History of the Heavyweights part 8 (Jack Dempsey)
Posted: 28 Apr 2006, 04:09
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison Dempsey was the ninth of eleven children born to a poor mormon schoolteacher and his wife in the Colorado town of Manassa. He had a harsh upbringing, and by his mid-teens he was living virtually as a hobo. He did anything to earn money ,washing dishes, shining shoes and breaking horses. He was also a hustler and a saloon brawler. It was in the bars of the mining towns that he made a name for himself with his fists. Fights would be staged to entertain the customers, and a hat would be passed around to reward the winner. Dempsey went from town to town by jumping on freight cars at night. It was a meagre, uncertain existence.
But the experience toughened him up and made him hungry for success once he had decided to make his living in the ring.
By 1914, when he was 19 years old, he was fighting regularly as a professional. At first he boxed under the name of "Kid Blackie", but soon changed it to Jack, after one of his brothers who ws also a fighter.
Early Defeats
His rise to the top was not without its setbacks. He lost two and drew one of his first three fights, and in 1917 he suffered a first round KO at the hands of Jim Flynn. Flynn had had quite a tilt at the title in 1912, losing to Jack Johnson in nine rounds. In 1918, Dempsey avenged this defeat by putting Flynn away in one round.
Although he became known primarily as a very destructive puncher, he combined sheer power with the ringcraft of a Corbett or Johnson. he made such an impact on the boxing world that he was given a shot at the title on the 4th of July, 1919.
Jess Willard undertrained for their showdown, which took place in Toledo, Ohio, but at almost five stones heavier and five inches taller, he was confident he could put his challenger away with ease. The punters agreed and the champion was a strong favourite. In the event, Willard found himself on the recieving end of one of the worst beatings ever witnessed in a boxing ring. Crouching low, his head bobbing and darting like a cobra about to strike, Dempsey tore into his man from the start. A bone crunching right to the heart, followed by a fast left hook put Willard on the canvas early in the first round.
Severe Punishment
By the end of that three minutes, the champion, who had never before been put down, was floored another six times. At the seventh knockdown, the referee counted Willard out and raised the hand of the new champion, only to find that amid the turmoil he had failed to hear the bell. Dempsey, who was already on his way to the dressing room, had to be recalled to continue the demolition job. Willard gamely stayed on his feet throughout round two, though he took further severe punishment. He also somehow survived the onslaught in the third round, but that was the end. He summoned his last ounce of strength to throw the towel in himself. In the nine minutes of the fights duration Willard landed no more than 11 punches whereas Dempsey had found the mark 62 times.
Fans Hostility
After another successful defence inside the distance, against Bill Brennan, Dempsey faced Europes premier fighter, World light-Heavyweight champion Georges Carpentier. When the two stepped into the ring, in New Jersey, on 2nd July, 1921, it was the Frenchman who was given the Hero's welcome whereas Dempsey recieved a hostile reception. The reason was that Dempsey had been the subject of a vitriolic media campaign on the subject of draft-dodging. Carpentier, by contrast, was presented as a war hero. Hewas also strikingly handsome, flamboyant and charming- qualities that brought women flocking to a boxing match for the first time. Financially , it was by some distance the biggest fight ever staged. More than 80,000 spectators crammed into the specially built stadium in Jersey City. At one stage the police and fire department chiefs feared that the arena was in danger of collapsing. The fight grossed $1,75million.
The shrewd promoter Tex Richard took one look at the crowd and realised that it was the biggest day in boxing history. "Don't kill him Jack," he exhorted Dempsey before the fight, "if you kill him, you kill boxing. I just want you to knock him out. And not with one punch, or in the first round. Give them a run for their money."
To the delight of the crowd, Carpentier caught Jack with a terrific right to the cheek in the second round, and followed it up with a flurry of punches without a reply. In the fourth, a left hook put Carpentier down for a count of nine. Another left sent him reeling again, and this time the champion nailed "Gorgeous" Georges with a right as he was falling. It was all over.
Brutal Encounter
After a tedious points win over Tom Gibbons, Dempsey signed to fight Argentina's Luis Firpo, the Pampas Bull.
Firpo was a toe to toe slugger out of the Dempsey mould. Their short, brutal encounter has gone down in boxing's annals as one of the classic rough-house battles.
It lasted just 3 minutes 57 seconds. During that time Firpo was floored nine times, Dempsey twice. The second time the Pampas Bull caught the champion, he put him clean out of the ring. Dempsey landed on top of the typewriters of sports journalist Jack Lawrence, who pushed him back into the ring. Dempsey later said he remembered nothing from that moment on. Purely on instinct he continued trading blows with Firpo, niether man making any effort at defence at any stage. The champion finally put Firpo down for good after 237 seconds, it was the most extraordinary exhibition of unalloyed savagery in the history of glove fighting. Dempsey's fee worked out at £415 per second.
It was three years before Dempsey laid his title on the line again. When he did so, it was against an opponent at the very opposite end of the spectrum to Firpo. Gene Tunney was no bar-room brawler. Intelligent and cultured, Tunney firmly believed that brains would triumph over brawn everytime. Although he was a natural Light-Heavyweight -the US champion in that division-he was convinced he had the ammunition to beat the great Jack Dempsey.
William Harrison Dempsey was the ninth of eleven children born to a poor mormon schoolteacher and his wife in the Colorado town of Manassa. He had a harsh upbringing, and by his mid-teens he was living virtually as a hobo. He did anything to earn money ,washing dishes, shining shoes and breaking horses. He was also a hustler and a saloon brawler. It was in the bars of the mining towns that he made a name for himself with his fists. Fights would be staged to entertain the customers, and a hat would be passed around to reward the winner. Dempsey went from town to town by jumping on freight cars at night. It was a meagre, uncertain existence.
But the experience toughened him up and made him hungry for success once he had decided to make his living in the ring.
By 1914, when he was 19 years old, he was fighting regularly as a professional. At first he boxed under the name of "Kid Blackie", but soon changed it to Jack, after one of his brothers who ws also a fighter.
Early Defeats
His rise to the top was not without its setbacks. He lost two and drew one of his first three fights, and in 1917 he suffered a first round KO at the hands of Jim Flynn. Flynn had had quite a tilt at the title in 1912, losing to Jack Johnson in nine rounds. In 1918, Dempsey avenged this defeat by putting Flynn away in one round.
Although he became known primarily as a very destructive puncher, he combined sheer power with the ringcraft of a Corbett or Johnson. he made such an impact on the boxing world that he was given a shot at the title on the 4th of July, 1919.
Jess Willard undertrained for their showdown, which took place in Toledo, Ohio, but at almost five stones heavier and five inches taller, he was confident he could put his challenger away with ease. The punters agreed and the champion was a strong favourite. In the event, Willard found himself on the recieving end of one of the worst beatings ever witnessed in a boxing ring. Crouching low, his head bobbing and darting like a cobra about to strike, Dempsey tore into his man from the start. A bone crunching right to the heart, followed by a fast left hook put Willard on the canvas early in the first round.
Severe Punishment
By the end of that three minutes, the champion, who had never before been put down, was floored another six times. At the seventh knockdown, the referee counted Willard out and raised the hand of the new champion, only to find that amid the turmoil he had failed to hear the bell. Dempsey, who was already on his way to the dressing room, had to be recalled to continue the demolition job. Willard gamely stayed on his feet throughout round two, though he took further severe punishment. He also somehow survived the onslaught in the third round, but that was the end. He summoned his last ounce of strength to throw the towel in himself. In the nine minutes of the fights duration Willard landed no more than 11 punches whereas Dempsey had found the mark 62 times.
Fans Hostility
After another successful defence inside the distance, against Bill Brennan, Dempsey faced Europes premier fighter, World light-Heavyweight champion Georges Carpentier. When the two stepped into the ring, in New Jersey, on 2nd July, 1921, it was the Frenchman who was given the Hero's welcome whereas Dempsey recieved a hostile reception. The reason was that Dempsey had been the subject of a vitriolic media campaign on the subject of draft-dodging. Carpentier, by contrast, was presented as a war hero. Hewas also strikingly handsome, flamboyant and charming- qualities that brought women flocking to a boxing match for the first time. Financially , it was by some distance the biggest fight ever staged. More than 80,000 spectators crammed into the specially built stadium in Jersey City. At one stage the police and fire department chiefs feared that the arena was in danger of collapsing. The fight grossed $1,75million.
The shrewd promoter Tex Richard took one look at the crowd and realised that it was the biggest day in boxing history. "Don't kill him Jack," he exhorted Dempsey before the fight, "if you kill him, you kill boxing. I just want you to knock him out. And not with one punch, or in the first round. Give them a run for their money."
To the delight of the crowd, Carpentier caught Jack with a terrific right to the cheek in the second round, and followed it up with a flurry of punches without a reply. In the fourth, a left hook put Carpentier down for a count of nine. Another left sent him reeling again, and this time the champion nailed "Gorgeous" Georges with a right as he was falling. It was all over.
Brutal Encounter
After a tedious points win over Tom Gibbons, Dempsey signed to fight Argentina's Luis Firpo, the Pampas Bull.
Firpo was a toe to toe slugger out of the Dempsey mould. Their short, brutal encounter has gone down in boxing's annals as one of the classic rough-house battles.
It lasted just 3 minutes 57 seconds. During that time Firpo was floored nine times, Dempsey twice. The second time the Pampas Bull caught the champion, he put him clean out of the ring. Dempsey landed on top of the typewriters of sports journalist Jack Lawrence, who pushed him back into the ring. Dempsey later said he remembered nothing from that moment on. Purely on instinct he continued trading blows with Firpo, niether man making any effort at defence at any stage. The champion finally put Firpo down for good after 237 seconds, it was the most extraordinary exhibition of unalloyed savagery in the history of glove fighting. Dempsey's fee worked out at £415 per second.
It was three years before Dempsey laid his title on the line again. When he did so, it was against an opponent at the very opposite end of the spectrum to Firpo. Gene Tunney was no bar-room brawler. Intelligent and cultured, Tunney firmly believed that brains would triumph over brawn everytime. Although he was a natural Light-Heavyweight -the US champion in that division-he was convinced he had the ammunition to beat the great Jack Dempsey.