QUOTE (JLUVBABY @ May 15 2009, 05:57 PM)

dempsey also refused to fight the best heavies of his time who by the way happened to be black fighters... to me that makes dempsies reign very tarnished... also he barely defended his title.. please give me a better example... another myth that my gramps told me about and i've also heard from a few other old schoolers was that dempsey and jack johnson had some unsanctioned fights back in the 20's and he had his ass handed to him in all of them... could be true could be myth... who knows but fact is dempsey did not fight the best of his era in sanctioned fights... jack dempsey to me because of that is the most over rated heavy ever... take that how ever you take it..
Actually,Dempsey didn't refuse shit..He wanted to fight the black fighters too but his handlers(Doc Kearns or Rickard,I think it was mainly Rickard) wouldn't let him because of money and stuff like that..There was a specific guy though,not multiple black guys..I've never heard that myth you talk about and I don't think it was true..I think Dempsey would of really whooped Johnson..I think saying he was the most overrated heavy ever is too much..He had unseen power back then..People still say today that Dempsey had the hardest left hook boxing has ever seen..
When you say he barely defended his title,it was because he seperated from Doc Kearns because Doc didn't want him to get married and he did..Doc got wasted one night and said some shit infront of Dempsey's wife and Dempsey straight up stopped talkin to him after that..When he barely defended his title,it was after this period..Dempsey would fight multiple guys in one night sometimes..
EDITED IN------Just thought of the black dudes name--Harry Wills..He was a beast back then..His nick name was the black panther..I remember he beat Sam Langford multiple times(over 7 times and lost to him only twice),Jack Sharkey(who took the fight on a long shot),and I think he fought Firpo too..He is the "black fighters" you are referring to..I know you may say there were others,but it was Harry Wills who you think he refused to fight..It sucks black fighters had to strictly(for the most part) stick to fighting other black fighters..Sharkey and others stepped up to the plate though and gave Wills a shot..Dempsey had a contract to fight him(Dempsey forced the contract to be made),but I believe it was Rickard who destroyed the contract and made a new fight with Tunney..Dempsey wanted to fight Wills but people kept telling him it'd be a bad turnout(fans) and people might start thinking different about him because he fought a black guy..Bogus I know,but that's how it happened..