Expert: Jack Rose - 9/6/2011

Question
this is a question of all time and has been through the glory days of tyson,holyfield and lewis...prime vs prime who in your own expert opinion would have been outstanding out of the three heavyweight legends ...i think holyfield because no one can absorb a punch like him and his warrior like ways filled tenacity and fortitude ...god he really believes in himself and fights to the end ....and who would have won out of jack dempsey vs r5ocky marciano? .....what are your own expert thoughts ...dillon

Answer
Val Dillon,

This is always an interesting question. The ultimate fighter has learned skill, natural skill, athleticism, a good chin and alot of heart. 'Heart' (to me) is a desire to be the best. Once you start fighting for money it's all downhill. You find this out when a guy becomes a millionaire and still puts in the same amount of hours in the gym.
I believe the ultimate boxer is able to fight different styles. Every fighter has one main style that they train to perfect, but very few fighters are able to adjust in the middle of the fight if they are behind. Holyfield is the most versatile. He can go flat footed or he can box on his toes. Tyson can only fight one way, flat footed coming forward. Lewis can do a little of both but his defense is suspect. Because of his great chin, excellent technique, hand speed, power and huge heart, I would choose Holyfield.
Marciano had great power for his size. A completely a flat footed fighter he does great against guys who stand in front of him. "Most" fighters in those days fought flat footed and not on their toes so his opponents so it became a punching contest which he would win. His defense was not that good and actually his offense WAS his defense. Dempsey was the same kind of fighter so it would have a been a war. My guess is a lot of blood and guts and not much defense. I would give the edge to Dempsey because he had a tremendous reach. Rocky needed to get close to do damage and I think Jack's reach combined with his power from the outside would have been hard to penetrate.

Thanks for the question.