In his autobiography Jack Dempsey says Jess Willard refused to have Harry Wills as a sparring partner because he had developed an aversion to black fighters and black people in general. I know he drew the colour line once he was champ but has anyone any more information on his attitude towards blacks? Dempsey also said he was told that the night before their fight Willard sat down with Tex Rickard and downed a whole bottle of gin, this may be apocryphal but if true seems very fool- hardy the night before a fight. Dempsey also said that when his hands were taped for the Toledo fight two of Willard's seconds Ike O Neill and chief sparring partner Walter Monaghan were there to watch the proceedings.
Perhaps Willard didn't really drink the gin but wanted people to think he did in order to raise betting odds. Like Harry Greb used to do.
Its true that monoghan was present when Dempseys hands were taped and when the gloves were put on in the corner. Monoghan discussed this later in a newspaper interview before the loaded gloves became a conspiracy theory.
Good man! I know you are not a Dempsey admirer but you have posted an objective answer.I applaud you for it!:good
I have three different autobiographies of Jack Dempsey. The first one was published about 1940; the second, about 1959; and the third during the 1970s. - Chuck Johnston
On the face of things Willards publically declared position sounds reasonable. He said that he was drawing the colour line first and foremost because all the black contenders were no longer in the championship class. He went on to say that he had no animosity towards black fighters, but he was afraid that a mixed race bout would result in public disorder. Of course it is possible that he privately held more racist views.
Really? Here is Willard from March, 1919... "I fought him (Johnson) in the first place to take the title out of black hands and will never allow black hands to have even a chance to get it back." As early as 1916, he drew the color line in TRAINING. Ido not sense a magnanimous individual in matters of race.
I remember reading the "Dempsey Loaded Gloves theory" in Saga/True Magazine in the barber shop as a kid in the late 50's. Jack Kearns died in 1963....and was always spewing out "stuff" to the very end.
