BoxRec

Jack Dempsey's historic reputation as a boxer has been inexorably linked to the knockout, and why not? Jack still holds the record for most first-round knockouts by a heavyweight, and his muderous thrashing of Jess Willard is still considered the most brutal drubbing in heavyweight history.

But Jack Dempsey was more than just some hard-hitter. In fact, although nobody would dare argue that Dempsey possessed anything less than a tremendous heavyweight punch, it wasn't power that lifted Jack to the elite ranks of heavyweight greats. What set Jack Dempsey so far apart from the field, contrary to popular recollection, was in fact his speed.

In his prime, Jack Dempsey was one of the quickest and most explosive fighters to ever tip the scales at heavyweight. All of Jack's most brutal, career-defining knockouts - over the 6'6 Willard and 6'3 Firpo, yes, but also #1 contender Fred Fulton (6'4) and top contender Carl Morris (6'4) - were against large heavyweights. Big heavyweights simply didn't have the arsenal to cope with an active, aggressive fighter who moved like a middleweight and hit like a heavyweight. Dempsey tended to have his hardest matchups against smaller, quicker men whose own agility was able to neutralize what had always been Jack's biggest asset.

To give you an idea of what Jack Dempsey really brought to the ring, I offer the following video footage from my collection.

Here we have a 23 year-old Dempsey at the tail end of a blistering, violent streak of his career during which he would go 32-0 with 28 knockouts, including KO's over top contenders Gunboat Smith, Fred Fulton, Bill Brennan, Battling Levinski, and Carl Morris. He's 185lb and in excellent condition as he trains for his upcoming title bout against the giant Jess Willard, conquorer of Jack Johnson.

Dempsey's opponent here was an excellent one for this purpose - the 6'6 230lb negro fighter Bill Tate, a future holder of the unofficial "balck heavyweight title". Tate was a highly-coveted sparring partner throughout his career and was known for his accurate jab and a penchant for fighting fouls with fouls. Before he hung up the gloves for good he'd hold wins over boxing legend Sam Langford but for now he was standing across from the former hobo from Colorado who had the whole boxing world abuzz.

Watch the head movement. Watch how Dempsey guards his chin behind a shoulder and offers only the crown of his head as a target. Watch the rolling and swaying shoulders and the quickness with which Jack controls distance. You might even want to pay close attention to how he works with Tate in the clinch, before re-watching the first minute of the Willard fight to see Jack's lessons in action.

This is the real Jack Dempsey, crackling with aggression and elusive as a hiccup. Enjoy.