Did anybody here ever meet Jack Dempsey?
Posted: 30 Jan 2022, 13:48
Seems like he was such a great guy...
"I met with him at his restaurant with my Father. Across the street was another restaurant my Father always went to called McGuinnes' where their long brass rail bar specialty was little roast beef sandwiches dipped in au jus gravy. I could not get him to go to Jack Dempsey's with me as he kept saying that Dempsey was never really there etc. I wanted to meet Jack together with my Father who along with his brothers had sung Dempsey's praises for years. When I finally had to drag Pop with me that day and he relented. Dempsey was much bigger looking in person than I had imagined. Anyway I talked with him about how he applied the brine to his face as I was fighting every two weeks or so back then. Where he got it and what exercises he did in training. Then I brought up some of his earlier fights on the way up. I asked him if he had any special diet and I remember him laughing and mentioning that he loved steak but whatever he ate he just burned it up training hard and that he remembered when there was no food so when there was good food he just ate it and trained hard. Then he asked us what are you guys eating because all the food here is great. I asked him when he threw his hook was it with thumb up or down, and he looked puzzled for a second in thought and then extended his left arm toward my chin and his knarled hand and knuckles lightly touched my chin and he smiled and said, "You tell me." My Dad busted up laughing and so did I and Dempsey said, "Anyway I could hit them, did not think about that too much." It was just wonderful to be in his presence for me knowing so much about him. Illuminating!"
"I met with him at his restaurant with my Father. Across the street was another restaurant my Father always went to called McGuinnes' where their long brass rail bar specialty was little roast beef sandwiches dipped in au jus gravy. I could not get him to go to Jack Dempsey's with me as he kept saying that Dempsey was never really there etc. I wanted to meet Jack together with my Father who along with his brothers had sung Dempsey's praises for years. When I finally had to drag Pop with me that day and he relented. Dempsey was much bigger looking in person than I had imagined. Anyway I talked with him about how he applied the brine to his face as I was fighting every two weeks or so back then. Where he got it and what exercises he did in training. Then I brought up some of his earlier fights on the way up. I asked him if he had any special diet and I remember him laughing and mentioning that he loved steak but whatever he ate he just burned it up training hard and that he remembered when there was no food so when there was good food he just ate it and trained hard. Then he asked us what are you guys eating because all the food here is great. I asked him when he threw his hook was it with thumb up or down, and he looked puzzled for a second in thought and then extended his left arm toward my chin and his knarled hand and knuckles lightly touched my chin and he smiled and said, "You tell me." My Dad busted up laughing and so did I and Dempsey said, "Anyway I could hit them, did not think about that too much." It was just wonderful to be in his presence for me knowing so much about him. Illuminating!"
