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Part 2 - There came up for consideration a delicate subject. In July Collier’s had printed an amazing article concerning overtures by Jack Kearns, Dempsey’s manager, to one Jim Maloney, a New England heavyweight, the new Boston strong boy. The story told how Kearns, whether sincerely or not, had unfolded a plan to Maloney whereby Maloney could succeed Dempsey as the heavyweight champion after preliminary ballyhooing and the necessary pug game tricks. “I don’t know anything about the details,” mumbled Dempsey. “But the story doesn’t surprise me. “I’m through with Kearns after my contract runs out next September. I don’t care how positively you print it. We’ve been on a fifty-fifty basis financially ever since I became champion, when he’s really entitled to 35 per cent. But I can’t complain about that. Recent developments have convinced me that I can handle my own affairs just as well as any manager – so can any boxer with a real head on his shoulders. Kearns is smart, and I give him his fair share of credit for having helped to pilot me to the championship. But no man can talk of me as though I were his chattel. “That’s another drawback of being champion. You have more spokesmen for you than the White House – and most of them manage to say the wrong things at the wrong time. In the future I’ll do my own talking – and there won’t be much of it.” Anther drawback to add to those already enumerated and suggested is the general impression that the million-dollar punch of romance is worth a million in reality. “I’ve made money – lots of it,” say’s Dempsey. “More than I could have made in any other business. But not half as much as people think. They read that I got $300,000 for fighting Carpentier. I do get big money, but I don’t begin to enjoy half of it by the time I’m through with the managerial split, income tax and training camp expenses. It will cost me from $100,000 to $150,000 to get ready for my fight with Wills. And I’ll fight Wills, if we’re both in good health with our reputations unimpaired next September. “Gene Tunney has a better chance of licking me than Wills, in my opinion. In fact, I expect to see the next champion a young chap like Tunney or Jim Maloney, a hard hitter who has the necessary experience and stamina. “With me it’s a matter of business. I’ve invested enough money to take care of myself and my family. With some of the rest I’ve had hard luck. My hotel business in California has been through a bad losing season. Now, at thirty, with only a limited time to make money, I’m going after it. The movies don’t begin to make the money for me a fight does. “When I visit Europe they say I’m ducking fights. Can’t a man have whatever pleasure he can afford? “I like to travel to see how my profession fares in other countries. When a doctor or lawyer does this he’s a research student. When a champion fighter does it he’s a coward.” Dempsey, under the barrage of criticism that has come to him, has pointed his career to a day when he’ll be through. “I’m going into the brokerage business. We’ll start a firm as Jack Dempsey & Co. before I’m through. I’ve already drawn up a partnership with Maurice Shewitt, a member of the New York Stock Exchange, and in a few years I’ll be permanently trading bonds and stocks instead of jabs and hooks. I’ve learned a good deal about the investment business through my own operations, and with Shewitt I’ll make a life’s work out of the game.” Dempsey believes he can keep Corbett’s standard of physical fitness when he’s done with the ring. He admires “Gentleman Jim” enormously; desires to emulate him – in everything but the final knockout. “With all the drawbacks in the fight business,” he concludes, “it’s made me rich. If I had a son, and he had the physique, I’d put him in the ring.”
Very interesting article you post c Moyle. I remember reading Tom Meany in the NY sports pages in the 1940s. Who could blame Dempsey or Jack Kearns when Kearns refused to box Joe Jeannette,as a last second substitute for another fighter ? Why risk a lucky punch from a fighter [ any fighter], you were not legally sceduled to box. To risk your reputation and career for what, is not good business for Dempsey who had financial obligations for his family. Even though Jeannette was way past his prime, and posed little threat to Dempsey then, common sense prevailed. In addition Dempsey at that time would have been a prohibitive favorite over the older past peak Harry Wills. Eventually Dempsey and Wills did sign for a fight, but it was cancelled when the promoter Floyd Fitzimmons failed to come up with the agreed money. Very interesting article you posted, indeed...
surprising those comments about a "coloured boy" from Dempsey, a lot of speculation about jacks views on the race issue for HW boxers before i read this, didnt really know he had an issue with it.
It doesn't say what year that was, I'd guess 1919, it cant have been 1925 as Jeannette was long since retired. Jeanette didnt seem to be a completely shot fighter when he retired as he was still posting decent wins and being competitive with the best so I'd guess he'd still be a danger man.
