In the Ring With Jack Dempsey - Part I: The Making of a Champion

Alas, can't buy it while the borders are closed (COVID).

 

I’ve been sending and receiving goods between here (LA) and Brazil, Japan, Australia, England, Spain, Canada, Ireland, Mexico in the last few weeks. You should be fine. They’ll put them on non-commercial flights.

 

Just waiting on Amazon now.

 

Mine is showing up Monday, are you going to do a Jess Willard book as well? Or is he covered pretty well in the Dempsey book?

 

I just got my copy of Pollack's Dempsey book and I am blown away ... the detail, the packaging, the photos are exceptional ... I've spent the past three hours digging in and can say there has never been any Dempsey book close. It is an absolute must for all of us.

 

Not to speak for him, but Adam has stated that he just didn't have any interest in doing a Willard book and that he felt that Willard was adequately covered in the Johnson and Dempsey books.

 

Right on, I wasn’t aware, thank you

 

Totally agree .. these books are a huge investment of effort and in my opinion some of the lesser champs might not deserve the effort if takes on the author's behalf .... I kinda begged Adam for years to do Dempsey and could not be more thrilled he went with it what may be one last time ...

 

Jimmy deforest sought v after trainer on dempsey, " jack is a remarkable fighter, to say the least; in fact I rate him as the best heavyweight of all times . Never before have we had a heavyweight champion who could box like he, and yet, at the same time deliver a punch which would floor an ox. .". July 10 1919

 

This book is exceptional for golden nuggets. Topics worthy of discussion:

1. Lester Johnson fight

2. Maxine Cates

3. Flynn 1

opens up whole new worlds on Dempsey.

 

Sportswriter h c witwer on dempsey .. Willard bout... The man who beats dempsey would have to carry a pair of battle axes into the ring with him.... " sweet cookie, but this dempsey guy is a killer, ill tell the world ! "

 

Lester who was not much more than a solid journey should have won his fight with Dempsey. Even Roger Khan thinks so. This was Dempsey's only official fight with an African American.

Pollack isn't know for much outside the ring, I wonder if Cates opinion was treated fairly. After all this was the 1920's, and she her past business was frowned upon.

Flynn 1 is a clear KO loss. Papers say so, Dempsey's own brother threw in the towel.

I wonder how Dempsey drew with Suddenberg, wasn't he floored a few times in that one?

The Dempsey and shady doc Kearns relationship, combined with Rickard to me created the legend as much as Jack's ring ability did.



Here's what I'd like to know.

Was there any pro Willard or Kearns talk of Dempsey tampering with his gloves?

Did either Greb or Wills or their managers get press on why Dempsey didn't fight them?

Why after such an exciting fight was there no re-match for Fripo? By the rules, Firpo should have been declared the winner of the first fight.

 

Well regarding Johnson, it seems that many thought Dempsey won the fight .. of these two he finished stronger .. it was much closer than Dempsey himself seems to say .. in addition there is little doubt that Johnson had much more experience against a higher level of opposition the Jack had who was basically barely 21 years of age ..

Regarding Maxine it seems there is a huge case that she was not fifteen years older than Dempsey as the story is famously told but that she was actually one year younger than him .. that threw me ..

Flynn .. his brother stopped nothing .. Dempsey was flattened and counted out .. knocked out cold ..this was no Witherspoon Smith 2 .. this was Thunder vs Grimsley ..

 

Auerbach, dempseys manager, in 1920 said he n thought the 21 year old dempsey threw the fight
Pollack actually found a letter to a newspaper by cates that flynn handed dempsey 500 bucks... But flynn was a fast starter

 

If you want to know buy the book!That's what H E and I have done!

" Pollack isnt known for much outside the ring"?
He has been a Criminal Defense Attorney for over 10 years,in two States
Was a former Prosecutor.
Is an Author and Publisher.
A Boxing Judge.
A Boxing Referee.
A Boxing Coach.
A Member of The Boxing Writers Association.
Has his own legal practice.
Has written ten volumes of biography on the heavyweight champions with another on the way.
No, compared to what you've achieved I suppose he is a bit of a failure really!