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Jack Dempsey. Unknown Author.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Jack Dempsey

In every sports star, there emerges one person who stands out so prominently that he is referred to as 鈥淭he Idol.鈥� Such as a man was Jack Dempsey in boxing. While in there tossing punches, he was one of the most spectacular heavyweights since John L Sullivan and is considered  one of the toughest heavyweights in the world.

1. He Came From A Humble Background

Jack Dempsey. Unknown Author.

Growing up in a poor family in Colorado, West Virginia, and Utah, exposed Dempsey to the harsh realities of life. Out of desperation, he would occasionally visit saloons and challenge for fights saying 鈥淚 can鈥檛 sing and I can鈥檛 dance, but I can lick any SOB in the house.鈥� If anyone accepted the challenge, bets would be wagered.

According to his autobiography, he rarely lost these street fights. As  a result, we are told that he also had a stint serving as a part-time bodyguard for Thomas F. Kearns, president of The Salt Lake Tribune and son of Utah鈥檚 U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns. The two men remained friends for years afterwards.

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2. He Got His First Million When He Fought Georges Carpentier  

Dempsey The Boxer. Author Bain News Service, publisher.

His hard work earned him an opportunity to pocket his first million-dollar when he fought Georges Carpentier. He got $1,789,238 from the fight. Before he hung up his gloves, the receipts of four other contests he fought exceeded those figures. His last fight with Gene Tunney grossed $2,658,660 for a grand total in five bouts of $8,453,319. These fortunes were enough to enable him to dine with the kings at that time.

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3. He Holds The Record For Quickest Knockout

Boxer Jack Dempsey. Author Underwood & Underwood.

A heavy puncher that he was, he scored the quickest knockout in a heavyweight bout of national importance when he flattened big Carl Morris in New Orleans in fourteen seconds, bettering by four seconds the time in which he disposed of Fred Fulton, the Sapulpa Plasterer in Harrison, New Jersey, on July 27th of the same year. However, both were non-championship affairs since the Manassa Mauler had not won a title yet.

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4. The Most Spectacular Fighter-Manager Combination In-Ring History Was Dynamic Dempsey And Flamboyant Jack Kearns

Many people agree that the most spectacular fighter-manager combination in-ring history was dynamic Dempsey and flamboyant Jack Kearns. Interestingly, their partnership began with a casual meeting in a San Francisco bar in 1917. Jack Dempsey, then 22, was a small-time slugger who, except one brief and not impressive visit to New York, had done his battling on the tank-town circuits of Colorado, Utah and Nevada. At that time, he had just drifted to California looking for fights and a manager. Luckily, destiny steered him to Jack Kearns, an experienced pilot, colorful showman and ballyhoo artist. The tie-up was an immediate success. Within a year Dempsey became the outstanding contender for the championship.

In addition to this team, Promoter Tex Rickard entered the scene and the 鈥淕olden Triangle鈥� of Rickard, Jack Dempsey and Jack Kearns introduced the million-dollar gate in Boxing. Through his contacts and experience, Rickard promoted most of Dempsey鈥檚 important bouts, including the one in which Dempsey won the title from Jess Willard and his subsequent clashes with Bill Brennan, Georges Carpentier, Luis Angel Firpo, Jack Sharkey, and the two with Gene Tunney. Five of the bouts drew $1,000,000 or more in receipts.  The second Tunney fight set an all-time record of $2,658,660 at the time.

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5. He Became A World Champion In 1919

Jack Dempsey in 1919. Author Underwood & Underwood.

It was July 4, 1919, that Jack Dempsey reached the goal of his ambition after he battered big Jess Willard into submission to win the World Championship in three rounds. Willard regarded Dempsey as easy prey, did little training, and paid for it with a merciless beating, one of the worst suffered by a heavyweight king.

Jess Willard later remarked;  鈥淣ot in the memory of the oldest fan could anyone recall when a title received such murderous punishment as did Jess. Yet he responded after each knockdown by rising from the rosin canvas to absorb more punishment鈥�.

During this fight, Willard scaling, 245 pounds to 1871/2 for his opponent, was dropped for counts seven times in the opening round and was reeling, dazed, in a stupor when the gong came to his rescue as he was sitting on the canvas mouth wide open, eyes glazed, blood streaming from the nostrils and gushing down his parched throat.

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6. He Also Had A Unique Boxing Style

A gifted athlete, In his boxing style Dempsey kept on the offensive almost continuously, craftily bobbing up and down and moving from side to side as he delivered short swinging blows out of a crouch. His constant movement and the speed of his attack constituted his defense.

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7. Dempsey Is Ranked Tenth In The Ring Magazine’s List Of All-Time Heavyweights

Jack Dempsey. Author F. C. Quimby.

Dempsey is ranked tenth on The Ring magazine’s list of all-time heavyweights and seventh among its Top 100 Greatest Punchers. Another accolade is that in 1950 the Associated Press voted him as the greatest fighter of the past 50 years. He is also a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and was in the previous Boxing Hall of Fame.

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8. His Last Title Defense Fight Was Attended By An Overwhelming Crowd

The last successful title defense for Dempsey was in September 1923 at New York City’s Polo Grounds in Dempsey vs. Firpo. During this match attendance was 85,000, with another 20,000 trying to get inside the arena. This is an indication that Dempsey was loved by many.

At the end Firpo was knocked down repeatedly by Dempsey, yet continued to battle back, even knocking Dempsey down twice. On the second occasion he was floored, Dempsey flew head-first through the ring ropes, landing on a ringside reporter’s typewriter. At this point he was out of the ring for approximately 14 seconds, less than the 20 second rule for out-of-ring knockouts. Nevertheless, he was helped back into the ring by the writers at ringside. Ultimately, Dempsey managed to beat Argentine contender Luis 脕ngel Firpo with a second-round KO.A rare occasion, the fight was transmitted live by radio to Buenos Aires.

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9. Following Retirement, Dempsey Became Known As A Philanthropist

After an illustrious career, Dempsey retired from boxing following the Tunney rematch, but continued doing exhibition bouts with over one hundred matches between 1930 and 1931 alone. He did not just go home but became known as a philanthropist. For example, in June 1932, he sponsored the “Ride of Champions” bucking horse event at Reno, Nevada with the “Dempsey Trophy” going to legendary bronc rider Pete Knight. In 1933, he was again approached by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to portray a boxer in the film, The Prizefighter and the Lady, directed by W. S. Van Dyke and co-starring Myrna Loy. Dempsey portrayed himself in the role of referee of the climactic fight between Max Baer (playing the role of Steve Morgan) and Primo Carnera (playing himself). This was a fictional battle that foreshadowed their actual championship bout only a year later.

His love for the game saw Dempsey attempt a boxing comeback in 1940 at the age of 45, setting a match against Cowboy Lutrell on July 1. The fight resulted in Dempsey knocking Lutrell out in the second round. He won two more exhibitions with early knockouts before deciding to call off the comeback and retire for good.

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10. He Was Also An Author

Dempsey also authored a book on boxing titled Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense and published in 1950. The book emphasizes knockout power derived from enabling fast motion from one’s heavy bodyweight. Drawing a lot from his experiences. Apart from authoring, he also had an opportunity to serve as honorary chairman of a relief fund.

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