Dempsey, "Jack" (William H.)
Boxing
b. June 24, 1895, Manassa, CO
d. May 31, 1983
At the age of sixteen, Dempsey was an itinerant miner who made extra money by challenging all comers in saloons and passing a hat after his victory. According to legend, he never lost one of these barroom brawls. He became a professional fighter in 1914 and two years later he went to New York City to seek his fortune as a boxer.
After suffering two broken ribs against a more experienced fighter, Dempsey went west again, hopping freights and picking up occasional bouts to earn some money. He met Jack "Doc" Kearns, a former fighter turned manager, in San Francisco. Kearns taught him how to box and matched him against a series of lesser fighters to build up his reputation and sharpen his skills.
Billed as the "Manassa Mauler" and the "toughest man ever to come out of the West," the 6-foot, 190-pound Dempsey met the 6-foot-6, 250-pound heavyweight champion Jess Willard on July 4, 1919, at Toledo, OH. Dempsey won on a 3rd-round knockout. Promoter Tex Rickard immediately began calling him "Jack the Giant killer" because Willard was known as the "Pottawatomie Giant."
During the next seven years, Dempsey defended his title only six times but made a lot of money in the process. His fight against Frenchman Georges Carpentier on July 2, 1921, at Jersey City, NJ, produced boxing's first $1 million gate. Rickard made Dempsey the villain because he had been accused of dodging the draft during World War I, while Carpentier was a war hero. Dempsey won on a 4th-round knockout.
His match against Luis Firpo of Argentina on September 14, 1923, also brought in more than $1 million. Dempsey was again the "Giant Killer" against the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Firpo. He knocked Firpo down seven times in less than two minutes of the first round, but then Firpo knocked Dempsey through the ropes and onto a sportswriter's typewriter. The dazed champion got back into the ring and lasted out the round. He knocked Firpo down twice more in the 2nd round before knocking him out.
Every time Firpo was knocked down, Dempsey stood over him so he could begin attacking again the instant Firpo got to his feet. As a result, New York boxing regulations were changed to require a boxer to go to a neutral corner after scoring a knockdown, and Illinois adopted the same rule.
After fighting only exhibitions and making vaudeville appearances for three years, Dempsey was matched against Gene Tunney on September 23, 1926, at Philadelphia. Badly out of shape, he lost the title on a 10-round decision to the quick, clever Tunney.
In a rematch at Chicago on September 22, 1927, the only $2 million gate in boxing history, Dempsey knocked Tunney down in the 7th round. It took him several seconds to realize that he had to go to a neutral corner, and the count didn't start until he got there. Tunney got to his feet at the count of nine and went on to win a 10-round decision.
Observers estimated that Tunney was down for at least fifteen seconds. An appeal was rejected by the Illinois Athletic Commission, and Dempsey announced his retirement. Named the greatest fighter of the half-century in a 1950 Associated Press poll, he won 60 professional fights, 49 by knockout; lost 7, 1 by knockout; and fought 7 draws, 5 no-decisions, and 1 no-contest.
