“Jack” Dempsey

1. “Honey, I forgot to duck”-Jack “Jack” Dempsey • Lived June 24, 1895 to May 31, 1983 with the real name of William Harrison Dempsey. • Born in Manassa, Colorado to Mormon pioneer parents. • Worked in mines and as a cowboy as his boxing career was beginning. • Learned to fight from his older brother. • 1911, Started boxing under the name “Kid Blackie” • First match he won with a T.K.O. in the beginning of the first round; his manager forced him to fight another match that night before he would be paid. • Fought a match under his brother’s fighting name, “Jack,” and kept the name through his career. • Weighed in at 193 lbs. • 1919 Won the Heavy weight world title in a David and Goliath match from Jess Willard, “The Great White Hope,” and was named The Manassa Mauler. • 1926, Lost Heavyweight title to Gene Tunney. • The match yielded the largest paid attention in boxing history. • Lost again in a rematch—the battle of the long court. • 1940, retired from exhibition matches and opened a restaurant in New York. • Overall official record of 60-7-8 • 50 of the 60 wins were T.K.O’s “A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t” --Jack World class Boxer