Jack Dempsey Enlisted With The Coast Guards The Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney re-match was the closing chapter in one of boxing's greatest stories. Before the 1920s there had never been a million-dollar gate. Jack Dempsey was the star attraction in his first five fights, all of which were promoted by Rickard. Gene Tunney fought just once more, defeating Tom Heeney in 1928, and became the first heavyweight champion along in later with Rocky Marciano as the other boxing champion to leave the ring as champion and remain retired. Gene Tunney married a wealthy socialite woman became a successful businessman. Jack Dempsey never fought again after the Chicago fight with Tunney, but his dignity and grace in the losses to Gene Tunney improved his standing with the public. Dempsey lost a fortune in the stock market crash of 1929, but erased the slacker label by enlisting in the Coast Guard. Just weeks before his 50th birthday he was a part of the invasion force at the Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theatre. After the war he opened a restaurant on Broadway in New York City that was a popular landmark for over 30 years. Jack Dempsey Fought in The Battle of OkinawaBy the time Jack Dempsey died he was acknowledged as one of the greatest American sports heroes in history. Babe Ruth dazzled in baseball, Bobby Jones had records tumbling in golf and tennis starlet Helen Wills-Moody showed that women could perform and entertain as well. But the allocade of the greatest sports hero fell to Jack Dempsey Manassa Mauler: Dempsey to preside over them as heavyweight champion of the world. Experts said second the fight between Dempsey and Tunney, that Gene Tunney lay on the canvas between 13 and 16 seconds. Jack Dempsey would have retained the world heavyweight championship if he had obeyed the new boxing rules. In the fight film, a clock was installed that took Gene Tunney's time on the floor and it marked 13 seconds from the moment he fell until he got up. Because of this, it became known as The long count fight. By the eighth round, Gene Tunney had resumed his boxing from a distance, and he dropped Jack Dempsey for a brief moment. Gene Tunney Dropped Jack Dempsey For A Brief MomentGene Tunney then went on to retain the world title by a unanimous decision as he did in their first encounter. Afterwards, Gene Tunney would insist that he could have got up earlier. As Tunney began to fall the Jack Dempsey connected with a four punch combination to Tunney's head. Dempsey reacted the way he always had, remaining as close to the other boxer as possible. He failed to reach a neutral corner in time. It is said that Gene Tunney became very good friends with Jack Dempsey, they were in the habit of visiting each other on quite frequent basis. Many boxing critics wondered what it would have been liked, if Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey had met! Gene Tunney had passed away in the year of 1978 and Jack Dempsey was to follow 5 years later when he died in 1983. Jack Dempsey once said Nobody has to go hungry today. There is plenty of work for a man who wants to work. A kid can make plenty of dough for himself doing almost anything. I was hungry. I had to fight my way along. Freights and the like, fight, fight all the time. The life was tough, but it hardened you." |
Jack Dempsey Was a Fighter of Sheer Aggression Jack Dempsey’s destruction of Jess Willard on 4th July 1919 remains one of the most violent outbursts of sheer sheer aggression and brute power that has ever been witnessed in any boxing ring. The destruction of Jess Willard by Dempsey was the greatest massacre in the history of competitive heavyweight boxing. It ranks along with Joe Louis one round annihilation of Max Schmeling and Mike Tyson’s 91-second demolition of Michael Spinks. Jack Dempsey, like the great Jack Johnson before him, had to take what came. Sometimes he rode the rails all day to get to a fight and fought without having slept or eaten. | |
