John Lester Johnson - Jack Dempsey put to rest

Where did Johnson sleep the night before, the Ritz?

 

I cant read the book, the link doesnt open up.

 

This fight was called a draw by the New York Age.
NYs Afro American newspaper of 1916.

 

Yeah, like Dempsey was a honest, modest person, who didn't exaggerate or make up anything regarding his life and career.

George B. Underwood wrote on May 24, 1921, 12th part of his series of articles about Dempsey:

The other afternoon Jack Dempsey and I were sitting together in his room at his Airport home at Atlantic City and the talk turned to his match with John Lester Johnson.

"That Johnson affair, coming atop of what was paid me for my bouts with Anderson and Kennedy," remarked Jack, "surely did sicken me of New York and made me take it on the run for my home, sweet home in the West.

"You know I was promised $500 for the bout with Johnson. Instead I was handed $100, just one-fifth of what was coming to me. I went through ten terrific rounds with the big negro, having to fight with a broken rib from the second round on. You can imagine how I felt.

...

"After he broke my rib in the second I couldn't get wind to rush him.



Three ribs? He took a year off after this bout? Usual $200 he was given?

According to Downing Dempsey got $500 for the fight with Dick Gilbert (that's 3 months after the bout with Johnson). $250 for the bout with Hector Young at Salida, just 1.5 months after Johnson.

According to his mother's recollections in 1920, he gave her $1000 cash after the first Flynn bout (gate receipts were 5 thousands, with only $250 going to the owners of the building, the rest going to promoters and boxers).

 

I think he probably exaggerated some things, or remembered them as more dramatic than they were. Possibly. I mean, a lot of people do that. It's normal.

For example, Dempsey seems to be the only guy who had John Lester Johnson giving him a one-sided beating and inflicting so much damage. Others who were there seemed to see it as a far more even and competitive fight.
Ironically, the anti-Dempsey contigent on this board have elected to take Dempsey's own testimony as definitive on this one ... and added a little bit of their own BS to the mix too, of course.

In other words, we don't know how much he was paid for those fights.
There's no reason to assume anyone remembered it accurately.
A lot of people don't usually remember such things very well. Routine pay days.

 

If you read Dempsey's own words how much he received for the other two NY bouts, it's clear he's exaggerating very heavily, and changing his version with time to more and more ridiculous sums. And I think he should have remembered whether it was one broken rib or three broken ribs and stick to that version. But he didn't.

 

He says he got $100 instead of $500.
Because John Risler was a *******, I guess.

Where does he say what he got paid for Kenny and Anderson ?

 

Ebony magazine interviewed Dempsey and Johnson, and quoted other people who were there.
Did you read the whole article ?

 

Good. :good
I thought it was pretty good. Not the most interesting subject, but it seem pretty straight, just a bit of background on J L Johnson and his and Dempsey's recollections of the fight and a few other bits.

I'm still trying to figure out what Senya was saying though, and if it even contradicted Ebony magazine or offered something else entirely.

 

Dempsey said he weighed 162 pounds for Anderson. Next-day report - 185 pounds. His own earlier version, he received $16 for himself for Anderson, his later version - they divided $18 with Price, so he only got $9.
Downing's recollections - Dempsey got $2.50 for his very first bout with him, after that it was gradually increasing, even though they were mere 4-rounders, in Salt Lake City, preliminary fighter, $5, $10, $20, $25 for a bout. Now, New York city, main event, $9. Yeah, why should we not trust his word?

Vs Kenny, later version, him and his manager received $14 each. He got $43 for himself according to his earlier version. Again, New York City. Main event. According to Dempsey, hard bout, he was knocked down several times. According to next-day reports, easy win, him knocking Kenny down multiple times, including three times in the last round (14 knockdowns in 10 rounds if we believe Jack Price's telegram to next-day Salt Lake newspaper).