"NONPAREIL" JACK DEMPSEY … "SLICK AND QUICK"
By Tracy Callis
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Jack Dempsey, born John
Edward Kelly, was an extremely popular fighter in America during the
1880s. Only the great John L. Sullivan, heavyweight champion, was more
famous. Jack began his athletic
career as a collar-and-elbow wrestler along with his brother, Martin.
Soon, he gave it up and switched to boxing exclusively. Most of his
contests were fought with bare-knuckles or skin-tight gloves under London
Prize Ring rules.
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Jack started fighting as a
lightweight and eventually won the Middleweight Championship of the World even
though he never weighed more than a welterweight during his entire career.
Dempsey had his first fight in
1883 and was unbeaten until 1889 – when he lost for the first time on an
“illegal” punch – a backhand (or elbow) delivered by George LaBlanche while
fighting at close quarters. In all, Dempsey fought for thirteen years and lost
only three times – the other two losses coming against ring greats Bob
Fitzsimmons and Tommy Ryan when Dempsey was well past his peak and in a
dissipated physical condition (due
to a losing battle against tuberculosis).
Grombach (1977, p 108) wrote that he “… fought both with bare
and gloved fists. For almost ten years, from 1881 to 1891, the original Dempsey
was unbeatable. In many ways, he is considered the most extraordinary boxer in
the epic of the ring. He actually was a welterweight in many of his battles.
“
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There are a number of
explanations as to how Jack obtained the moniker “Nonpariel”. Bromberg
(1962, p. 7) wrote that he took his last name from his mother and borrowed
“Nonpariel” from the great English pugilist, Jack Randall. Luckett Davis,
eminent boxing historian, points out that “He outclassed his rivals so
decisively …”. Some boxing historians
suggest Dempsey looked so good because his opposition was weak. This
writer contends his opposition looked weak because Dempsey was so good.
Gilbert Odd (1976, p. 45) wrote that Dempsey “ … was regarded as
invincible in American estimation”. Physically, Jack was
slender, muscular, quick and agile. He had fast hands and a stiff right
hand punch. He was crafty and elusive and utilized feints accompanied by a
sharp,
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Richard Fox (1889, p. 8)
wrote “… his agility and quickness
on his legs and his thorough knowledge of pedal motion - handicaps any boxer he
faces in the roped arena”.
John McCallum (1974, p 125) says
“Dempsey brought polished boxing skill … and an appreciation of the finer points
of ringmanship to the modern ring”.
Richard Fox (1889, p. 7) says
“His style and method of boxing has a neatness about it … He stops blows aimed
at him by his adversaries with so much skill, and hits his antagonist with such
terrific force and comparative ease, that he astonishes and terrifies his
opponents beyond measure … those ambitious to win the title of the middleweight
champion are soon convinced of his superior knowledge and athletic
prowess”.
Marshall Stillman (1920, p. 87)
wrote that Dempsey “retained the middleweight championship for many years and
was exceedingly scientific, securing his victories more through science than
through rough tactics.”
In addition to being an extremely
clever boxer, he was quite valuable to have as a trainer or second during a
contest. He seconded Joe Choynski against Jim Corbett and Choynski lasted 27
rounds. He seconded Jack McAuliffe against Jimmy Carroll and McAuliffe won the
Lightweight title. He worked as trainer and second on many other occasions and
even advised Bob Fitzsimmons later in his career.
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Dempsey was not the
typical pugilist type. He was handsome, well-spoken and mannerly. Also, he
was personable and made friends easily. On most occasions, after trouncing
an opponent in the ring, he was calm and rather indifferent towards the
praise being heaped upon him.
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On December 13, 1887, Dempsey
fought Johnny Reagan at Manhasset on Long Island Sound, NY. The match lasted 1
hour and 8 minutes. Dempsey slogged through water and mud and won in 45 rounds
to retain his Middleweight
Championship. The contest was fought in two rings due to the heavy rain
and flooding conditions. Reagan put a four-inch gash in Dempsey's shin with his
sharp spikes during an early round but Jack fought on.
When Dempsey fought Bob
Fitzsimmons, he met a man of similar weight in pounds but an entirely different
physical structure. Fitz had the lower body structure of a welterweight but the
upper torso of a light-heavyweight or heavyweight.
While Dempsey was, in the
opinion of this writer, one of the
finest welterweight fighters of all-time, Fitzsimmons was the greatest
middleweight of all-time as well as the best “pound-for-pound” man ever.
Wilfrid Diamond (1954, p. 45) wrote “Jack Dempsey, the ‘Nonpareil’, was a great
champion, but he had to give place to a greater one.”
Fitz dominated Jack, whose
health had deteriorated from tuberculosis for the past two or three years. He
was well past his peak. Bob knocked the Nonpareil down numerous times. Bob
pleaded for Dempsey to stay down but Jack yelled out that Fitz would have to
knock him out. Reports vary but Bob floored Dempsey anywhere from nine to
fourteen times because Jack was so game and would not quit.
Marshall Stillman (1920, p. 36)
wrote about the Dempsey-Fitzsimmons fight
“… Fitzsimmons was more than a match for his man … Dempsey took a
terrible beating, and Fitzsimmons begged the referee to stop the fight, not
wanting to punish (any further) such a game man as Dempsey proved himself to be.
But, Dempsey refused to quit …”.
Dempsey’s last fight was against
the great Tommy Ryan. Jack, at this time was almost a dead man, having been
“done in” by tuberculosis. But, he still wanted a go at Ryan. It was clear that
he was outclassed from the first bell but he fought on. The referee had to stop
the contest after three rounds. Dempsey would not quit.
| Size of the opposition never bothered
Dempsey. He fought Dominick McCaffrey at a weight disadvantage of 152-175
and clearly outboxed the clever McCaffrey. He baffled and butchered
LaBlanche in the famous “pivot” punch contest although outweighed 151-161.
He defeated Billy Keough in four rounds weighing only 148 pounds to 180
for Keough. Nat Fleischer (1944, p.
75) tells the story of a private fight Jack had with a six-footer who was
much larger and heavier than Jack. Fleischer says Jack was “…cat quick”
and danced around the man “…poking him every once in a while with that
wonderful left” until he wore him out. |
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Perhaps his greatest weakness as
a fighter was his inclination to consume too much alcohol and to underestimate
his opposition. The result was that sometimes he did not train well. However,
his great skills usually overcame these problems.
The former great middleweight champion, Mike Donovan, came out of retirement to fight Dempsey in 1888 and, according to many accounts of the bout, probably beat the “out of shape” Dempsey, who most likely did not take Donovan seriously.
M.J. McMahon (of Portland) wrote
a poem dedicated to the memory of Dempsey. Part of it reads as follows:
Far out
in the wilds of Oregon,
On a lonely mountainside,
Where
Columbia’s mighty waters
Roll down to the ocean side;
Where the giant fir
and cedar
Are imaged in the wave,
O’ergrown with firs and lichens,
I
found Jack Dempsey’s grave.
O Fame, why sleeps thy favored son
In
wilds, in woods, in weeds,
And shall he ever thus sleep on,
Interred his
valiant deeds.
‘Tis strange New York should thus forget
Its “bravest of
the brave”
And in the fields of Oregon,
Unmarked leave Dempsey’s
grave.
Grombach (1977, p. 109) wrote
that Dempsey was “… probably the greatest pound for pound boxer in modern
history.”
It is
the opinion of this writer that the Nonpareil was the second greatest
welterweight fighter of all-time, behind Sugar Ray Robinson. It is also my
opinion that he is the third greatest pound-for-pound fighter in boxing history
behind Bob Fitzsimmons and Robinson.
References
Bromberg, L. 1962. Boxing’s
Unforgettable Fights. New York: The Ronald Press Company
Diamond, W. 1954. Kings of
the Ring. London: The World’s Work (1913) Ltd.
Fleischer, N. 1944. Jack
McAuliffe, The Napoleon of the Prize Ring. New York: The Ring
Fox, R. 1889. Life and
Battles of Jack Dempsey. New York: Richard K. Fox, Publisher.
Grombach, J. 1977. The Saga
of Sock. London : Thomas Yoseloff Ltd.; Cranbury, New Jersey: A.S. Barnes
and Company, Inc.
McCallum, J. 1974. The World
Heavyweight Boxing Championship. Radnor, Pa.: Chilton Book Company
Odd, G. 1976. The Fighting Blacksmith.
London: Pelham Books Ltd.
Stillman, M. 1920. Great
Fighters and Boxers Volume III. New York: Marshall Stillman Association.
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