Jack Dempsey
World heavyweight champion who fought in the first WBA-sanctioned title fight.
Last updated
The Associated Press voted him the greatest fighter of the past 50 years in 1950.[1] The boxer known as William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was active in the ring from 1914 through 1927 and was the world heavyweight champion between 1919 and 1926.[1] The 1921 bout between Dempsey and Georges Carpentier produced the first million-dollar gate in the sport of boxing.[2]
Key facts and history
On July 4, 1919, Dempsey defeated world heavyweight champion Jess Willard to win the title.[3] Dempsey was five inches shorter and 58 pounds lighter than the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Willard.[4] Dempsey retired with a 64-6-9 record according to "The Ring".[4] Dempsey came into the world on June 24, 1895, in Manassa, Colorado, to a mother and father who were used to a life of poverty.[5]
He was raised as one of 13 siblings and went by the name Harry when he was young.[6] He quit elementary school to take jobs and departed his home at age 16, riding freight trains across the nation.[7] It was in the autumn of 1914, in Cripple Creek, Colorado, that he first fought under the name "Jack Dempsey".[8]
What the cited sources add
An ESPN account notes that Dempsey registered 50 knockouts during his 13-year professional career.[4] The ESPN article reports that Dempsey earned $300,000 from the Carpentier fight.[4] The ESPN source describes Dempsey as an itinerant laborer who traveled by tying himself to the rods underneath freight trains.[4] According to the ESPN article, after losing the 1927 rematch Dempsey turned into a folk hero; Shirley Povich wrote in the Washington Post that Dempsey "was the loser in the battle of the long count, yet the hero."[4]
References
- Wikipedia, "Jack Dempsey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "On this date: 1950 – Jack Dempsey voted the greatest fighter of the past 50 years", Honolulu Advertiser, January 29, 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Jack Dempsey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "JACK DEMPSEY, 87, IS DEAD; BOXING CHAMPION OF 1920'S (Published 1983)", June 1, 1983; "Jack Dempsey", December 14, 2011; "Jack Dempsey Museum, Manassa, Colorado / MEMORY David Martinez Boxing", October 9, 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Jack Dempsey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Groves, "Notable July 4th fights", The Ring, July 4, 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Schwartz, "Defeats didn't dampen Dempsey", ESPN. facts only, no text reused. espn.com
- Wikipedia, "Jack Dempsey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Jack Dempsey", Encyclopaedia Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Jack Dempsey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schwartz, "Defeats didn't dampen Dempsey", ESPN; Robertson, "When the Heavyweight Title Mattered: Five Championship Fights That Captivated the World, 1910-1971", McFarland, Incorporated, 2019, p. 53; Kahn, "A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s", Mariner Books, Harcourt, Inc, 1999, p. 175; Topical Guide; Accountability, Age of. churchofjesuschrist.org – Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Jack Dempsey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schwartz, "Defeats didn't dampen Dempsey", ESPN; Robertson, "When the Heavyweight Title Mattered: Five Championship Fights That Captivated the World, 1910-1971", McFarland, Incorporated, 2019, p. 53; Danilov, "Famous Americans: A Directory of Museums, Historic Sites, and Memorials", Scarecrow Press, 2013, p. 26; "Jack Dempsey (1895-1983)", PBS American Experience (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Jack Dempsey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Smith, "Kid Blackie", Wayfinder Press, 1987, p. 79 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Jack Dempsey (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Also in the Codexery
More in Boxing & Martial Arts
Test yourself
Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.
Answers checked against the source article
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Jack Dempsey (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced