BoxRec

Who were Jack Dempsey's sparring partners?

This BoxRec Wiki search is a starting point.

He had many. He even sparred with lightweights to increase his speed.

Is that Mr.Greb in center wearing robe
?

George Barton, a former boxer and referee, covered Jack Dempsey KO 3 Jess Willard (Toledo, 1919) as the sports editor of the Minneapolis "Daily News". Barton published a book of recollections in 1957, "My Lifetime in Sports", which has a discussion of Dempsey's training for his challenge to Willard. Barton attended Dempsey's workouts at a camp on the shore of Lake Erie and wrote about them in some detail in the book.

Dempsey ran in the mornings then began afternoon workouts with calisthenics, jumped rope, shadow boxed, then hit the speed and heavy bags. According to Barton, "After all that came the boxing, or rather fighting, for Dempsey's glove drills were fights. In training sessions, Jack boxed as he fought in the ring; he never pulled his punches. The only exceptions were the noted welterweights he sparred with, Jock Malone of St. Paul and Panama Joe Gans of the British West Indies, whom he used for the purposes of developing speed." Barton continued, "Several heavyweights, among them Bill Tate, a better than average fighter who stood six feet four inches and bulked 225 pounds, bore the brunt of Dempsey's ferocity. Jack Kearns issued orders to the sparmates to knock out Dempsey if they could." Barton added, "...boxing writers and spectators who paid the dollar admission to the training camp were treated to ten or twelve rounds of fighting every afternoon. Many of the big fellows, battered and bruised, quit the camp after a few sessions...and Kearns was sending out telegrams daily for new sparmates. Only Tate and Bob Armstrong, another Negro heavyweight, remained with the Mauler during the entire lengthy training grind."

Barton's book is not as well known as it should be, but it has quite a bit on Dempsey.

I know when Dempsey was in training for Tommy Gibbons, he had an exhibition/sparring session with a 7'2" 280 pound giant named Ben Wray who was 4-0-0 (4) and Dempsey knocked the big man out in one minute, shattering his jaw. It put the giant on the suspension list for six months. Dempsey sparred many men in his career, but one man I think who gets no mention for the early success of Jack Dempsey was his brother Barney who was Jack's teacher and main sparring partner in his years prior to being Kid Blackie and Jack Dempsey (Dempsey was born William Harrison Dempsey). In fact, it was Barney who was the first Jack Dempsey in the family, and he was a journeyman boxer.

Some for Gibbons fight:

George Godfrey
Billy Wells
Harry Drake
Joe McCann
Joe Benjamen
Jack Burke
Frank Power
Pete Bross

I think someone made a listing of Jack Dempsey's sparring partners over at the cyberboxingzone a few years ago.
Perhaps they could list them here as well for future reference.

Jack Dempsey had Harry Greb as a sparring partner getting ready for the fight with Billy Miske.

and Billy Miske had been a sparring partner when Dempsey was getting reading to fight Jess Willard.

Here is some rare film footage of Dempsey in a public sparring exhibition with Big Bill Tate ( 6 ft 6")
when Dempsey was getting ready to fight Jess Willard in 1919.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvBXligl6YI

DavidKehler wrote:George Barton, a former boxer and referee, covered Jack Dempsey KO 3 Jess Willard (Toledo, 1919) as the sports editor of the Minneapolis "Daily News". Barton published a book of recollections in 1957, "My Lifetime in Sports", which has a discussion of Dempsey's training for his challenge to Willard. Barton attended Dempsey's workouts at a camp on the shore of Lake Erie and wrote about them in some detail in the book.

Dempsey ran in the mornings then began afternoon workouts with calisthenics, jumped rope, shadow boxed, then hit the speed and heavy bags. According to Barton, "After all that came the boxing, or rather fighting, for Dempsey's glove drills were fights. In training sessions, Jack boxed as he fought in the ring; he never pulled his punches. The only exceptions were the noted welterweights he sparred with, Jock Malone of St. Paul and Panama Joe Gans of the British West Indies, whom he used for the purposes of developing speed." Barton continued, "Several heavyweights, among them Bill Tate, a better than average fighter who stood six feet four inches and bulked 225 pounds, bore the brunt of Dempsey's ferocity. Jack Kearns issued orders to the sparmates to knock out Dempsey if they could." Barton added, "...boxing writers and spectators who paid the dollar admission to the training camp were treated to ten or twelve rounds of fighting every afternoon. Many of the big fellows, battered and bruised, quit the camp after a few sessions...and Kearns was sending out telegrams daily for new sparmates. Only Tate and Bob Armstrong, another Negro heavyweight, remained with the Mauler during the entire lengthy training grind."

Barton's book is not as well known as it should be, but it has quite a bit on Dempsey.

thanks for that, David.

Ric I am trying to close out a possible story in my family and I was hoping that maybe you could help. My great grandfather who lived in Maumee,Ohio supposedly fought with Jack Dempsey. I looked at the one website listed but I was wondering if you had any other information.

Ric wrote:This BoxRec Wiki search is a starting point.

Do you have additional information? My great grandfather supposedly fought him and lived in Maumee, Ohio.

Ric wrote:This BoxRec Wiki search is a starting point.

Thanks. Great Link.

Came across an interesting Dempsey quote there: "I was a pretty good fighter but it was the writers who made me great."

seattlegreg wrote:Ric I am trying to close out a possible story in my family and I was hoping that maybe you could help. My great grandfather who lived in Maumee,Ohio supposedly fought with Jack Dempsey. I looked at the one website listed but I was wondering if you had any other information.

What was your GGF's name? I likely do not have any more info, but some others who visit/contribute here might.

I have read that the great Tommy Loughran, an extraordinary light-heavyweight champion, was one of his sparring partners.

Not sure about Jack Burke but my mother's uncle, Martin Burke, was definitely a sparring partner of Dempsey. Uncle Martin won the National AAU middleweight and heavyweight tournaments. After retiring, Uncle Martin was a promoter in New Orleans.

A fighter worth knowing. A little background.

Burke won his first seven professional bouts and gradually fought his way through the middleweight and heavyweight divisions. On August 4, 1921, Burke faced an undefeated Gene Tunney in New York City, going the ten rounds but losing on points. Three years later he would lose his rematch with Tunney at the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans, losing on points in fifteen rounds. It was during this part of his career that Burke became Dempsey’s sparring partner, touring with the champion for several years. Following a loss against Babe Hunt on February 11, 1929, Burke retired from boxing, compiling a record of fifty-eight wins, thirty-eight losses, and eight draws for a .586 winning percentage.

By that time Burke was already involved in other boxing-related ventures. Backed by New Jersey millionaire Harry McCormick, Burke returned to New Orleans to become a fight promoter. His first event was a ten-round bout between Young Stribling and Ralph Smith on January 25, 1929.

https://64parishes.org/entry/marty-burke