Jack dempsey boxer heavyweight champion

Dempsey is ranked sixth on The Ring magazine's list of all-time heavyweights and fourth among its Top Greatest Punchers, while in the Associated Press voted him as the greatest fighter of the past 50 years. Both of his parents became Mormon converts. His grandfather William A. Upon payment of his debts and funeral expenses, he directed that his wife Mahulda receive the balance of his personal property while his six children receive an equal share of his real estate.

His last will and testament, as witnessed by Estella, John, and Hiram Dempsey, was presented to the Logan County clerk on August 10, One newspaper referred to them as "active workers" for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dempsey was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , [ 8 ] in following his eighth birthday, the "age of accountability", according to church doctrine.

Hiram Dempsey and his family returned to Logan County when Jack was a small boy where he was raised until shortly before commencement of his boxing career. Said the Logan Banner : "While he was a mere child, they returned to Logan county. Jack remained here until a young man, having been employed by the Gay Coal and Coke Company as late as , and then went west alone to seek pugilistic fortune.

He met Jack Kearns on the Pacific coast, from which point his spectacular climb to the pinnacle of the heavyweight division furnished the sport with one of its most romantic episodes. Many relatives live in the two counties; and they as well as his former friends have taken pride in his prowess and successes. As a boy Jack and O. Avis, sports editor of The Banner , used to set up pins in a bowling alley on the Main street corner now occupied by the Logan garage.

The Logan Banner reported: "Mr. Chafin has attended every fight in which Dempsey has participated since he won the world's championship in Toledo.

Jack dempsey boxer heavyweight champion

They have been close friends since Dempsey was a boy and a familiar figure about Logan. Said the Logan Banner :. Interviewed at Huntington Mrs. Dempsey told of her desire to revisit girlhood scenes and inquired about old friends. She spoke of Uncle Dyke Garrett and was pleasantly surprised to learn that he is still living. Uncle Dyke read the interview and despite the nearness of his 86th birthday, came back up from his home back of Chapmanville to welcome Mrs.

This beloved old mountain minister never knew Jack Dempsey, but he remembers Jack's mother as a girl, her maiden name being Cecilia Smoot. After his death, Mrs. Smoot Jack Dempsey's grandmother married Simpson Ellis, who died but a few years ago, after serving a long period on the county court. Scott Justice, who divides his time between Huntington and Logan, was among those who greeted Mrs.

Dempsey at the Huntington Hotel yesterday. He remembers the marriage of Hiram Dempsey and Cecilia Smoot, and also recalls that the site on which the town of Holden now stands was sold by Hiram Dempsey to Mr. Justice's father when the family decided to migrate westward. According to Mr. Baker was engaged in business in Logan county when the Dempseys lived here, being well acquainted with the family.

While in Logan, Mrs. Ellis of Island Creek, and others. Dempsey spent six days in Logan, quartering at the Aracoma Hotel. Her departure yielded an additional story:. By the time they reached Sharples , Mrs. They returned at once to Logan and after an anxious search found the missing box with contents undisturbed alongside the Washington apartments.

Evidently it had fallen into the street and some passerby had placed it against the building, presumably without knowledge or curiosity as to the nature of its contents. While Mrs. Dempsey seemed to have enjoyed her visit in West Virginia and expressed a hope that she could come back next year for a longer stay, she said she wouldn't want to live back here again because of the difference in climate.

However, the people are more sociable here, she added, and are much more friendly upon first acquaintance. Because his father had difficulty finding work, the family traveled often and Dempsey dropped out of elementary school to work and left home at the age of Due to his lack of money, he frequently rode the rods and slept in hobo camps. According to Dempsey's autobiography, he rarely lost these bar room brawls.

Senator Thomas Kearns. Dempsey often fought under the pseudonym, "Kid Blackie", although during his stint in the Salt Lake City area, he went by "Young Dempsey". He first competed as "Jack Dempsey" by his own recollection in the fall of , in Cripple Creek, Colorado. His brother, Bernie, who often fought under the pseudonym "Jack Dempsey"—this a common practice of the day, in fighters' admiration of middleweight boxer and former champion, Jack "Nonpareil" Dempsey —had signed to fight veteran George Copelin.

Upon learning Copelin had sparred with then current world heavyweight champion Jack Johnson , and given Bernie Dempsey was nearing 40 years of age, he strategically decided to back out of the fight. The fans at ringside immediately knew this was not the man they had paid to see. The promoter became violently angry and "sailed into us, barehanded", threatening to stop the fight.

According to Dempsey "In those days they didn't stop mining-town fights as long as one guy could move. The promoter, angered at the switch pulled by the brothers, had laid no promised side bets, " Following the name change, Dempsey won six bouts in a row by knockout before losing on a disqualification in four rounds to Jack Downey. During this early part of his career, Dempsey campaigned in Utah, frequently entering fights in towns in the Wasatch Mountain Range region.

He followed his loss against Downey with a knockout win and two draws versus Johnny Sudenberg in Nevada. Three more wins and a draw followed when he met Downey again, this time resulting in a four-round draw. Following these wins, Dempsey racked up 10 more wins that included matches against Sudenberg and Downey, knocking out Downey in two rounds.

These wins were followed with three no-decision matches, although at this point in the history of boxing, the use of judges to score a fight was often forbidden, [ citation needed ] so if a fight went the distance, it was called a draw or a no decision, depending on the state or county where the fight was held. Afterward, he was accused by some boxing fans of being a slacker for not enlisting.

This remained a black mark on his reputation until , when evidence produced showed he had registered with the U. Army , but been exempted due to hardship having a dependent wife. Among his opponents as a rising contender were Fireman Jim Flynn , the only boxer ever to beat Dempsey by a knockout when Dempsey lost to him in the first round although some boxing historians believe the fight was a "fix" , [ 25 ] and Gunboat Smith , formerly a highly ranked contender who had beaten both World Champion Jess Willard and Hall of Famer Sam Langford.

Dempsey beat Smith for the third time on a second-round knockout. Before he employed the long-experienced Jack Kearns as his manager, Dempsey was first managed by John J. One year later, in , Dempsey fought in 17 matches, going 15—1 with one no-decision. One of those fights was with Flynn, who was knocked out by Dempsey, coincidentally, in the first round.

In , he won five consecutive regular bouts by knockout in the first round as well as a one-round special bout. On July 4, , Dempsey and world heavyweight champion Jess Willard met at Toledo for the world title. Ultimately, Willard was knocked down seven times by Dempsey in the first round. Accounts of the fight reported that Willard suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs, several broken teeth, and a number of deep fractures to his facial bones.

This aroused suspicion that Dempsey had cheated, with some questioning how the force capable of causing such damage had been transmitted through Dempsey's knuckles without fracturing them. Other reports, however, failed to mention Willard suffered any real injuries. Following the match, Willard was quoted as saying, "Dempsey is a remarkable hitter.

It was the first time that I had ever been knocked off my feet. I have sent many birds home in the same bruised condition that I am in, and now I know how they felt. I sincerely wish Dempsey all the luck possible and hope that he garnishes all the riches that comes with the championship. I have had my fling with the title. I was champion for four years and I assure you that they'll never have to give a benefit for me.

I have invested the money I have made". After being fired by Dempsey, manager Jack Kearns gave an account of the fight in the January 20, , issue of Sports Illustrated that has become known as the "loaded gloves theory". In the interview, Kearns said he had informed Dempsey he had wagered his share of the purse favoring a Dempsey win with a first-round knockout.

Kearns further stated he had applied plaster of Paris to the wrappings on the fighter's hands. Boxing historian J. Johnston said, "the films show Willard upon entering the ring walking over to Dempsey and examining his hands. The Ring founder and editor Nat Fleischer said he had been present when Dempsey's hands were wrapped, stating, "Jack Dempsey had no loaded gloves, and no plaster of Paris over his bandages.

I watched the proceedings and the only person who had anything to do with the taping of Jack's hands was Deforest [ clarification needed ]. Kearns had nothing to do with it, so his plaster of Paris story is simply not true. Deforest himself said that he regarded the stories of Dempsey's gloves being loaded as libel, calling them "trash", and said he did not apply any foreign substance to them, "which I can verify since I watched the taping.

Another rumor is that Dempsey used a knuckleduster during the first round. Some speculated that the object used was a rail spike. He further asserted that the object appears to be removed by someone from Dempsey's corner. In the same film, however, Dempsey can be seen at various times during the fight pushing and holding with Willard with the palm of the glove in question and holding on to the ropes with both hands, making it next to impossible that he had any foreign object embedded in his glove, and the object resembles a cigar.

Further controversy was fueled by the fact that Dempsey left the ring at the end of the first round, thinking the fight was over. This was seen as a violation of the rules, however Willard's corner did not ask for enforcement in order for the referee to disqualify Dempsey. Following his victory, Dempsey traveled around the country, making publicity appearances with circuses, staging exhibitions, and appearing in a low-budget Hollywood movie.

Miske was knocked out in three rounds. After 10 rounds, Brennan was ahead on points, and Dempsey's left ear was bleeding profusely. Dempsey rebounded to stop Brennan in the 12th round. It generated the first million-dollar gate in boxing history; [ 33 ] a crowd of 91, watched the fight. Though it was deemed "the Fight of the Century", experts anticipated a one-sided win for Dempsey.

Carpentier wobbled Dempsey with a hard right in the second round. A reporter at ringside, however, counted 25 punches from Dempsey in a single second exchange soon after he was supposedly injured by the right. Dempsey ended up winning the match in the fourth round. Dempsey won the match as result of a round decision. Attendance was 85,, with another 20, trying to get inside the arena.

But when Tunney hit the canvas, Dempsey hovered over the fallen champ, ignoring the referee's order that he retreat a neutral corner. By the time Dempsey was ushered across the ring and the referee began his count, it is estimated that Tunney had 14 seconds to recover. Tunney got up and won the fight by decision, but the long-count controversy would remain etched in boxing history.

Dempsey retired after the Tunney fight but remained a popular figure until his death in Born: June 24, Died: May 31, Bouts: Won: Lost: 6. Drew: 8. One day in , Bernie fell ill, and his younger brother offered to fill in for him. Assuming the name Jack Dempsey for the first time that night, he won his brother's fight decisively and never relinquished the name.

By , Dempsey had earned enough of a reputation to book more prominent and better-paying fights in San Francisco and on the East Coast. On Independence Day in , Dempsey got his first big opportunity: A fight against world heavyweight champion Jess Willard. Nicknamed "The Great White Hope," Willard stood a menacing 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed in at pounds.

No one in the boxing world thought the 6'1", pound Dempsey stood a chance. Despite his enormous disadvantage in size, Dempsey dominated Willard with his superior quickness and ruthless tactics, knocking the bigger man out in the third round to earn the title of world heavyweight champion. The Willard-Dempsey fight became the subject of controversy in , when Dempsey's former manager, Jack Kearns — who, by this time, had fallen out with Dempsey — claimed that he had "loaded" the boxer's gloves with Plaster of Paris.

The "loaded glove" theory held some credence because of the seemingly extraordinary amount of damage Dempsey did to Willard's face. However, film evidence revealed Willard inspecting Dempsey's gloves before the fight, making it highly improbable that the fighter could have cheated. Dempsey successfully defended his heavyweight title five times over the next six years, in what is considered one of the greatest runs in boxing history.

Despite his successes in the ring during this period, however, Dempsey was not particularly popular with the public. He had not served in the military when the United States entered World War I in , leading some to view him as a slacker and draft dodger. Furthermore, an infamous and widely ridiculed photograph showed Dempsey at a Philadelphia shipyard, supposedly hard at work, but wearing shiny patent-leather shoes.

Strangely, Dempsey finally achieved widespread popularity when he lost his championship title. On September 23, , he was defeated by challenger Gene Tunney before a record crowd of , fans in Philadelphia. One of his fights was the first in history to bring in a gate of over one million dollars. Dempsey has been inducted into multiple Boxing Halls of Fame, and he was named the best boxer of the first half of the 20th century in Dempsey was born in Manassa, Colorado, on June 24, For this reason, Jack only went to school until the age of eight, when he began to be employed to tend crops on the farm.

He was devoted to his family, but by the time he was a teenager, he was growing tired of this life. At the age of 16, he left home to seek a better life in Utah. He had serious trouble finding work or even shelter. He lived in camps for homeless people and earned enough to live simply by fighting for money in local bars. He realized that boxing, rather than bar brawling, might give him the chance to make a legitimate living, and so he turned professional.