Jack Dempsey
By the end of the third round, former world champion Jess Willard had his jaw broken in a dozen places, several broken ribs, and permanent hearing loss. Jack Dempsey had just delivered one of the most brutal beatdowns in boxing history and just gained the title of new heavyweight champion. (Watch the match here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=148&v=cctTt_IxAhA)
Born on June 24, 1895, Jack Dempsey is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was a cultural icon of the 20s and was especially famed for his aggressive fighting style and held the title of heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. His matches would regularly break attendance record and he would be the first to obtain the world’s first million dollar gate, money from the sales of tickets. Jack was born into a fairly poor, Mormon family. His family regularly moved but would eventually settle in Provo, Utah, where Jack would drop out of school and help his family pick crops. Jack first gained his boxing experience from his brother who would also prizefight in salons for extra money. Eventually, after prizefighting from salon to salon, he would gain notoriety after defeating World Heavyweight Champion Jess Willard in the third round. From there, Dempsey would go on to defend his title until 1926, where he would lose against Gene Tunney. After a controversial loss following his rematch against Tunney, Dempsey would retire from boxing.
Although not particularly famous, the “Dempsey Roll” was one move employed by Desmpey in which he would employ a series of brutal hooks. (Can be seen at the beginning of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnG7PWGrx20). His figure eight head movement also made him particularly hard to hit. This iconic move has even made it to modern pop culture in which it is featured as a signature move of Ippo in “Hajime no Ippo”, a Japanese boxing manga first released in 1989 (https://youtu.be/WxrTu7fT1FY?t=70).
Following retirement, Dempsey would go on to be inaugurated into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and would even open his own restaurant in Broadway. He died, having served in World War Two and was known as a philanthropist. Desmpey died on May 31, 1983 of heart failure. However, he remains one of the greatest boxers of the modern era and remains as an inspiration to America.
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Just the sheer popularity of Dempsey and other athletic icons of his time such as Babe Ruth (both men could be considered to have been the most famous person in America at some point in their careers) really puts into perspective the significance of sports in America during the early twentieth century. Additionally, their success supports the idea that the 1920s was a time for both economic prosperity and leisure for the common man, while also indicating the continuation of technological advancements such as the radio, which allowed for nation-wide celebrities to arise.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ncpedia.org/sports/golden-age-sports
I like that you explained what Dempsey did to work his way to the peak of his career. The reason that he became popular and recognized by such a large number of people was the use of radios. It's incredible to think that at a time where technology was just beginning to arise, professional sports became a form of entertainment that reached the entire nation. Upon further research, I found that the reason that people were even able to listen to boxing on the radio is that the people living in industrialized cities were very prosperous during the 20s, giving them more time to spend for their own enjoyment. This newfound pastime was also a way for people to find relief after going through World War 1.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/sports-in-the-1920s.htm
https://www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/1920s-sports.html