Interesting article on Dempsey's next opponent post Toledo

July 1919, Washington Times.

"Georges Carpantier, the French title holder, and Joe Beckett, the British champion, will clash in a 20 round bout for the European title. Efforts are not bwing made to have the winner of that bout come to America and battle Dempsey for the world's title.

Looking at the dope, we are informed that Beckett is a big awkward slugger and expected to win from Carpantier. The Frenchman will be outweighed by Beckett who in turn will not be as big as the new world's champion.

[Dempsey] will be a big favourite when he first returns to the ring. The American publc has not reason for believin that Jackwill ever lose his championship [by quitting, like Willard]. He will lose it - they all do in time - in the old fashioned way...if he meets the winner of the Beckett-Carpantier contest, say next Spring, it should be difficult to find any money on the challenger."

I think Dempsey is the big winner here, from my perspective. Maybe some of the more rabid Dempsey supporters will be disturbed to see that Carpantier was basically given no chance of beating Dempsey before the hype machine got into the equation, but for me it is comforting to have more understanding of how that fight came about - Dempsey is pitted against the best non-American HW to cement his world title status. Not only that, but the bigger man and puncher was the one they expected to deliver to him. Dempsey was also held in high regard as a "real" champion, not a quitter (!) like Willard.

"In America are three men who may gain some more or less reflected glory from that battle at Toledo. They are Billy Miske, "Fat Boy" Willie Meehan and Harry Wills, the black Giant.

Miske is to small to be considered seriouisly in a bout for the championship. Though a six footer he was but 175lbs. Miske stayed 10 rounds with Dempsey twice. Willie Meehan a ring freak, has faced Dempsey twice. He was given the newspaper decision over the latest champion in September of 1918, over the short distance.

Dempsey's failure to stop Meehan caused a lot of severe criticism last winer, when he was seeking a chance at Willard, but it is doubtful any promoter would think seriously of matching the two now."

Mixed bag for Jack here? Miske is written off as a future opponent and Meehan's victory over him seemed to have had real relevance at the time although it is often written off to a degree today. On the other hand, his failure to rematch Meehan, a bone of contention for some, seems to be viewed as natural in the article.

"Harry Wills, the black giant, looms up as the one man physically entitled to dreaming of the championship. Wills can hit, box and take punishment. Wills will probably have to content himself with draming of possessing the championship, for Dempsey is on record as opposed to allowing a negro challenger another chance to own the crown. It is not likely that Dempsey fears Wills, or any other man. When Jack Kearns offered Wills an opportunity to spar with Dempsey before the Willard contest, the repoly he got from Wills wsa:

"Nothing doing. I can lick both big bums." [Meaning Willard as well as Dempsey).

Wills may think he can whip Dempsey. But he will hardly get the chance. Willard will fail quickly into oblivion. As a preliminary boxer, lack of aggressiveness kept him from attracting a following. He will be remembered as the first man to quit on his chair."

Another mixed bag? Dempsey's "duck" of Wills seems natural and not that objectionable, but on the other hand, Dempsey is only weeks in the job and already Wills is the only "natural" HW challenger. Wills and Dempsey do indeed seem to run in tandem. He Grant made a post the other day about Wills being ducked by Willard which sent me to the old papers, but the first connection I can find with Wills and a HW title shot is his being mooted as an opponent for the winner of Dempsey-Willard.

Thoughts?

 

It's a tough one. Had Dempsey not drawn the colour line it would have been heroic. Is the absence of heroism the same as cowardice? I don't think that it is.

However, most institutional racists should be considered cowardly on some level, yes retrospectively, yes even if they are boxers. Having said that - I have absolutely no doubt that had Kearns made the fight, Dempsey would have turned up, and he probably would have been a slight favourite even to someone like me, at almost any point during his reign.

 

Et tu, Brute?

 

Do you think slavery is "Old Fashioned", too?

 

Racism isn't a matter of perspective. But as i've already said, I don't think Dempsey was institutionally racist. I don't think he would have refused to fight a black fighter if it had been made.