Were Dempseys gloves loaded?

I'll have to check it out. Not sure how it got by me, but it did.

Thanks for the info :good

 

Absolutely not. If he had, Willard would have had a premature death, or at the least been permanently disfigured.

 

Oh, and the answer to the question is a resounding NO.

Willard had him wrap his hands in the ring just for the sole purpose of preventing him from "loading" his gloves. Not only that, but there are pictures of him sitting in the corner with his hands wrapped, before the gloves were on, and nothing in them.

Willard only claimed his gloves were loaded to excuse the fact that he quit after only 3 rounds.

 

And if you look very closely at that picture, Javier Capetillo's grandfather is seen taking notes...

 

Jack had a horseshoe in his glove.......No, Jack hit hard and was a mean SOB

 

No

 

I do not believe Dempsey's gloves were loaded.

 

From Nat Fleischer's 1958 book '50 Years At Ringside':

"Were Dempsey's gloves loaded?
That question has been discussed time and again in magazine and newspaper articles by persons incapable of giving a proper answer except through hearsay or from comments made by persons supposedly "in the know." I watched the crumbling of the Pottowatomie Giant and after the terrific shellacking that Willard took, I heard many remarks that no human could deal out so much punishment with padded mitts unless there was something hidden in the gloves. Even to this day one reads about "loaded gloves," and how plaster of Paris on Dempsey's bandages cut Jess' face to ribbons.
I was at the fight. I watched Dempsey in training. I saw Jimmy DeForest, his trainer, tape Jack's hands. I watched every move of the men in Jack's quarters. I think I can clear the atmosphere once and for all time with an accurate version of what happened.

Jack Dempsey had no loaded gloves, nor did he use plaster of Paris over his bandages. I make this assertion despite the recent statement by Jack Kearns, Dempsey's manager in that contest, that he had sprinkled plaster of Paris powder over the bandages on Jack's hands and then poured on alcohol to form a plaster cast. I watched the proceedings and hte only person who had anything to do with the taping job was Deforest, who, after he had taped the hands, poured some water over the bandages to keep Jack's hands cool. Of course, any solution poured over bandages will harden them, but that's all that took place.

Deforest became riled when the loaded gloves stories began to appear. I recall a press conference he had with several reporters, including myself, at which he angrily remarked:

"I regard the stories I put plaster of Paris on Jack's bandages as plain libel. I'm tired of hearing people talk about such nonsense. It's pure trash. These rumors affect my reputations for honesty and fair dealing. I did not apply any foreign substance to them. I used a hard adhesive tape. This certainly was not irregular. It was not against the rules. It was the same kind of tape I always used when I bandaged Kid McCoy's hands."

DeForest's statement should settle all further arguments. It was not until the recent fall-out between Kearns and Dempsey over the proposed movie of Jack's life (in which Kearn's plays no part) that the latter gave this new version of the bandaging of Dempsey's hands. Kearns has always denied the plaster of Paris yarn over the years, only to change the story in the past few months."

 

Loaded gloves hurt hands aswell as the opponent so I doubt anyone is throwing the number of punches Dempsey threw with loaded gloves

 

CM, I have also read Fleischer's book "Fifty Years at Ringside ",and I agree with you about the ludicrous assertion that Dempsey's gloves had plaster of Paris, horseshoes,assorted size metal bars, etc. How long would it take before Dempsey's knuckles would have been shattered,with the first blows landed,if even Harry Houdini in Dempsey's corner would have used sleight of hand, to plant horseshoes in front of 100,000 people in Toledo ,Ohio ?
Why can't this silliness be put to rest finally ? So much more to talk about C !. Cheers...

 

Dempsey's hands were taped in front of two representatives from Willard's corner,Walter Monaghan a sparring partner of Jess's and, Ike O 'Neil,Jimmy Deforest taped Dempsey's hands in front of them.The gloves were put on after pictures had been taken of both men in the ring,and before the men shook hands.Its about time this old chest nut was laid to rest.

 

No...

 

Yes they were loaded.................with Dempseys fists

 

Dempsey threw some unusual right hands where he aimed at an open target favouring impact with the fore-knuckle area of his right hand. I am not saying it is an illegal punch, Im not saying he was holding a rail road spike but he did not use this punch on any other film.