of the fighters, is it likely to down to the championship rounds?

To summarise, I basically think Marciano wins this because he is better equipped for the style of battle that I think would inevitably ensue. Agree or disagree?

Give me a break. I can make up montages of chips where Gatti manages to get out of the way of punches. Shall we call him a defensive genius?

azania wrote:Give me a break. I can make up montages of chips where Gatti manages to get out of the way of punches. Shall we call him a defensive genius?

If you cant recognize slick defensive skills then fair enough! He was a brawler and a pressure fighter using his IMMENSE work rate and stamina and HARD punches. His defense suited his style and he was a tricky fighter to land clean on, many of his opponents commented in it, Which may have been one of the reasons he was undisputed champ and retired undefeated

tunes666 wrote:

azania wrote:Give me a break. I can make up montages of chips where Gatti manages to get out of the way of punches. Shall we call him a defensive genius?

If you cant recognize slick defensive skills then fair enough! He was a brawler and a pressure fighter using his IMMENSE work rate and stamina and HARD punches. His defense suited his style and he was a tricky fighter to land clean on, many of his opponents commented in it, Which may have been one of the reasons he was undisputed champ and retired undefeated

Irrelevant. All it showed were clips where the opponent missed. Yes he went undefeated. Meaningless if fighting has beens.

In the 4 minutes it lasted I'm sure I can find some slick defensive skills Hatton displayed against Pac.

I can also devise some clips to show Floyd being hit often to prove he is no defensive wizard.