Jack Dempsey Training For George Carpentier

If you want a good laugh to see how master pugilists fight, just skip to 2:40 in the video.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQmVh1vX7mA&feature=feedu[/ame]


Some interesting footage though. Training and promotional stuff. I didn't even know tennis existing back then, although I'm not sure if that qualifies. I think I could **** Dempsey up in tennis though. Handball is an old-school northern thing (They don't have it in the south). I've heard some legendary stories from my pops about that sport.

Parts of the film seem so unimpressive that it puts Greb in better perspective. I just don't think people in the 1920's knew how to shadowbox.

 

P,great clip of Jack dempsey that I have never seen before. Dempsey was
super fast in 1921 when he trained for the Carpentier fight. He was lean and mean those days. This super speed for a heavyweight,married with vicious
punching power,along with a kill or be killed attitude,made this Dempsey
a formidable fighting machine...Thanks Pp...:good

 

No problem Burt. Dempsey was definitely quick looking here for sure.

 

The most difficult thing for a Dempsey to do was spar with lightweights like his 135 pound buddy,Joe Benjamin. Dempsey had to suppress his no holds barred punching style against small men when sparring. Like Babe Ruth practicing bunting in front of cameras. I would see top heavyweights at
old Stillmans gym,made to look foolish sparring with faster small men,they were not allowed to hurt.

 

Unique vid, I liked it a lot. Some interesting things there like Dempsey playing tennis, was this his normal training routine or just something for the camera?

Another thing is running with that stick in both hands. I think it helps to keep fighters hands at his waist and elblows close to the body during the fight. Smart.

 

I wonder if this film is the one which was loosely stated as containing a sparring session between Greb and Dempsey by a 'ringwise' fight collector.

 

This footage is all on the unedited theatrical film of the actual Carpentier-Dempsey fight.

 

http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016509.html

 

That 2:40 bit had me laughing, like a trio of spackers let out from the funny farm

 

Every fighter who fought before the year 1930 was a bum.

 

We must remember that they [trio], are aware of the camera man traipsing
about them with his hand-held camera. Not being experienced with this new
fangled machine, Dempsey and his sparring mates had to do unatural mugging awkwardly. But Jack does come across as lean, taut and flexible
for a heavyweight, mugging or no mugging. Great clip of him with his pug nose,before his later nose bob...

 

So I take it you never heard of Bill Tilden?

 

:good

I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to tennis before the open era.

Nope. Apparently he was famous like Ruth and Dempsey back then, but certainly not as well known as those guys today. Tennis seemed to look a lot different in that clip, so I was just being humorous about it.