Jack Dempsey was a vicious boxer noted for severe early-round knockouts during the "golden era of sports" in the 1920s. He won the heavyweight title in 1919, but it wasn't until he lost it in 1926 that he became a hero. The story goes that after he lost the title, people started calling him "the man who beat God," which annoyed him so much that he retired to pursue other interests.
Dempsey made his debut in 1908 at the age of 18. He was undefeated until he faced George Jeffery in 1915, when he was given his first loss. After this defeat, Dempsey went on to win all but one of his fights until he dropped out in late 1921 due to health issues (he had a kidney transplant). During his hiatus, millions of fans across the world waited with bated breath for his return match against James J. Corbett, which took place in February 1923. This fight is considered by many to be the greatest boxing match ever held, and it certainly lived up to its name as it lasted 15 rounds before being declared a draw. After this fight, Dempsey regained his confidence and in 1924 he defeated young contender Louis B. Mayer to become the new champion. However, less than a year later, he lost the title to Primo Carnera. In late 1927, after retiring from boxing for the second time, Dempsey came back to challenge Ben Jordan for the title but was again defeated.
Throughout much of the decade, world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey dominated the sport. Born in 1874, he began his career at the age of 26 when he defeated George Godfrey for the title. Under the tutelage of trainer/manager John J. Raskob, Dempsey reigned as boxing's top star for almost a decade until his retirement in 1926 at the age of 44-0.
Dempsey's success can be attributed to his skill as a fighter and his popularity with the American public. He fought only twelve fights during the year of 1926, but won them all. His last fight on January 19th resulted in a second-round knockout defeat by Gene Tunney. After retiring from boxing, Dempsey embarked on a successful career in football and baseball. He died in 1951 at the age of 75.
During the 1920s, other boxers gained fame across America including Benny Leonard, Baby Lloyd, and Duke Mitchell. All three men were known as "The Little Champ" because of their small stature (Leonard was 4' 11" and Mitchell was 4' 10"). Each man was able to win over fifty fights without losing a single one.
Jack Dempsey was not only one of the most entertaining heavyweight champions in history, but he was also one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all time. Dempsey has one of the finest knockout records in history, with a 32-0 record and 28 knockouts, 17 of which came in the first round! He's also one of only three men to win the world heavyweight championship by knockout/technical knockout (the others are Mike Tyson and Leon Spinks).
Dempsey was born on January 4th, 1895 in St. Louis, Missouri. He had a very happy childhood with five brothers and two sisters, and he showed an interest in sports from a young age. At the age of 16, he started training at a local gym under the watchful eye of boxing trainer John Flanagan. Within a few years, he was fighting overseas in Europe and Australia for money, winning almost all of his matches. In 1919, at the age of twenty, Dempsey returned home to America and defeated new champion Joe Louis in the first round for the title. The next year, he lost it to Louis again, this time in a rematch. After these two fights, Dempsey retired for three years before returning to the ring in 1932 at the age of 35. This time, he won the title back from Louis again. In 1935, at the age of 37, he lost the title to Max Schmeling who later that year became the first American to be awarded the title of World Heavyweight Champion.
As a child, Jack Dempsey worked as a farm laborer, miner, and cowboy before learning to box from his elder brother. Early prize fights took place in mining communities near Salt Lake City, but on July 4, 1919, he defeated "The Great White Hope," Jess Willard, and became world heavyweight champion.
During World War I, boxing was used by the government to raise money for war efforts. Boxers were given matches to fight for the honor of their countries. After the war ended, many former boxers found it difficult to make a living because of their lack of experience at other forms of fighting. This is when Jack Dempsey started working as a boxer full-time.
Dempsey first fought on May 21, 1920, in Tacoma, Washington. He went on to become one of the most famous boxers in history while holding the title for almost four years. During that time, he fought only 12 rounds, winning all of them. His career ended after he was knocked out by Gene Tunney in 1926.
After his retirement, Dempsey worked as a sportswriter for newspapers across America. He also made public appearances where he would be paid large sums of money for each speech he gave. These speeches often included stories about his life as a boxer and lessons for young people.
Dempsey died in 1983 at the age of 92. Today, there is an annual professional boxing tournament named after him.
Jack Dempsey, popularly known as the Manassa Mauler, was an American world heavyweight boxing champion who was born on June 24, 1895 in Manassa, Colorado, and died on May 31, 1983 in New York, New York. He is considered by many to be the greatest boxer of all time.
Dempsey started his professional career at age 19 with a record of 15 wins by knockout. He held the title for more than three years until he was defeated by Gene Tunney. After losing to Tunney, Dempsey retired from boxing and worked as a manager and trainer. In 1980, he returned to the ring at the young age of 58 years old but was defeated by Larry Holmes. Despite this defeat, Dempsey is still regarded as one of the greatest boxers in history.
During World War I, Dempsey served in the United States Army where he achieved the rank of first lieutenant in the 15th Infantry. After the war, he went back to boxing and became the heavy weight champion of the world. In 1919, he lost his title to Harry Greb but came back to win it back four months later. In 1921, he lost the title to Primo Carnera but regained it two years later. In 1924, he lost again to Carnera but this time permanently. In 1975, a statue of Dempsey was erected in his home town of Manassa, Colorado.