Prime Jack Dempsey?

His fights with Bill Brennan, and Luis Firpo are available,possibly on You Tube.

 

Dempsey-Fulton and Dempsey-Miske were filmed, but haven't surfaced in decades. Unlike footage of Greb in action, it's almost certain these films still exist.

 

I know the Miske fight is in the Jacobs/Clayton collection. Out of Dempsey's more readily available fights I'd watch Dempsey vs Brennan, which was not one of Dempsey's best performances, but worth a viewing nonetheless. Various sparring/training footage near his prime also exists, which gives us an idea of how skilled he was.

 

I don't believe there is any filmed fights of the prime Dempsey available today, except the Willard fight in 1919..Even the Willard films in 1919, I have read are not in normal speed...Too bad...Because I believe the Dempsey of 1918 to the Firpo fight in 1923, was in that time the greatest heavyweight of all time..His kos of Pelkey, Fulton, Carl Morris, Miske , Brennan ,Gunboat Smith,and Jess Willard, were awesome..The way he kod the crude but powerful Luis Angel Firpo,in 1923,was amazing ..The knockout blows in the second round were so fast and vicious,flattening the giant Firpo...Unfortunately Dempsey went HOLLYWOODm had his nose altered and didnt fight for three years...Coming back in in 1926,without a tuneup fight he lost to the great boxer Gene Tunney...Dempsey then fought in 1927,an in his prime Jack Sharkey,and won in theseventh round by ko..Then he fought Tunney in 1927 again, in the famous "long count",and lost again by dec..Todays fans rate Dempsey by the Tunney fights, when the 32 year old Jack Dempsey was long past his prime...Not fair I say...Ray Arcel,great trainer who saw them all said Dempsey had EVERYTHING at his peak,as I do today....

 

Which means that ESPN is sitting on it. (At least it should be safely preserved in their possession.)

As we know, Jack violated the celibacy rule prior to their rematch, a luxury he probably felt he could afford given the ease with which he dispatched Brennan the first time. While not one of his better performances, it was obviously the best display of late round power he ever produced, surpassing anything we ever saw from heavyweight luminaries like Foreman and Tyson. It's precisely because he was not at his best that we know he could dominate over 15 rounds with Gibbons and carry knockout power into the latter rounds with Brennan. Without having those two events on film, Jack's stamina would have always been questioned.

I find it helpful to read the manuals he wrote, particularly Championship Fighting, to supplement and better evaluate what he's doing in the ring on film. Considering the law prohibiting the interstate transportation of boxing film between 1912 and 1940, we're extremely fortunate to have any such footage from this era at all.

 

Dempsey in his prime was 'kill or be killed"...bobbing and weaving his way in close....landing that brutal hook..one of the best of all time...

 

Check out this link:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/How-Fight-Tough-Jack-Dempsey/dp/1581603150[/ame]

 

Another good book that talks about his fight strategies etc. along with his life is the book called "A Ring of Pure Fire". It also has alot about the history of the 20's that influenced boxing etc.

 

Yep, here are the links to the Dempsey fights on youtube.

Dempsey vs. Brennan
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFxcNfXMA60[/ame]

Dempsey vs. Willard
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=XOcrCTzMI_M&feature=related

Dempsey vs. Firpo
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=XOcrCTzMI_M&feature=related

 

Really?? well then I hope it resurfaces some day, god knows why ESPN wont show some of these films they have but then again I suppose it will take up airtime they could be using for a re-run of the Rumble in the Jungle AGAIN!!!