In a saloon fight, theyd pass the hat and maybe Id get 50 cents, sometimes two bucks, he said. Very perceptive, there. Kearns got the fights and Dempsey the knockouts. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. His home base was Peter Jackson's Saloon in Salt Lake City, where a local organizer named Hardy Downey arranged his fights. At about the same time that Babe Ruth, another titan of 1920s American sport, was pitching and hitting his way out of a Baltimore reform school, Dempsey was shoveling ore, riding the rods and fighting. But when he presented documentation showing he was the sole support of his family, which had been deserted by his father, he won a quick acquittal. In the ring, he fought colorfully named opponents like "One-Punch Hancock" and Meanwhile, the sophisticated Tunney, who would never become as popular with ordinary people as Dempsey, reportedly returned to his hotel after the match to enjoy a pot of tea. As an adult, Dempsey often said that he loved three kinds of work boxing, mining and cowboying and would have been equally happy doing any of the three. (April 27, 2023). Mike Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history, is perhaps one of the sports most notorious fi, Frazier, Joe 1944 Around the same time, his brother Bernie began a brief career as a boxer, calling himself "Jack Dempsey" in honor of an Irish middleweight champion with that name (who had died, coincidentally, the year of Harry's birth). Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis were intertwined for decades as not only two of the greatest heavyweight champions in history, but a favorite subject of debate as to who would have beaten whom. On July 4, 1919, Jack Dempsey won the world heavyweight boxing title from Jess It was during this time, however, that his relationship with longtime manager "Doc" Kearns ended. WebTua did have a bigger frame then Dempsey, and so did many other fighters, including ones he beat. It was the first fight ever to be broadcast. Even Rickard was astonished. Jack Dempsey was one of Americas first great sports heroes. Roaring Twenties Reference Library. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Dempsey, 23, knocked down Willard, 37, seven times in the first round in a fight that was stopped after three rounds. Kahn, Roger. Ex-champions, contenders, and club fighters alike are all Tunney was 80 when he died in 1978. Pro boxing was illegal in New Jersey in 1921, but this was an easy one for Rickard. ." The Willard-Dempsey fight became the subject of controversy in 1964, 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 Channel was a particularly difficult, dangerous body of water and only the strongest, most determined swimmer could attempt it. His retirement was marked by many awards and accolades, including induction to the Boxing Hall of Fame and a seventy-fifth birthday party at Madison Square Garden. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. Knowing his limitations, Dempsey reluctantly agreed to fight. "Jack Dempsey." Dempsey left school after the eighth grade and started working, holding such jobs as shoe shiner, pig feeder, and field worker. "Dempsey, Jack However, the date of retrieval is often important. He started boxing in a small town with the nick name Kid Blackie. His real name is William His autobiographies include Round by Round (1940), Dempsey (1960), and Dempsey: The Autobiography of Jack Dempsey (1977). Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Encyclopedia.com. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. It was during this trip home that Dempsey met and married a piano-playing prostitute fifteen years his senior named Maxine Cates. As the war drew to a close in the Pacific, he was sent on a three month's tour of combat areas to assess needs for athletic and physical training. "Lead me out there," he said to his trainer because he could not walk straight. The Boxing Register. When the bruised and battered Dempsey returned to his hotel that night, his wife, shocked at his gruesome appearance, asked him what happened. It is estimated that three of every four U.S. citizens listened to it on the radio. After his second loss to Tunney, Dempsey retired from boxing but remained a prominent cultural figure. Dempsey's one-punch win earned him $2.50; his highest purse. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The fighter who came forward to challenge Dempsey was a former Marine and veteran of World War I named Gene Tunney (18981978). Champions of the Ring. In the U.S., too, there are famous Dempseys. He would be eventually acquitted of the charges, by the San Francisco US District Court in 1920, but the story, and the testimony of his ex-wife Cates, would plague Dempsey for nearly six years. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He had tears in his eyes when he announced in 1974 that he had to close it. He went from saloon to saloon, challenging anyone to fight who would take him on, and usually winning. Many of ." He first used the name Jack Dempsey in a 1914 bout in which, substituting for his brother, he beat George Copelin in Cripple Creek, Colorado. ." Larry Holmes, the Easton Assassin, is known as much for his retirements and comebacks as his skill in the bo, Robinson, Sugar Ray 19211989 What is the formula for calculating solute potential? Although Dempsey fans argue that he would have won if not for the "long count," Tunney maintained that he was in control throughout the fight. With his first real punch Dempsey shattered Willard's cheekbone and knocked him down seven times in the first round. He earned the heavyweight title in 1919 and defended it five times until losing to Gene Tunney in 1926 before 120,000 fans. One of the world's greatest heavyweight boxers, William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (1895-1983) was so popular that he drew more million-dollar gates than any prizefighter in history. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. He fought in Oakland, San Francisco, Buffalo, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. It is doubtful they could have accomplished as much on their own. Trailing in the seventh, Dempsey landed a combination of powerful punches that floored Tunney. Reisler then set up a fight with a superior veteran heavyweight named John Lester Johnson. The Official Jack Dempsey Web Site. He was a loud and flamboyant man and the exact opposite of his most successful fighter. In the ring, Dempsey was equipped with a two-fisted attack. He dropped out of school after the eighth grade, though, to begin working full time. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. When did Jack Dempsey become a world champion? Dempsey had now earned the right to challenge Willard for the heavyweight title. Professional boxer ." He eventually became a successful restaurateur in New York City. I figured I was in the big money. New York: Bonanza Books, 1984. 8 Why was Jack Dempsey so popular in the 1920s? The fight went ten rounds. At the age of 8, Dempsey took his first job picking crops on a farm near Steamboat Springs, Colarado. Accessed on June 22, 2005. His flashy styleincluding jewelry and strong cologneclashed with Dempsey's. Born William Harrison Dempsey on June 24, 1895, in Manassa, Colorado, Dempsey's parents, Hyrum and Celia Dempsey, were originally from West Virginia, where his father had worked as a schoolteacher. Accessed on June 22,2005. The attention eventually overwhelmed Ederle, and she suffered a nervous breakdown in 1928. No one in the boxing world thought the 6'1", 187-pound Dempsey stood a chance. Of the two worthy heavyweights between 1923 and 1926, Harry Wills and Gene Tunney, Dempsey fought Tunney, not because he was the top contender, but because he was white. The most authoritative book on Dempsey is his autobiography, Dempsey, written with Bob Considine and Bill Slocum (1960). "Jack Dempsey In the 100 degree heat on July 4, 1919, Dempsey knocked Willard down seven times in the first round. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1979. 27 Apr. His rise from hobo to heavyweight champion to Hollywood celebrity not only gave boxing the stamp of legitimacy, but became the prototype for every superstar athlete that followed. ." As cities and towns dedicated more and more public land for recreational purposes, baseball became more and more popular. He also had a much more savage fight mentality, and could fight on the inside. Source: Smith, Red. Dempsey. First, Dempsey was tried on a draft-dodging rap during World War I. Although Dempsey was eventually found not guilty, the public reacted negatively to the idea that the boxer had pursued his own career while other young men had been fighting and dying in Europe. Dempsey married four times during his life: Maxine Gates (1916-19), Estelle Taylor (1925-30), Hannah Williams (1933-43) and Deanna Piatelli (1958). . New York: Harcourt Brace, 1999. His popularity during and after his boxing career overshadowed all of his contemporaries, including Babe Ruth . Encyclopedia.com. After a series of knockouts (victories achieved by knocking one's opponent unconscious) of several well-known western fighters, Dempsey traveled to New York City with his new manager, Jack Price. Notable Sports Figures. 27 Apr. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/jack-dempsey, "Jack Dempsey Although she faced dangerous crosscurrents, high winds, and waves during her swim, Ederle ignored the urgings of friends and family, following her across the channel in two tugboats, to come out of the water. He pioneered the live broadcast of sporting events in general, and boxing matches in particular. Born in Manassa, Colorado on June 24, 1895, William Harrison Jack Dempsey "Jack Dempsey The fight took on international significance because of Dempsey's sullied reputation and Carpentier's as a French war hero. He began traveling in Pullman cars, not boxcars, and started wearing a suit. In World War II he served as a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard. The family was so poor that Jack began farming at the age of 8. . Landing on the press table he was thrown back in the ring by journalists and spectators only to lay Firpo out in the second. On September 14, 1923, at the Polo Grounds in New York, Dempsey took Firpo in four-and-a-half of the most intense minutes in boxing history. Dempsey published several books on boxing. He single-handedly moved boxing from the back rooms of saloons to the forefront of American society and his life outside of the ring continues to serve as a blueprint for retired superstars in every corner of the sporting world. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. The countdown was delayed, and Tunney, given this extra respite, recovered sufficiently to outbox Dempsey the rest of the way. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. 6 Why do fighters dip their hands in petrol? WebJack Dempsey was the single most ferocious fighter the world had seen to that point. Held at Boyle's Thirty Acres in Jersey City, the fight drew the largest crowd ever at a sporting event and forced Dempsey to defend his reputation during the short four round fight. He did that when, in July 1918, he managed to knock out Fred Fulton (ranked second behind Willard) within the first eighteen seconds of the first round of the fight. He went on to win the match in a second-round knockout. He held the title from July 4, 1919, when he knocked out Jess Willard in three rounds in Toledo, Ohio, until September 23, 1926, when he lost a 10-round decision to Gene Tunney in Philadelphia. Over the next few years, he worked as a farm hand, miner and cowboy to help support his struggling family. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Ederle made her first attempt to cross the Channel in August 1925. Dempsey's next major fight was against Argentina's Luis Firpo (18961960), who was known as the "Wild Bull of the Pampas" (pampas are large, treeless plains in South America). Aged and finished as a fighter though Dempsey was, he saw it coming, canted his head slightly to the left, slipping the punch, and countered with a looping right that struck Tunney on the left side of his face. Id make em miss a few times, move around, play it smart. In the rematch [another draw], we each got $150.. How do I choose between my boyfriend and my best friend? Dempsey's early prize fights were in mining towns around Salt Lake City but on July 4, 1919, he beat Jess Willard "The Great White Hope," and became world heavyweight champion. The fight's few minutes were of such ferocity that one man in the cheap seats died of heart failure. He was sentenced to a year in prison and was released on bond, pending appeal. Soon Dempsey returned to the West. In the early 1980s Dempsey developed heart problems, and he died in 1983. Firpo fought back ferociously, even knocking Dempsey. Dempsey won in what remains today one of the most savage beatings in boxing history. The fight was an elimination bout for a fight against Tunney. Karpinski, Aric "Dempsey, Jack I Eventually called the "Manassa Mauler," Dempsey earned more than $3,500,000 in all in the ring. Dempsey floored Tunney in the seventh round but refused to go to a neutral corner according to the rules. Dempsey was a world champion in name only. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Ederle tried again the following year. Dempsey's fans were stunned when Tunney emerged the winner, but Dempsey himself knew that his years of relaxing in Hollywood had dulled his edge. on This Day - Jack Dempsey | Biography, Record, & Facts | Britannica "Honey," Dempsey famously answered. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Lead me out there. Tunney won 19 of 20 rounds in their two fights. Badly battered, Willard couldn't come out for the fourth round and Dempsey became, at twenty-four, the heavyweight champion of the world. Enemy fire around the ravaged area was devastating, and one of the troop helicopters was shot down during the first lift. When Dempsey was 12 years old, his family settled in Provo, Utah, where he attended Lakeview Elementary School. In the 1930s Dempsey appeared in many exhibitions, but he was never again a serious contender for the championship. In 1940 he had three knockout victories over unaccomplished opponents before retiring to referee boxing and wrestling matches. In World War II he served as a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard. Gate: $1,895,723. Professional boxer, entertainer, businessman Willard was unable to answer the bell for the start of the fourth. Dempsey married third wife singer Hannah Williams in 1933 and had two daughters. He and his wife, actress Estelle Taylor, co-starred in a Broadway play called The Big Fight, and Dempsey appeared in a handful of films, including The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933) and Sweet Surrender (1935). Jack Dempsey/Children. With twenty pounds on Dempsey, Johnson delivered a beating that left three fractured ribs and two black eyes in its wake. Dempsey helped establish boxing as a mainstream sports enterprise in this country (and around the world); Louiss destruction of racial The championship match was set for July 4, 1919, in Toledo, Ohio. Dempsey won a string of fights in the Bay Area when Kearns, a con man from the Alaska gold fields, talked Dempsey into letting him guide his career. She received book, movie, and stage contracts, as well as marriage proposals. Miller, Nathan. "I want to shake his hand.". Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dempsey-jack. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Gate: $2,658,660. His fame grew and the towns got bigger. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Dempsey-Carpentier sold out and made $1,789,236. He won the world's heavyweight title on July 4, 1919, against Jess Willard in Toledo. She broke onto the swimming scene in 1922 when, as an unknown fifteen-year-old, she won first place in a 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) race called the Day Cup. After six months of intense training, he started fighting again. By the end of the fight, however, he had regained their respect with a knockout victory over Carpentier. He also made public appearances where he would be paid large sums of money for each Their differences, however, kept them from becoming close friends and eventually led to the dissolution of their relationship. Professional boxer https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/dempsey-jack, "Dempsey, Jack 9 What did Jack Dempsey do after he retired? He died on May 31, 1983. And it was about to pay big dividends for both. and J.W. Held at Philadelphia's Sesquicentennial Stadium and broadcast on radio by the newly formed National Broadcasting Company, a visibly slower Dempsey was defeated in the driving rain. William Harrison Dempsey, more commonly known as "Jack" after age 20, was born in Manassa, Colo., on June 24, 1895, the ninth child of Hyrum and Cecilia Dempsey, both sharecroppers. So for this fight Ill be dipping my hands in petrol for five minutes a day during the last three or four weeks of the training camp to really toughen them up. It was also becoming a profitable business, as men like Kearns and George "Tex" Rickard (18711929), another boxing promoter who would soon become part of Dempsey's life, fully realized. During World War II (193945), Dempsey joined the Coast Guard and served as director of a physical fitness program. (April 27, 2023). Jack Dempsey on radio and the first to gross over one million dollars. He did manage to catch the eye of an interested fight man named John "the barber" Reisler after one particular bout at the Fairmont Fight Club. Dempsey's star had eclipsed his desire and following the Firpo fight the champ took time off to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Dempsey started boxing in 1914 under the name Kid Blackie. His fame was such that he could mix with the fight games various and sundry criminals and lowlifes as well as he could with Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino and Charles Lindbergh. Bernie was still prizefighting at that time, calling himself Jack Dempsey, after the great 19th-century boxer Jack "Nonpareil" Dempsey. The rematch set a new record with its $2.3 million gate. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? Encyclopedia of World Biography. Dempsey's appeal lay in his punching ability: he was a ruthless tiger stalking his prey, fast as any big cat and deadly with either paw. Dempsey's manager, Jack "Doc" Kearns, appraises him in The Million Dollar Gate, written with Oscar Fraley (1966). Disguised as a member of a black baseball team, he fled to Canada; he then made his way to Europe and was a fugitive for seven years. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Growing up listening to stories of Sullivan and watching his two older brothers become fighters, Dempsey, at age eleven, decided he would become the heavyweight champion of the world. Press ESC to cancel. Dempseys appeal lay in his punching ability: he was a ruthless tiger stalking his prey, fast as any big cat and deadly with either paw. He died of pneumonia on July 7, 1963. It started, according to family lore, when he won a scrap as a 5-year-old, while working as a restaurant dishwasher. Dempsey's early boxing often took place in back rooms of frontier saloons under the name "Kid Blackie." The Mauler was dethroned in Philadelphia in 1926, when Gene Tunney outpointed him before the largest crowd ever, 120,757 spectators, to witness the championship game. At this point, Dempsey's goal was to challenge the reigning heavyweight champion, Jess Willard (18811968). On Independence Day in 1919, Dempsey got his first big opportunity: A fight against world heavyweight champion Jess Willard. It was the first fight ever to be broadcast. . --Sept. 22, 1927: In the rematch, before 104,943 at Chicagos Soldier Field, Tunney was down for 14 seconds in the seventh round when Dempsey, confused, at first refused to obey a new rule and go to a neutral corner. Barbara DempseyBarbara This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-Dempsey, Colorado Virtual Library - Jack Dempsey: Prize-fighter, Actor and Author, Jack Dempsey - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 1 seed for Division 1 baseball playoffs, High school tennis: Southern Section playoff pairings, High school baseball: Southern Section playoff pairings, Dig this: Long Beach States Mason Briggs could be next big thing at libero. During these years, Dempsey's older brother, Bernie, earned extra money as a prizefighter in the saloons of hardscrabble Rocky Mountain towns. He eventually became a successful restaurateur in New York City. Dempsey published several books on boxing. His autobiographies include Round by Round (1940), Dempsey (1960), and Dempsey: The Autobiography of Jack Dempsey (1977). He was inducted into Ring magazines Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954. The "loaded glove" theory held some credence because of the seemingly extraordinary amount of damage Dempsey did to Willard's face. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. WebDempsey later said he felt sick to his stomach looking at Willard, appalled at what his inner fury and skill could do to another human being. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. What impact did Jack Dempsey have in the 1920s? A towering fighter known as the "Pottawatomie Giant," Willard had held the title since 1915, when he had beaten the great Jack Johnson (18781946), the first African American heavyweight champion. Ouray, CO: Wayfinder Press, 1987. (Photo: Sports Studio Photos/Getty Images), 10 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Butler, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Jack Dempsey, Birth Year: 1895, Birth date: June 24, 1895, Birth State: Colorado, Birth City: Manassa, Birth Country: United States. out of the ring at one point. ." Dempseys place in American sports history is not pegged solely to his being boxings first million-dollar man or his place in defining the 1920s as the Golden age of sports, but as much to the road he traveled to success. The International Boxing Hall of Fame. 7 When did Jack Dempsey become a world champion? Tunney rose on the nine count, that with the delay, had actually been closer to eighteen, and held on to defeat Dempsey. Willard was 86 when he died in 1968 in Pacoima. Jack Dempsey was one of the best-known athletes in the 20s, with his achievements enshrined in the sports annals. For several years after his defeat, Dempsey refereed, announced boxing matches, and mentored young fighters. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Most people believed that a woman was not capable of making the crossing. Unfortunately, just as Manhattan entered a period of sharp decline as soaring crime rates and urban decay plagued the city, Jack Dempseys suffered along with it, having to close its doors for the last time in 1974. He helped make boxing a money making sport. By the age of 17, Dempsey had developed into a skilled young boxer, and decided he could make more money fighting than working. . He spent several decades greeting guests at his two New York City restaurants, posing beneath photos from his boxing career. He lost much of the money he had earned from his matches in the Great Depression (the period of economic downturn that began with the stock market crash in 1929 and lasted until approximately 1941), but he did find occasional work as an actor and wrestling referee. When Dempsey Fought Tunney: Heroes, Hokum, and Storytelling in the Jazz Age. The two endured a tumultuous relationship that was marked by his long trips away from home and her reluctance to give up her way of life. He took boxing from barely legal to the biggest sport in the US. With a high-pitched voice, the skinny kid with blue-black hair would challenge anybody he could for a few dollars and bragging rights. He was inducted into Ring magazines Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954. At that time only five swimmers had succeeded, and they were all men. Swimmer Gertrude Ederle was a popular athletic hero of the 1920s. Dempsey started fighting too, calling himself "Kid Blackie" at first. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. He worked as everything from a fighter to a cemetery plot salesman before becoming a manager. Jess Willard was one of the many boxers who had been to referred to as the "White Hope." Kearns's success was due in large part to his lack of ethics. The case can be made that the Roaring 20s actually began 100 years ago this month. Available online at http://www.cmgww.com/sports/dempsey/index.php. 2023 . ." In 1918 and early 1919 he compiled an impressive number of knockouts, most in the first round, to earn a fight with Willard. I didnt even know how to use a knife and fork.. It had graduated from a gentleman's game to a form of mass entertainment. 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. He died in 1983, after a series of heart problems, at the age of eighty-seven. Tunney's popularity suffered because of his "hit and run" style, but was chosen because of "Tex" Rickard's reluctance to promote a mixed race title fight. Nicknamed "The Great White Hope," Willard stood a menacing 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed in at 245 pounds. WebWilliam Harrison Dempsey's boxing career began when he left his Colorado home as a hobo at age 16. Dempsey's slipup afforded Tunney at least five precious extra seconds to recover and return to his feet, and Tunney eventually won the fight. While there were many black fighters who deserved a shot at the champion, Rickard believed it would be financially disastrous. When he was learning to fight in brothels, saloons and boxcars in western mining towns, he began calling himself Jack, in honor of the storied 1880s middleweight, Jack Dempsey. 2023 . As a boy, Jack Dempsey he worked as a farm hand, miner and cowboy and was taught to box by his older brother. Roberts, Randy. William Harrison Dempsey, called Harry by his family, was one of eleven children born to Hyrum and Mary Dempsey. They made an. He had defended the title once and fought three exhibitions. Why was Jack Dempsey so popular in the 1920s? . Also known as: Kid Blackie, Manassa Mauler, William Harrison Dempsey. World Encyclopedia. The fight, promoted by George L. "Tex" Rickard, was held in Toledo, Ohio, at an outdoor arena specifically built for the title fight. Another million-dollar bout was in 1923 against Luis Angel Firpo of Argentina; few bouts have packed such unbridled fury and spectacular savagery. What impact did jack dempsey have on society? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndg68ExCSiU. left jab at Jack Dempsey's two-day stubble. Jack Dempsey became one of the most famous of all 20th Century athletes, a fighter whose bob-and-weave style and ferocity transfixed post-World War I Americans. on radio and the first to gross over one million dollars. WebThis was the scene was the commonality for many boxers who faced Jack Dempsey in the 1920s. A cultural icon of the 1920s, Dempseys aggressive fighting style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Nicknamed the "Manassa Mauler," Dempsey ranked second only to Babe Ruth among the great American sports icons of the 1920s. After being knocked out of the ring in the first round, Dempsey battered Firpo into defeat in the second. The best statistical background is in Nat Fleischer's Ring Record Book (1970). 2023 . He was memorialized with the traditional final 10-count before the second Liston-Patterson heavyweight championship, the first genuine championship to be held in Kearns' adopted town, Las Vegas. He shined shoes, picked crops and worked at a sugar refinery, unloading beets for a measly ten cents per ton.