Mike Tyson to Jack Dempsey Connection
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Former world heavyweight champion Iron Mike Tyson is best known as a boxer, and for his colorful personality. Mike is lesser known for his proficiency with racing pigeons, and as an expert boxing historian who is a student of old fight films.
It was early in his career when Mike became fascinated with ‘The Manessa Mauler’, the late heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey. Tyson, 50-6 with 44 knockouts, Henderson, Nevada, and Dempsey, 55-6-8 with 45 knockouts, Salt Lake City, Utah. Dempsey’s career lasted from 1914 to 1927 (plus exhibitions later). Tyson’s pro career lasted from 1985 to 2005 (plus exhibitions later).
For the historical record, Tyson’s fascination with Dempsey had not to do with skill, but rather, style. Dempsey was a puncher in whose mold Tyson followed. Tyson is was and will always be a puncher, which made Tyson the natural successor in the heavyweight ring to Dempsey. Jack Dempsey liked to punch and maul his opponents. Tyson rose up and emerged in the heavyweight ranks much the same way Dempsey did. Both men simply punched out and blew their opponents away.
Dempsey was, in his prime, not only the fascination which Iron Mike Tyson subsequently became, but a punching animal in the raw. Dempsey was raw blood and guts the way the public liked it. Tyson was a brutal animal in his prime, destroying most of the opponents who dared to trade with him in center ring. Gene Tunney, like Evander Holyfield who followed, and a fighter of superior technical skill. These type of championship-caliber opponents proved too much for both Dempsey and Tyson to defeat with their brute force.
Tyson and Dempsey never met, but the personalities-and fighting styles-remain similar
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