Jack hired African Americans in his boxing training camp to spar and train with who helped him develop and test his speed. Willard on the other hand would not hire black sparring partners and had very bad sparring partners according to Damon Runyon in his book "Jack Dempsey - The Tale of Two Fists". Willard didn't take Dempsey very seriously according to Runyon, and Jack looked at all avenues to get better and learn. Oddly enough, Gene Tunney won the title from Jack in 1926 by using film to study Dempsey and learn his tendencies, and figure out how to beat him. He was the first athlete to study film. If it wasn't for that Jack may have been champion longer - even though 7 years isn't that bad! : ))
If Willard had suffered the beating the newspapers claim he would have been in the hospital several days. Please read the following clip and decide for yourself. The legend and stories of Willard having multiple bones broken, teeth knocked out, et al., appear to have no basis in fact. Dempsey knocked him down repeatedly and badly bruised him with fast, powerful, accurate punching. But Jack did not break bones, knock out teeth, or do the things myths say he did. The beating Dempsey administered was simply not as bad as reported There is no question Jack Dempsey gave Jess Willard a savage beating, BUT there have been records unearthed that call into question whether that beating was as severe as everyone thought. A good source for this one is Roger Kahn's excellent book "A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s." Another is "Heroes & Ballyhoo: How the Golden Age of the 1920s Transformed American Sports" By Michael K. Bohn. Other sources are the New York Times, Kansas City Star, Kansas City Times, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press and Topeka Daily Capital, interviews with Willard in the three days following the fight. Willard entered the ring thinking he would dispose of the much smaller Dempsey easily. Willard had claimed that: “This will be the easiest fight of my career.” Obviously, he brought home nothing but a savage whopping. But it appears from the records that the injuries Willard suffered were not what have become enshrined in folklore, that Dempsey: “broke Willard's ribs, knocked out his teeth, fractured his cheek and jaw, and smashed him into human rubble." On July 5, 1919, the day after the fight, the Associated Press reported: “The defeated champion said today the rumor that he was severely injured and that he was taken to a hospital were gross exaggerations. The only injury he suffered was a deep cut over the eye and a badly cut mouth. He did not lose any teeth nor was his jaw fractured as reported." A day after the fight, the New York Times interviewed Willard at length and speaking would have been very hard if his jaw really had been multiply fractured. Willard said: “Dempsey is a remarkable hitter. It was the first time that I had ever been knocked off my feet. I have sent many birds home in the same bruised condition that I am in, and now I know how they felt. I sincerely wish Dempsey all the luck possible and hope that he garnishes all the riches that come with the championship. I have had my fling with the title. I was champion for four years and I assure you that they'll never have to give a benefit for me. I have invested the money I have made." In an interview on July 7, three days after the fight, the Kansas City Times announced that Jess and his wife were leaving Toledo and driving their car back to Lawrence, Kansas that day. His condition seemed to be fine: “The swelling over his left eye had entirely disappeared and the only mark he bore was a slight discoloration over the eye and a cut lip." ("Willard starts for Home," Kansas City Times, July 8, 1919, p.10). A fourth reporter interviewed Jess in Chicago on his way home, four days after the fight: “Hello, Jess" said the reporter, "How do you feel ?" "Hello," said Willard, "I'm feeling great. Would you like to spar a few rounds?" (Kansas City Star, July 10, 1919, p. 10). A fifth reporter for the Topeka Daily Capital, on July 16, 1919, p. 8, 12 days after the fight, who interviewed Jess when he got back to Lawrence: “The ex-champion didn't have any black eye, nor any signs that he was injured in any way." NONE of the reporters said Willard missing any teeth, nor was his jaw injured. Both Kahn, when researching "A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s," and Bohn, when researching "Heroes & Ballyhoo: How the Golden Age of the 1920s Transformed American Sports" went looking for proof that Willard was hurt as badly as folklore said. What they found was nothing. The newspaper interviews with him the following days after the night obviously discredited the stories of broken bones - but there was more. There are no medical records, or hospital records, that support the claims that Willard's jaw was broken - he never went to a doctor! And he was sure was talking to reporters the day after the fight without any wires or anything showing a broken mandible! - or lost teeth, or broken ribs. He had some bruises. Finally, anyone who took the kind of mythic beating Willard supposedly did would never have fought again - and Willard did. Although the 37 1/2 year old Willard retired after the Dempsey fight, it was age that inspired it, not any beating. Also, 4 years later, at 41, Willard came out of retirement for two fights because promoter Tex Rickard offered him a small fortune for Willard to make a comeback, fighting Floyd Johnson as part of the first line-up of boxing matches at the newly opened Yankee Stadium in New York City. Willard was basically paid to be a curiosity that everyone expected to lose. But old Jess fooled them - 63,000 people were at the festivities, which the 41-year-old Willard was widely expected to lose. However, after Willard was battered for several rounds, he came back to knock down Johnson in the 9th and 11th rounds, and Willard earned a TKO victory. Damon Runyon wrote afterward: “Youth, take off your hat and bow low and respectfully to Age. For days and days, the sole topic of conversation in the world of sport will be Willard's astonishing comeback." Willard followed up this victory by facing contender Luis Ángel Firpo on July 12, 1923, again, as Willard bluntly said: “the money was too good to turn down!" The fight was held at Boyle's Thirty Acres in New Jersey, with a crowd of over 75,000 in attendance. Willard was knocked out in the eighth round, and then permanently retired from boxing. Wlllard lived a long and happy life, never troubled by serious mental or physical problems - and had he taken the terrible beating legend claims he did, that surely would not have been the case… CREDIT TO: A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s by Roger Kahn Heroes & Ballyhoo: How the Golden Age of the 1920s Transformed American Sports by Michael K Bohn Jess Willard: Heavyweight Champion of the World (1915-1919) by Arly Allen and James Willard Mace
I do think Jess was the betting favorite going into this fight. I think Jess Willard could have been a better fighter than he really was, but he turns pro at almost 30 lol. He had a LATE start, REAL late, it is shocking he even became the heavyweight champ. As for the plaster story??? We have the compete fight footage, and ringside pics with the gloving. I saw nothing shady.
Willard fought in the classic bare knuckle style, fighting off of his back foot in a defensive manner. Dempsey was the first champ to incorporate head movement while moving forward. Willard was made to order for Jack, despite the disparity in size.
Lots of great heavyweights who wernt goliaths Dempsey marciano Tyson joe fraizer to name a few certain fighters certain styles because of Dempsey the sport was changed forcing fighters to go to a nurtral corner after a knockdown if Dempsey did that vs Tunney he’d still be the champ today at age 110
It's all about JD's left-hook, right up there with Smokin' Joe's. He jacked arrogant Willard's wide-open jaw with it, and the Giant never really recovered therefrom. Of a piece with what Duran did to Leonard in R2 in Montreal. Caught him with his guard down. Ditto: aforementioned Philly legend against Ali in MSG and Robinson's KO of Fulmer.
Williard was a brave and courageous Heavyweight Champ, no doubt whatsoever. Williard's inattention to his training leading up to his fight with Dempsey, would come back to haunt Williard in the worst sort of way. Dempsey was "razor sharp", just an aggressive fighting machine at his peak. I believe that Williard thought his size and experience over the smaller Dempsey would carry the day. After all, he had beaten a great Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson in a long 26-round contest four years earlier, and Dempsey was no Jack Johnson. Williard thought wrong as history tells the story. Battered, beaten, and knocked down numerous times, this brave Champion, went out like a Champ should. Very few fighters would have taken the beating that Williard did. You have to look a long, long way to find his equal. Had Jess trained for Dempsey like he did for Johnson, he would have given a better showing. He was 4-years past the Johnson fight, his "tiger" was gone, and Dempsey looked easy (to Willard).
Boxing was different back then. The rules were different the equipment was different, just the same as they were during the bare knuckle boxing days. Everything has evolved with boxing to protect boxers more. From decent gloves , gum shields and proper doctors on hand. Even down to 12 rounds now because when it all started it was last man standing was the winner. Good video.
Doc Kearns observed Willard's training camp and mentioned how much of a cheapskate he was. He didn't put together a great team to train with. Willard entered the fight not in peak shape and overconfident.
Grown to love these docs you do thanks! Roger Kahn’s book A flame of pure fire is practically the best bits out of Dempsey’s autobiographies and is recommended by me also even if he stole a lot of it. Love the Dempsey era stories
The Willard that stepped into the ring with Dempsey was the worse fighter I've ever seen. He had enormous reach, yet never ever used it to keep Dempsey at a distance. Showed absolutely no defense, and I don't believe he ever landed a single punch. It looked like Dempsey was a hoodlum beating up on a big drunk in an alley.
@@1thepner Not even close. Willard beat a fading, but still formidable Jack Johnson; Carnera beat Jack Sharkey. Willard lost to the formidable Jack Dempsey - where rules allowed Dempsey to hit him while rising; Carnera lost to the gregarious Max Baer, whose best punch was a backhand. Willard at least tried to tie up Dempsey and rest in between knockdowns; Carnera kept on jumping up like a pogo stick and had no notion of tying up his opponent.
A heavyweight is any fighter that weighs over 175pounds.Forget the stupid cruiserweight division. Rocky Marciano weighed 184,James Braddock 193,Ingemar Johansson 194,Floyd Patterson 182.Dempsey never weighed 200 pounds or over but he was very strong at 180-190 pounds.All muscle in his body.
1:02 Correction; Dempsey was champion until September 1926 not 1927. The heading is complete rubbish. Dempsey gave Willard the mother and father of a hiding.
Ffs, watch the fkn first round. Half the time, Dempsey's hands are OPENED. He clenches his fists to punch Willard, then relaxes them when Willard is down...seven times. Dempsey's first knockdown is a four punch combo, similar to what he gave Tunney in 1927. Except in 1927, Jack jad to go to a neutral corner...
Jack never loaded his gloves. Ali said the same about Liston being too strong for him before beating Liston some months later. I really like this channel. I would wish however you read more accounts because you posted about the first gypsy king out of accounts that were 100% biased as well. As a boxer and coming from a very old boxing family I would ask young people to just watch the footage of the Willard Dempsey match. The footage says it all as Jack just did something that was not (safety first) for maybe the first heavyweight championship fight which was to throw every punch with bad intentions and come out doing it at the bell. Willard as good as he was and he was very good never stood a chance against that sneak attack.
Dempsey couldn't even hold his gloves up before the fight they were that heavy, also if you WATCH without the blinkers on you will see Jack nearly having to pop a shoulder out of place to land that left hand
Agree with much of your comment. I'm referring to my statement with variables. Being if Willard came out as aggressive as Jack always was. I love Jack Dempsey. Really though Jack would be a light heavyweight today. I think like Hagler said that we need to bring back a super heavyweight division because the heavy's are too big and it's hurting the division.
@@joeallenboxingGREATEST RESPECT to you Champ. I know you know your stuff, but I think what you said in your comment adds to my answer because with the size difference between Willard and Dempsey with bone density and all that how could he break Willards jaw in 6 places according to Bert Sugar without the stuffed gloves. Peace.
@@shadowbassist7992even a baby can kill a full grown men if he falls from a 4th floor directly to his head. What you are seeing is the full weight of Jack dempsey in motion, not only that but precition and gravity as other factors as well. Dempsey was a powerful puncher and not just for his physique or training bet because he knew the full science of a good punch. He was accurate, smart, mean, powerful and wise fighter. Even a man like Jess Willard can have broken bones and injuries if he met a man who knew how to put all his weight and hos attacks at a insane speed.
If you watch Harry Carpenter's interview of Mike Tyson, he quotes that JW claimed in a previous interview that a bolt was found in JD's corner after the fight & that Jess had kept it in a box in his sideboard & showed it to HC during the interview. "So the plot thickens"!
No.... The plot doesn't thicken at all. There is film of them putting the gloves on. You don't think anyone would have noticed an angular bolt pressed up against the leather? If a bolt came out there must have been a hole in the glove. You don't think anyone would have noticed that during the fight? Even if the bolt had been inside the glove with his hands steel with angles and threads would have chewed his hands right up. If anything was found there in the ring at all it would have been from the building of the ring. Just because something sensational was put into a book for Tyson to relate doesn't mean there's a lick of truth to it.
'' Willard could have killed Dempsey'' is a deliberately misleading title.You can use it for any fight in history and just insert your names of choice.Willard could never have killed Dempsey by leading with his face and moving with the speed of a tortoise as Dempsey was swarming with speed and power all over him. Much is made of Willard's sheer weight and size as well as his strength.In that case Dempsey was in at least as much danger with only 5 ounces of leather between him and a smashed up hand.People forget why bare knuckle boxing was outlawed; to protect hands and prolong fights with head shots.The final assertions about underhand( no pun intended) tactics with what Dempsey had inside his gloves is no more than idle gossip.There's even some observers claiming( without evidence or witnesses) that Willard claimed Dempsey had a bolt in his glove and even produced it as proof.They don't seem to see how stupid that story is.If it was true he had evidence to have the fight awarded to him along with the purse, evidence to end Dempsey's career and put him and his team in prison.How would he have had it any way ? I can just see Dempsey throwing it over :'' Here you go Jess, you should put pieces of iron in your gloves but done tell the 50,000 crowd who are watching me give you this''. It's more than likely Willard made a throw away remark in hindsight and suggests Dempsey had lightning bolts in his gloves.It's like saying ''Mike Tyson hit me and it was like he had dynamite in his gloves''. RUclips would be full of ''Tyson had explosives in his corner when winning the title - please watch and like''
The tampered gloves story originated from Dempsey's ex-manager, and it makes no sense for reasons you've pointed out. That Willard "could" have killed a much smaller Dempsey is plausible considering his power and the fact that he did kill an opponent. This assumes, of course, that Willard could directly strike Dempsey ... which he didn't.
@@ET-RAMBLINGS Tell the truth now- the headline was click bait. I heard it was plaster of paris in dempsey's gloves but he would have broken his hands.
@@josephshields2922 Dempsey's former manager is reported to have started that rumor. People on the scene said that only fists were in Dempsey's gloves. Clickbait? Maybe a little.
You can see the difference in muscle mass from the Johnson fight to the Dempsey fight. He simply wasn't as big or as in as good of condition as 4 years earlier. However, Dempsey claimed the hardest punch he was ever hit by was an uppercut by Williard in the 3rd round. This is remarkable considering the beating he took. I believe you can see the uppercut in edited versions.
The btm line all Jess Willard was big and no skills, and actually Johnson through the fight to get some charges drop basically, blackmailed him out .Willard was exposed by a real fighter that happened to be awesome that's it
Your hilarious. talking to some of the older guys. There were several ways gloves could be loaded. And do not forget, JD dipped his hands before the fight. One old timer said they would cut the gloves and put in a hardening agent that would set up after a couple of min. Another was to push the horsehair out of the way exposing the knuckles making it a bare-knuckle fight. And there are more. Clearly judging from the damage, the gloves could not have been legal. Reply
Great history never knew about that uppercut that shoved lower jawbone into the brains of Wilcox oponate before Demsey fight. The bell was hit with sledgehammer they had a bell.
Johnson did not lose? He was almost 40 years old. It was the 26th round. It was a fight until someone could not toe the line/stand in the ring. If they had a normal 12-15 round fight Johnson would have one on points. He wanted to come back to America, but could not do so as champion. Because of the man act. So he took the fight that he could not win? Makes no sense if he wanted to stay the champ.
At that time this would be classed as a normal fight. Very few of todays heavyweights could go 15 rounds. The less rounds the bigger the fighter. Plus in those times no P.E's........
I weigh 176-181 and i go to my gym and use the heavybags. Those bags are big and moving around everywhere when i hit them.I have power in a punch because im over 175 and throw my weight in the punch.
@@ET-RAMBLINGS Fury is a giant that's a fact, but different from JW and the Itaien PC in that he's so skilled, unpredictable and smart. Nevertheless, he has to figure out Usyk in order to beat him. He cannot just wear him down by trying to put all his weight on him. Usyk can cleverly avoid Fury's clinch tactics, so he has to find a new way to fight. After all, Usyk is not that small.
I watched this fight on You Tube a couple of weeks ago, I have never seen a more brutal fight. Dempsey hit him with so many punches and with such fury I don't know how Willard lasted as long as he did.
This has been argued to exhaustion. The same rules in the ring applied to everyone, they didn't have as many safeguards for fighters back then. Unfortunately for the fighters, you were allowed to hit your opponent as soon as both gloves left the canvas. Dempsey was more skilled and by all accounts a champion of his time.
Willard was a giant of a man, and strong as an ox. He withstood a pretty good beating from Jack Johnson too until Johnson had nothing left and succumbed to the giant farm boy. In the Dempsey fight, after everyone discovered Willard wasn't knocked out in the first round, the fight continued, and Willard was still standing and punching back until the end. Willard had what you call country strength, or natural strength, to an extreme level.
Willard told British boxing pundit Harry Carpenter that Dempsey cheated and brought out a large bolt that was found at ringside after the fight ,Willard had kept it all those years and said with bitterness that Dempsey had it in his fist and hit him with it breaking his eye socket etc. It was on a show with Harry Carpenter and Mike Tyson called THE HEAVYWEIGHTS , I think it may be on YT ,well worth a look.
@@barblessable Considering Willard's injuries in that fight, there may be truth in some of the stories of the bolt or lack of glove padding or "plastered" wrappings. There exists, though, no proof, and others present at Dempsey's wrapping and putting of the gloves say there was nothing to those stories.
I've heard it all from the plaster to the concrete to the horse piss to even just let it lay out in the rain for a couple days. Let it Go the fight old and over with jes Willard got his ass whooped. That's all it is to it
Jahrn, rules changed dramatically after the late 1920's. One major problem was danger to eyes, and this continued too long because of the loose thumb that damaged the eye of Ray Leonard plus many before (ex. Sam Langford) and since. Today, many boxers use either a thumbless or thumb attached glove. It should, IMO, be mandated for all matches. Dempsey preferred outdoor under the sun workouts, thus the prominent tan line. This is very apparent when he destroyed Jess Willard.
Willard like Carnera were big strong men but not necessarily born fighters . They could beat a majority of the men out there because of they’re size and physical strength. Throughout history big fighters have a hard time with smaller powerful guys like Dempsey,Marciano,Frazier and Mike Tyson . The only truly giant heavyweight meaning over 6’6” that I’ve seen is a true Natural fighter is Tyson Fury . The other group between 6’ and 6’6” is a listing of the best of all time Ali,Louis,Liston,Foreman,Lewis too many to list .
Yeah, and current fight fans think those guys couldn't beat the "Super heavyweights" today. They weren't "real heavyweights"? All they need do is watch Dempsey v Willard- Louis v Abe Simon- Baer v Carnera- Louis v Carnera- Marciano v Walcott and Frazier v Mathis to name a few.
@@josephpinador7949 I agree. I’ve watched some of his fights and he seemed to have some skills. He definitely wasn’t as bad as the writers of that era seemed to depict him
A fighter can weigh 176 pounds and is technically a heavyweight.Jack Dempsey was a real true heavyweight and Willard was a strong super heavyweight at 245.
You make a good point here, but Dempsey's decline may have had more to do with living the high life, eating regularly and marrying a Hollywood actress.
@@ET-RAMBLINGS without a doubt, but I was actually just referring to this fight. I suspect that he did have something in his gloves. That he ditched it when he left the ring momentarily.
Jess Willard stood zero chance in winning the match against Dempsey, or even a single round. Dempsey was a professionally trained, and skilled boxer. Jess Willard was a large man, who had minimal boxing training or skill and he was very clumsy and slow.
The question should also be asked, how would the Willard that defeated Johnson have faired against the 1919 Dempsry that defeated him. He had not fought in a few years/
The other thing is, Toledo is basically a swamp. I spent many a (pleasant) hot summer day there at softball tournaments. The last thing any man in his right mind wants to do under such circumstances is leave the shade, let along fight.
Many in attendance noted the severity of the heat in Toledo. Several people reported on Willard's lackadaisical training. He appears to have not taken the yet well known Dempsey seriously.
No plaster of Paris on Dempsey's fists, just tape, hard knuckles, and a "tiger's" instinct for battle! That story was really noticed the first time coming from an embittered ex-manager, Doc Kearns. Doc was a great trainer/manager of fighters.After Dempsey and Kearns split up their manager/boxer contract, Kearns would sue Dempsey numerous times out of our spite and hard feelings. He wrote his autobiography long after he retired. He stated that Dempsey had plaster of Paris on his fist that was put on right prior to the Willard fight. Williard's manager was present at Dempsey's taping of his hands, as one of Dempsey's reps was present when Willard had his hands taped. Jack did not have to cheat to win. Kearns would cheat, but not Jack. Kearns story had no witnesses, other than himself, and no one mentioned this until years after the fact. Just a leisurely investigation can turned the Kearns plaster of Paris accusation.
A 'lion's instinct would be more accurate, as tigers don' t naturally like battles and try and avoid them if they can. Male lions on the other hand fight on a regular basis, fighting being their primary role, their bodies are 'engineered' by nature for this.
I wrote a "fight again another day" song about the so called "greatest beatdown in boxing history". Very glad I found this video. Thank you. I definitely didn't realize how bad Jess Willard suffered from lax, antiquated officiating. Wow! Despicable, the punches thrown while the man was down.
You could stand over a fighter and hit him as he tried to get up. There was no going to the neutral corner yet. It was the implementation of that rule that led to the famous long count in the Dempsey/Tunney fight. Dempsey knocked Tunney down but forgot the new rule of going to a neutral corner giving Tunney 4 to 5 extra seconds to recover.
Dempsey lost the title in 1926, not the following year. As for the headline, "Willard could have killed Jack Dempsey!", it seems to me that barring the introduction of firearms, Jess would have had a hard time living up to that billing.
Jack Dempsey was a strong 180 plus pounds.Thats heavyweight. He was all muscle and had power.Any fighter that weighs over 175 pounds can hit like a heavyweight. Thats 1000 newtons of force in a punch.
Jess Willard was not a serious match for Dempsey. He was beaten around the ring like a bag of dirt. Had Willard fought Jack Johnson in his prime years, he would have been KO’d.
My name is Tate willard that's my 3rd cousin we are farmers I'm a good boxer at 6 feet. Were Irish willard from north Ireland leave it alone Jack kicked his ass. How would you people know anything he was a kind big man.
Willard was popular in the U.S. after this destruction of Johnson in Cuba. Some Americans, however, were upset because he lost interest in defending his championship belt. Others felt he didn't show enough support for the American war effort. Those close to Willard said nothing but good things about him, and that the noble Jess Willard in the movies reflected how the man actually was.
Seldom did a ref stop a fight before the WBA was created in 1921. Usually, it was local police who stepped in, but only to prevent a riot among the fan. Tommy Burns fought several times as champ when the ref sat among the fans!!! Rules established in 1927 demanded that a ref force a fighter to a neutral corner when the opponent was down. This had major implications for fighters like Dempsey. (See films of his fight with Willard.) Despite all the changes ... beginning with the Marquis of Queensbury rules ... too many boxers ended up with brain damage and even death. One argument suggests that the rules may have had negative consequences. For instance, the boxing gloves ... to protect the hands ... allowed fighters to concentrate more on the hard skulls as opposed to the body.
Good point, John! Willard was very durable, and Dempsey would have had trouble maintaining that pace had the fight gone on for many rounds. On the other hand, Willard was already severely damaged, and more beating could have proved fatal if the fight continued.
To me seeing this fight so many times. The only way JD could have done that much damage is his gloves were loaded. Jess went 26 with Jack J and didn't have a scratch. JD's trainer said his gloves were loaded. And JD who always dipped his hands in water after taping. That activated the plaster that was mixed in the horsehair gloves. No, you say! The gloves suddenly disappeared after the fight. Jess was reported as saying when he shook JD's hands after the fight the gloves felt funny. Is that when they were gone, yes! Years later JD said he had the gloves, and when ask to produce them, which would have ended the debate, he refused. If you were to take this case to court with what we know the jury would be unanimous in saying they, the gloves were loaded! In short JD cheated.
Given the severe damage to Willard's head ... which appears to be from being struck by a bag of rocks ... it's understandable that people still rage on about Dempsey's gloves a century after the fight; but, evidence and testimony favor the untampered gloves story.
@@ET-RAMBLINGS Better check the evidence again. 1- The gloves were not available to be examined after the fight. 2- JD's Trainer said the gloves were loaded.3- JD said he had the gloves but would not show them to anyone. 4- Williard and no other fighter ever looked that bad after a fight. All the evidence supports loaded gloves. Jess said in an interview I saw. He still had a piece of bone floating in his cheek. Yup, they were loaded.
BS Sports Illustrated proved Plaster of Paris on wraps does not work they experimented by having Cleveland Williams wear it ,It crumbled to nothing when Williams hit the bag .
hilarious accusations, Dempsey gloved his hands in full view of Willard and his team in the ring as the footage shows, yet none of them objected to anything. Plaster of Paris tests were done by Boxing Illustrated in 1965 after Kearns coined the allegation (Willard meanwhile claimed Dempsey had a metal bolt) and the tests showed if used in the manner Kearns claimed, the gloves would have broken Dempseys hands and wrists within 10 punches. Also, Dempsey doing that much damage was hardly abnormal, he often knocked out much larger opponants in Fulton, Morris, Gunboat Smith, Homer Smith, etc all in the first round. The only thing odd here is that Jess lasted a full 3. A prime Jack Johnson was never as quick on his feet nor combinations or as tenacious as Jack Dempsey, and a 37 year old overweight one was even less such. This combined with Willards inactivity for almost three years and Dempsey's previous one sided victories explain the one sided Dempsey Willard bout
@@DHEMGHJS SI tried 1 way. There were several that were used. Another one was to put a hardening agent in the horsehair, or to literally move the padding out of the way so you had bone on leather which was tantamount to a bare-knuckle fight.
with all due respect, fighters with "loaded" gloves are as old as the hills and still persist today. Willard indeed may have been very strong (as was Primo Carnero and we saw what Louis did to him) but that doesn't always translate to a big punch. Personally I think a prime George Foreman would have put Willard away in the first round.
Still trying to figure out how Dempsey held a metal bolt in his glove while grasping the top rope at least once with either hand. Also trying to figure why Willard would send blind cornermen to Dempsey's corner to watch the wrapping of the plaster of paris encrusted tape on Dempsey's hands. Surprised Dempsey hasn't been accused of hiding a horseshoe inside his glove.😆
Very fishy that Dempseys trainer stood to win $100,000 dollars for a first round knockout of Jess Willard tho. Glad the jigging buffoon didnt win that bet . I mean Willard was a giant who had beaten Jack Johnson. Even that fight was deemed a dive by Johnson However. Sounds like Boxing back then was totally corrupt .....
It's well documented that fighters, their managers or promoters and even the mob dictated fight results since even before the sport was officially organized. That said, I do think that Dempsey and Kearns did expect a quick win against Willard. In fact, Willard was almost done by the end of round one.
Well this is pure horse feathers... Jack Johnson wrote in his autobiography (read it) he tanked the fight with Willard... Newspapers reported Johnson easily won the first 20 rounds, outpunching Willard 10-1 ... Johnson did nothing for the next 5 rounds as the crowed booed ... they even reported that Johnson told a runner after the 25th round, to tell his wife to leave the area, because he was ending the fight in the next round ... NOBODY heard the KO punch land. It didn't. Johnson went down very gently and shaded his eyes from the sun as he was counted out. His wife had signaled to him that she had all the documents that would allow Johnson (a fugitive from justice) back into the United States. He would only serve one year in prison while getting training, fighting, and coaching privileges. His wife needing to get all the documents from government lawyers and get to her box seat to signal Johnson, is why the fight went 26 rounds. All Willard's fights with Bull Young were fixed, in that he had no chance in hell, and was used to pad Willard's record. Young was a horrible fighter. Dempsey remarked that punching Willard was like throwing pine cones at the side of a barn. It certainly looked that way.
You know, they have video of the Johnson-Willard fight that you can check out on youtube. The final KO punch is easily visible to see and a big shot that Johnson catches with his left jaw. His head moves back. In the 26th round on a humid, 100 + degree day, pretty much no one would get back up. After the count Johnson is still lying there, not getting up. Forget what Jack Johnson writes in his bio.
@@thomashahn631 The motion of the SUPPOSED KO PUNCH is shown in the video. It did not land. Nobody heard it. Nearly all newspaper reports stated people doubted the punch landed. Johnson went down and immediately shaded his eyes from the sun with his right forearm during the count. The weather report for the day was balmy. It wasn't hot and ringsiders even had heavy suit jackets on as they jumped in the ring after the match. It was a total fake. Johnson tanked the fight. He backed up with his hands way down below his waist, setting up the fake KO shot. The first right didn't work well for a fake KO, so he kept inviting the same punch, with his hands way, way down.
After watching the Johnson fight I thought Willard was much better than most gave him credit for, and it made me suspicious about how Dempsey could knock him around so easily.
Dempsey knocked out most of his opponants pre title very easily. He knocked out Fred Fulton in 18 seconds, a man who Willard blatantly ducked after Fulton knocked him down in an exhibition. He knocked out such big hard hitting men as Gunboat Smith, Carl Morris, Homer Smith, and others all in the first round. I see no reason to find anything with Willard suspicious when Dempsey was constantly doing this to his oppositon. The plaster of Paris thing was debunked after tests done by boxing illustrated in 1965 showed Jack would have broken his own hands plus Dempseys hands were wrapped and gloves in full view of Willard before the fight as seen by the footage.
Jack Johnson laid down he was shadings his eyes from the son because he lost he got to come back to America, Dempsey rumor was he dunked his left hand in water as he entered the ring which made his wrap like a case but Dempsey was just better and won
video on my page shows wlad was way more advanced than primo,and the guy he fought was a way more advanced Louis,you cant change video with words you’re exposed lunatic
Willard was a cheapskate. He didn't hire the best team to prepare him for the fight. Plus, Dempsey's style was made to defeat larger opponents by fighting in a lower stance.
Bullshit. Let's see... A bolt, brass knuckles, plaster of paris, cement... how about a ball-peen hammer. And Dempsey must've brought all that to the Firpo fight in 1923.
Jack hired African Americans in his boxing training camp to spar and train with who helped him develop and test his speed. Willard on the other hand would not hire black sparring partners and had very bad sparring partners according to Damon Runyon in his book "Jack Dempsey - The Tale of Two Fists". Willard didn't take Dempsey very seriously according to Runyon, and Jack looked at all avenues to get better and learn. Oddly enough, Gene Tunney won the title from Jack in 1926 by using film to study Dempsey and learn his tendencies, and figure out how to beat him. He was the first athlete to study film. If it wasn't for that Jack may have been champion longer - even though 7 years isn't that bad! : ))
Good article.
If Willard had suffered the beating the newspapers claim he would have been in the hospital several days. Please read the following clip and decide for yourself.
The legend and stories of Willard having multiple bones broken, teeth knocked out, et al., appear to have no basis in fact.
Dempsey knocked him down repeatedly and badly bruised him with fast, powerful, accurate punching.
But Jack did not break bones, knock out teeth, or do the things myths say he did.
The beating Dempsey administered was simply not as bad as reported
There is no question Jack Dempsey gave Jess Willard a savage beating, BUT there have been records unearthed that call into question whether that beating was as severe as everyone thought.
A good source for this one is Roger Kahn's excellent book "A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s." Another is "Heroes & Ballyhoo: How the Golden Age of the 1920s Transformed American Sports" By Michael K. Bohn. Other sources are the New York Times, Kansas City Star, Kansas City Times, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press and Topeka Daily Capital, interviews with Willard in the three days following the fight.
Willard entered the ring thinking he would dispose of the much smaller Dempsey easily. Willard had claimed that:
“This will be the easiest fight of my career.”
Obviously, he brought home nothing but a savage whopping.
But it appears from the records that the injuries Willard suffered were not what have become enshrined in folklore, that Dempsey:
“broke Willard's ribs, knocked out his teeth, fractured his cheek and jaw, and smashed him into human rubble."
On July 5, 1919, the day after the fight, the Associated Press reported:
“The defeated champion said today the rumor that he was severely injured and that he was taken to a hospital were gross exaggerations. The only injury he suffered was a deep cut over the eye and a badly cut mouth. He did not lose any teeth nor was his jaw fractured as reported."
A day after the fight, the New York Times interviewed Willard at length and speaking would have been very hard if his jaw really had been multiply fractured. Willard said:
“Dempsey is a remarkable hitter. It was the first time that I had ever been knocked off my feet. I have sent many birds home in the same bruised condition that I am in, and now I know how they felt. I sincerely wish Dempsey all the luck possible and hope that he garnishes all the riches that come with the championship. I have had my fling with the title. I was champion for four years and I assure you that they'll never have to give a benefit for me. I have invested the money I have made."
In an interview on July 7, three days after the fight, the Kansas City Times announced that Jess and his wife were leaving Toledo and driving their car back to Lawrence, Kansas that day. His condition seemed to be fine:
“The swelling over his left eye had entirely disappeared and the only mark he bore was a slight discoloration over the eye and a cut lip." ("Willard starts for Home," Kansas City Times, July 8, 1919, p.10).
A fourth reporter interviewed Jess in Chicago on his way home, four days after the fight:
“Hello, Jess" said the reporter, "How do you feel ?" "Hello," said Willard, "I'm feeling great. Would you like to spar a few rounds?" (Kansas City Star, July 10, 1919, p. 10).
A fifth reporter for the Topeka Daily Capital, on July 16, 1919, p. 8, 12 days after the fight, who interviewed Jess when he got back to Lawrence:
“The ex-champion didn't have any black eye, nor any signs that he was injured in any way."
NONE of the reporters said Willard missing any teeth, nor was his jaw injured.
Both Kahn, when researching "A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s," and Bohn, when researching "Heroes & Ballyhoo: How the Golden Age of the 1920s Transformed American Sports" went looking for proof that Willard was hurt as badly as folklore said. What they found was nothing.
The newspaper interviews with him the following days after the night obviously discredited the stories of broken bones - but there was more.
There are no medical records, or hospital records, that support the claims that Willard's jaw was broken - he never went to a doctor!
And he was sure was talking to reporters the day after the fight without any wires or anything showing a broken mandible! - or lost teeth, or broken ribs. He had some bruises.
Finally, anyone who took the kind of mythic beating Willard supposedly did would never have fought again - and Willard did.
Although the 37 1/2 year old Willard retired after the Dempsey fight, it was age that inspired it, not any beating.
Also, 4 years later, at 41, Willard came out of retirement for two fights because promoter Tex Rickard offered him a small fortune for Willard to make a comeback, fighting Floyd Johnson as part of the first line-up of boxing matches at the newly opened Yankee Stadium in New York City.
Willard was basically paid to be a curiosity that everyone expected to lose. But old Jess fooled them - 63,000 people were at the festivities, which the 41-year-old Willard was widely expected to lose. However, after Willard was battered for several rounds, he came back to knock down Johnson in the 9th and 11th rounds, and Willard earned a TKO victory.
Damon Runyon wrote afterward:
“Youth, take off your hat and bow low and respectfully to Age. For days and days, the sole topic of conversation in the world of sport will be Willard's astonishing comeback."
Willard followed up this victory by facing contender Luis Ángel Firpo on July 12, 1923, again, as Willard bluntly said:
“the money was too good to turn down!"
The fight was held at Boyle's Thirty Acres in New Jersey, with a crowd of over 75,000 in attendance. Willard was knocked out in the eighth round, and then permanently retired from boxing.
Wlllard lived a long and happy life, never troubled by serious mental or physical problems - and had he taken the terrible beating legend claims he did, that surely would not have been the case…
CREDIT TO:
A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s by Roger Kahn
Heroes & Ballyhoo: How the Golden Age of the 1920s Transformed American Sports by Michael K Bohn
Jess Willard: Heavyweight Champion of the World (1915-1919) by Arly Allen and James Willard Mace
Baloney.
Pure BS! did you not see the pics of Willard at the hotel? where do you people come up with this BS?
@@billythekid3234 Where do you?
I watched
Thanks for all that information, Mr1gladiatore (and your sources). Regards from Blighty :).
Shook Jack Dempsey hand in NY at his restaurant in the 50s was 9 years old
I do think Jess was the betting favorite going into this fight. I think Jess Willard could have been a better fighter than he really was, but he turns pro at almost 30 lol. He had a LATE start, REAL late, it is shocking he even became the heavyweight champ. As for the plaster story??? We have the compete fight footage, and ringside pics with the gloving. I saw nothing shady.
He was, but only 5/4 odds, Dempsey had a string of impressive first round knockouts over often much larger contenders at the time hence the close odds
Yes very shady
Willard fought in the classic bare knuckle style, fighting off of his back foot in a defensive manner. Dempsey was the first champ to incorporate head movement while moving forward. Willard was made to order for Jack, despite the disparity in size.
Lots of great heavyweights who wernt goliaths Dempsey marciano Tyson joe fraizer to name a few certain fighters certain styles because of Dempsey the sport was changed forcing fighters to go to a nurtral corner after a knockdown if Dempsey did that vs Tunney he’d still be the champ today at age 110
It's all about JD's left-hook, right up there with Smokin' Joe's. He jacked arrogant Willard's wide-open jaw with it, and the Giant never really recovered therefrom. Of a piece with what Duran did to Leonard in R2 in Montreal. Caught him with his guard down. Ditto: aforementioned Philly legend against Ali in MSG and Robinson's KO of Fulmer.
Williard was a brave and courageous Heavyweight Champ, no doubt whatsoever. Williard's inattention to his training leading up to his fight with Dempsey, would come back to haunt Williard in the worst sort of way. Dempsey was "razor sharp", just an aggressive fighting machine at his peak. I believe that Williard thought his size and experience over the smaller Dempsey would carry the day. After all, he had beaten a great Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson in a long 26-round contest four years earlier, and Dempsey was no Jack Johnson. Williard thought wrong as history tells the story. Battered, beaten, and knocked down numerous times, this brave Champion, went out like a Champ should. Very few fighters would have taken the beating that Williard did. You have to look a long, long way to find his equal. Had Jess trained for Dempsey like he did for Johnson, he would have given a better showing. He was 4-years past the Johnson fight, his "tiger" was gone, and Dempsey looked easy (to Willard).
Boxing was different back then. The rules were different the equipment was different, just the same as they were during the bare knuckle boxing days. Everything has evolved with boxing to protect boxers more. From decent gloves , gum shields and proper doctors on hand. Even down to 12 rounds now because when it all started it was last man standing was the winner. Good video.
Doc Kearns observed Willard's training camp and mentioned how much of a cheapskate he was. He didn't put together a great team to train with. Willard entered the fight not in peak shape and overconfident.
How many rounds was the Willard v Dempsey fight ? In comparison to the Willard v Johnson fight ?
Grown to love these docs you do thanks!
Roger Kahn’s book A flame of pure fire is practically the best bits out of Dempsey’s autobiographies and is recommended by me also even if he stole a lot of it. Love the Dempsey era stories
The Willard that stepped into the ring with Dempsey was the worse fighter I've ever seen. He had enormous reach, yet never ever used it to keep Dempsey at a distance. Showed absolutely no defense, and I don't believe he ever landed a single punch. It looked like Dempsey was a hoodlum beating up on a big drunk in an alley.
Good eye. He was Primo Carnera before Primo Carnera.
@@1thepner Not even close. Willard beat a fading, but still formidable Jack Johnson; Carnera beat Jack Sharkey. Willard lost to the formidable Jack Dempsey - where rules allowed Dempsey to hit him while rising; Carnera lost to the gregarious Max Baer, whose best punch was a backhand. Willard at least tried to tie up Dempsey and rest in between knockdowns; Carnera kept on jumping up like a pogo stick and had no notion of tying up his opponent.
A heavyweight is any fighter that weighs over 175pounds.Forget the stupid cruiserweight division. Rocky Marciano weighed 184,James Braddock 193,Ingemar Johansson 194,Floyd Patterson 182.Dempsey never weighed 200 pounds or over but he was very strong at 180-190 pounds.All muscle in his body.
1:02 Correction; Dempsey was champion until September 1926 not 1927.
The heading is complete rubbish. Dempsey gave Willard the mother and father of a hiding.
Ffs, watch the fkn first round. Half the time, Dempsey's hands are OPENED. He clenches his fists to punch Willard, then relaxes them when Willard is down...seven times. Dempsey's first knockdown is a four punch combo, similar to what he gave Tunney in 1927. Except in 1927, Jack jad to go to a neutral corner...
Good points! The neutral corner requirement had a major effect on fight outcomes.
Jack never loaded his gloves. Ali said the same about Liston being too strong for him before beating Liston some months later. I really like this channel. I would wish however you read more accounts because you posted about the first gypsy king out of accounts that were 100% biased as well. As a boxer and coming from a very old boxing family I would ask young people to just watch the footage of the Willard Dempsey match. The footage says it all as Jack just did something that was not (safety first) for maybe the first heavyweight championship fight which was to throw every punch with bad intentions and come out doing it at the bell. Willard as good as he was and he was very good never stood a chance against that sneak attack.
Dempsey couldn't even hold his gloves up before the fight they were that heavy, also if you WATCH without the blinkers on you will see Jack nearly having to pop a shoulder out of place to land that left hand
Agree with much of your comment. I'm referring to my statement with variables. Being if Willard came out as aggressive as Jack always was. I love Jack Dempsey. Really though Jack would be a light heavyweight today. I think like Hagler said that we need to bring back a super heavyweight division because the heavy's are too big and it's hurting the division.
@@joeallenboxingGREATEST RESPECT to you Champ. I know you know your stuff, but I think what you said in your comment adds to my answer because with the size difference between Willard and Dempsey with bone density and all that how could he break Willards jaw in 6 places according to Bert Sugar without the stuffed gloves. Peace.
It does! @@shadowbassist7992
@@shadowbassist7992even a baby can kill a full grown men if he falls from a 4th floor directly to his head. What you are seeing is the full weight of Jack dempsey in motion, not only that but precition and gravity as other factors as well. Dempsey was a powerful puncher and not just for his physique or training bet because he knew the full science of a good punch. He was accurate, smart, mean, powerful and wise fighter. Even a man like Jess Willard can have broken bones and injuries if he met a man who knew how to put all his weight and hos attacks at a insane speed.
If you watch Harry Carpenter's interview of Mike Tyson, he quotes that JW claimed in a previous interview that a bolt was found in JD's corner after the fight & that Jess had kept it in a box in his sideboard & showed it to HC during the interview. "So the plot thickens"!
You beat me to it!
Total Bullshit. 🐂 💩
It came off the ring that was hastily constructed. That is a load of BS
No.... The plot doesn't thicken at all.
There is film of them putting the gloves on. You don't think anyone would have noticed an angular bolt pressed up against the leather? If a bolt came out there must have been a hole in the glove. You don't think anyone would have noticed that during the fight?
Even if the bolt had been inside the glove with his hands steel with angles and threads would have chewed his hands right up.
If anything was found there in the ring at all it would have been from the building of the ring.
Just because something sensational was put into a book for Tyson to relate doesn't mean there's a lick of truth to it.
Total BS . Willard was in no condition to to go looking for foreign objects.
'' Willard could have killed Dempsey'' is a deliberately misleading title.You can use it for any fight in history and just insert your names of choice.Willard could never have killed Dempsey by leading with his face and moving with the speed of a tortoise as Dempsey was swarming with speed and power all over him.
Much is made of Willard's sheer weight and size as well as his strength.In that case Dempsey was in at least as much danger with only 5 ounces of leather between him and a smashed up hand.People forget why bare knuckle boxing was outlawed; to protect hands and prolong fights with head shots.The final assertions about underhand( no pun intended) tactics with what Dempsey had inside his gloves is no more than idle gossip.There's even some observers claiming( without evidence or witnesses) that Willard claimed Dempsey had a bolt in his glove and even produced it as proof.They don't seem to see how stupid that story is.If it was true he had evidence to have the fight awarded to him along with the purse, evidence to end Dempsey's career and put him and his team in prison.How would he have had it any way ? I can just see Dempsey throwing it over :'' Here you go Jess, you should put pieces of iron in your gloves but done tell the 50,000 crowd who are watching me give you this''.
It's more than likely Willard made a throw away remark in hindsight and suggests Dempsey had lightning bolts in his gloves.It's like saying ''Mike Tyson hit me and it was like he had dynamite in his gloves''. RUclips would be full of ''Tyson had explosives in his corner when winning the title - please watch and like''
The tampered gloves story originated from Dempsey's ex-manager, and it makes no sense for reasons you've pointed out.
That Willard "could" have killed a much smaller Dempsey is plausible considering his power and the fact that he did kill an opponent. This assumes, of course, that Willard could directly strike Dempsey ... which he didn't.
@@ET-RAMBLINGS Tell the truth now- the headline was click bait. I heard it was plaster of paris in dempsey's gloves but he would have broken his hands.
@@josephshields2922 Dempsey's former manager is reported to have started that rumor. People on the scene said that only fists were in Dempsey's gloves.
Clickbait? Maybe a little.
Dempsey must have had loaded gloves. He broke Willand jaw,eye socket, nose and ribs. Couldn't have done that much damage with normal gloves.
@@geoffreycliff7020 Only things loaded in Dempsey's gloves were fast fists that hit as hard as a mule's kick.
You can see the difference in muscle mass from the Johnson fight to the Dempsey fight. He simply wasn't as big or as in as good of condition as 4 years earlier. However, Dempsey claimed the hardest punch he was ever hit by was an uppercut by Williard in the 3rd round. This is remarkable considering the beating he took. I believe you can see the uppercut in edited versions.
Battling Nelson was lightweight champion, not light heavyweight
Gans tanked in one of those fights
@@MrElaboy yes, I'm aware, thanks
The btm line all Jess Willard was big and no skills, and actually Johnson through the fight to get some charges drop basically, blackmailed him out .Willard was exposed by a real fighter that happened to be awesome that's it
@@johnlegg8559 Dempsey was awesome, but actually Willard did have skills.
On that day Dempsey could of stopped anybody.
Your hilarious. talking to some of the older guys. There were several ways gloves could be loaded. And do not forget, JD dipped his hands before the fight. One old timer said they would cut the gloves and put in a hardening agent that would set up after a couple of min. Another was to push the horsehair out of the way exposing the knuckles making it a bare-knuckle fight. And there are more. Clearly judging from the damage, the gloves could not have been legal.
Reply
Great history never knew about that uppercut that shoved lower jawbone into the brains of Wilcox oponate before Demsey fight. The bell was hit with sledgehammer they had a bell.
Johnson did not lose? He was almost 40 years old. It was the 26th round. It was a fight until someone could not toe the line/stand in the ring. If they had a normal 12-15 round fight Johnson would have one on points. He wanted to come back to America, but could not do so as champion. Because of the man act. So he took the fight that he could not win? Makes no sense if he wanted to stay the champ.
Johnson was in front after 20rds ,but tired ,the fight was fought on its merits.
At that time this would be classed as a normal fight.
Very few of todays heavyweights could go 15 rounds.
The less rounds the bigger the fighter.
Plus in those times no P.E's........
I weigh 176-181 and i go to my gym and use the heavybags. Those bags are big and moving around everywhere when i hit them.I have power in a punch because im over 175 and throw my weight in the punch.
Usyk or Fury?
This would be, IMO, a bad matchup for Fury, and for the same reasons that a similar pairing proved bad for Jess Willard.
@@ET-RAMBLINGS Fury is a giant that's a fact, but different from JW and the Itaien PC in that he's so skilled, unpredictable and smart. Nevertheless, he has to figure out Usyk in order to beat him. He cannot just wear him down by trying to put all his weight on him. Usyk can cleverly avoid Fury's clinch tactics, so he has to find a new way to fight. After all, Usyk is not that small.
@etscofield no way.
Eff that WASP!
I watched this fight on You Tube a couple of weeks ago, I have never seen a more brutal fight. Dempsey hit him with so many punches and with such fury I don't know how Willard lasted as long as he did.
This has been argued to exhaustion. The same rules in the ring applied to everyone, they didn't have as many safeguards for fighters back then. Unfortunately for the fighters, you were allowed to hit your opponent as soon as both gloves left the canvas. Dempsey was more skilled and by all accounts a champion of his time.
Good point! Had 1920 rules continued, many fight results since would be different.
Willard was a giant of a man, and strong as an ox. He withstood a pretty good beating from Jack Johnson too until Johnson had nothing left and succumbed to the giant farm boy. In the Dempsey fight, after everyone discovered Willard wasn't knocked out in the first round, the fight continued, and Willard was still standing and punching back until the end. Willard had what you call country strength, or natural strength, to an extreme level.
This is a good explanation of Willard!!
thank you! And great video by the way@@ET-RAMBLINGS
Willard told British boxing pundit Harry Carpenter that Dempsey cheated and brought out a large bolt that was found at ringside after the fight ,Willard had kept it all those years and said with bitterness that Dempsey had it in his fist and hit him with it breaking his eye socket etc. It was on a show with Harry Carpenter and Mike Tyson called THE HEAVYWEIGHTS , I think it may be on YT ,well worth a look.
@@barblessable Considering Willard's injuries in that fight, there may be truth in some of the stories of the bolt or lack of glove padding or "plastered" wrappings.
There exists, though, no proof, and others present at Dempsey's wrapping and putting of the gloves say there was nothing to those stories.
What's a "pile driver uppercut"?
I've heard it all from the plaster to the concrete to the horse piss to even just let it lay out in the rain for a couple days. Let it Go the fight old and over with jes Willard got his ass whooped. That's all it is to it
Man if you look at the thumbnail, Dempsey has a mean tan-line! Haha😅
And his thumbs are sticking out from his gloves? What’s that about?
Jahrn, rules changed dramatically after the late 1920's. One major problem was danger to eyes, and this continued too long because of the loose thumb that damaged the eye of Ray Leonard plus many before (ex. Sam Langford) and since.
Today, many boxers use either a thumbless or thumb attached glove. It should, IMO, be mandated for all matches.
Dempsey preferred outdoor under the sun workouts, thus the prominent tan line. This is very apparent when he destroyed Jess Willard.
He’s wearing training gloves also known as bag gloves.
Willard like Carnera were big strong men but not necessarily born fighters . They could beat a majority of the men out there because of they’re size and physical strength. Throughout history big fighters have a hard time with smaller powerful guys like Dempsey,Marciano,Frazier and Mike Tyson . The only truly giant heavyweight
meaning over 6’6” that I’ve seen is a true
Natural fighter is Tyson Fury . The other group between 6’ and 6’6” is a listing of the best of all time Ali,Louis,Liston,Foreman,Lewis too many to list .
Yeah, and current fight fans think those guys couldn't beat the "Super heavyweights" today. They weren't "real heavyweights"? All they need do is watch Dempsey v Willard- Louis v Abe Simon- Baer v Carnera- Louis v Carnera- Marciano v Walcott and Frazier v Mathis to name a few.
Carnera was actually more skilled than given credit for.
@@josephpinador7949 Agreed you don’t become heavyweight champion without skill but once you get there everyone is the top of the food chain.
@@josephpinador7949 I agree. I’ve watched some of his fights and he seemed to have some skills. He definitely wasn’t as bad as the writers of that era seemed to depict him
Tyson Fury u bet He is the best
A fighter can weigh 176 pounds and is technically a heavyweight.Jack Dempsey was a real true heavyweight and Willard was a strong super heavyweight at 245.
His power mysteriously vanished after he came back to the ring. Highly suspect.
You make a good point here, but Dempsey's decline may have had more to do with living the high life, eating regularly and marrying a Hollywood actress.
@@ET-RAMBLINGS without a doubt, but I was actually just referring to this fight. I suspect that he did have something in his gloves. That he ditched it when he left the ring momentarily.
Jess Willard stood zero chance in winning the match against Dempsey, or even a single round. Dempsey was a professionally trained, and skilled boxer. Jess Willard was a large man, who had minimal boxing training or skill and he was very clumsy and slow.
The question should also be asked, how would the Willard that defeated Johnson have faired against the 1919 Dempsry that defeated him. He had not fought in a few years/
True, and Jess was lackadaisical in his preparation for Dempsey, who was as fit in 1919 as he ever got in his career.
The other thing is, Toledo is basically a swamp. I spent many a (pleasant) hot summer day there at softball tournaments. The last thing any man in his right mind wants to do under such circumstances is leave the shade, let along fight.
Many in attendance noted the severity of the heat in Toledo. Several people reported on Willard's lackadaisical training. He appears to have not taken the yet well known Dempsey seriously.
Good Vid
Your viewing community is leaving comments as interesting as the video!
No plaster of Paris on Dempsey's fists, just tape, hard knuckles, and a "tiger's" instinct for battle! That story was really noticed the first time coming from an embittered ex-manager, Doc Kearns. Doc was a great trainer/manager of fighters.After Dempsey and Kearns split up their manager/boxer contract, Kearns would sue Dempsey numerous times out of our spite and hard feelings. He wrote his autobiography long after he retired. He stated that Dempsey had plaster of Paris on his fist that was put on right prior to the Willard fight. Williard's manager was present at Dempsey's taping of his hands, as one of Dempsey's reps was present when Willard had his hands taped. Jack did not have to cheat to win. Kearns would cheat, but not Jack. Kearns story had no witnesses, other than himself, and no one mentioned this until years after the fact. Just a leisurely investigation can turned the Kearns plaster of Paris accusation.
A 'lion's instinct would be more accurate, as tigers don' t naturally like battles and try and avoid them if they can. Male lions on the other hand fight on a regular basis, fighting being their primary role, their bodies are 'engineered' by nature for this.
Using any such '' hard '' substance would destroy a fighter's hands...the reason gloves are used in the first place.
I wrote a "fight again another day" song about the so called "greatest beatdown in boxing history". Very glad I found this video. Thank you. I definitely didn't realize how bad Jess Willard suffered from lax, antiquated officiating. Wow! Despicable, the punches thrown while the man was down.
You could stand over a fighter and hit him as he tried to get up. There was no going to the neutral corner yet. It was the implementation of that rule that led to the famous long count in the Dempsey/Tunney fight. Dempsey knocked Tunney down but forgot the new rule of going to a neutral corner giving Tunney 4 to 5 extra seconds to recover.
Dempsey lost the title in 1926, not the following year. As for the headline, "Willard could have killed Jack Dempsey!", it seems to me that barring the introduction of firearms, Jess would have had a hard time living up to that billing.
Jack Dempsey was a strong 180 plus pounds.Thats heavyweight. He was all muscle and had power.Any fighter that weighs over 175 pounds can hit like a heavyweight. Thats 1000 newtons of force in a punch.
Jess Willard was not a serious match for Dempsey. He was beaten around the ring like a bag of dirt. Had Willard fought Jack Johnson in his prime years, he would have been KO’d.
My name is Tate willard that's my 3rd cousin we are farmers I'm a good boxer at 6 feet. Were Irish willard from north Ireland leave it alone Jack kicked his ass. How would you people know anything he was a kind big man.
Willard was popular in the U.S. after this destruction of Johnson in Cuba. Some Americans, however, were upset because he lost interest in defending his championship belt. Others felt he didn't show enough support for the American war effort.
Those close to Willard said nothing but good things about him, and that the noble Jess Willard in the movies reflected how the man actually was.
Did referees ever stop fights in those days?
Seldom did a ref stop a fight before the WBA was created in 1921. Usually, it was local police who stepped in, but only to prevent a riot among the fan. Tommy Burns fought several times as champ when the ref sat among the fans!!!
Rules established in 1927 demanded that a ref force a fighter to a neutral corner when the opponent was down. This had major implications for fighters like Dempsey. (See films of his fight with Willard.)
Despite all the changes ... beginning with the Marquis of Queensbury rules ... too many boxers ended up with brain damage and even death.
One argument suggests that the rules may have had negative consequences. For instance, the boxing gloves ... to protect the hands ... allowed fighters to concentrate more on the hard skulls as opposed to the body.
love to see him fight Tyson Fury similar heights etc
I'll tell you, yes Jack destroyed Willard. But the man kept getting back up.
Good point, John! Willard was very durable, and Dempsey would have had trouble maintaining that pace had the fight gone on for many rounds. On the other hand, Willard was already severely damaged, and more beating could have proved fatal if the fight continued.
With 5 oz. gloves it was basically a bare knuckle fight!! Dempsey worked his hands to be solid because he started out in barrooms with bare knuckles!
We gotta get this to Ramsey Dewey
LOL!!!
Ramsey broke this fight down recently.
Both channels did a good job .
Right then why did Dempsey DESTROY Willie
To me seeing this fight so many times. The only way JD could have done that much damage is his gloves were loaded. Jess went 26 with Jack J and didn't have a scratch. JD's trainer said his gloves were loaded. And JD who always dipped his hands in water after taping. That activated the plaster that was mixed in the horsehair gloves. No, you say! The gloves suddenly disappeared after the fight. Jess was reported as saying when he shook JD's hands after the fight the gloves felt funny. Is that when they were gone, yes! Years later JD said he had the gloves, and when ask to produce them, which would have ended the debate, he refused. If you were to take this case to court with what we know the jury would be unanimous in saying they, the gloves were loaded! In short JD cheated.
Given the severe damage to Willard's head ... which appears to be from being struck by a bag of rocks ... it's understandable that people still rage on about Dempsey's gloves a century after the fight; but, evidence and testimony favor the untampered gloves story.
@@ET-RAMBLINGS Better check the evidence again. 1- The gloves were not available to be examined after the fight. 2- JD's Trainer said the gloves were loaded.3- JD said he had the gloves but would not show them to anyone. 4- Williard and no other fighter ever looked that bad after a fight. All the evidence supports loaded gloves. Jess said in an interview I saw. He still had a piece of bone floating in his cheek. Yup, they were loaded.
BS Sports Illustrated proved Plaster of Paris on wraps does not work they experimented by having Cleveland Williams wear it ,It crumbled to nothing when Williams hit the bag .
hilarious accusations, Dempsey gloved his hands in full view of Willard and his team in the ring as the footage shows, yet none of them objected to anything. Plaster of Paris tests were done by Boxing Illustrated in 1965 after Kearns coined the allegation (Willard meanwhile claimed Dempsey had a metal bolt) and the tests showed if used in the manner Kearns claimed, the gloves would have broken Dempseys hands and wrists within 10 punches. Also, Dempsey doing that much damage was hardly abnormal, he often knocked out much larger opponants in Fulton, Morris, Gunboat Smith, Homer Smith, etc all in the first round. The only thing odd here is that Jess lasted a full 3. A prime Jack Johnson was never as quick on his feet nor combinations or as tenacious as Jack Dempsey, and a 37 year old overweight one was even less such. This combined with Willards inactivity for almost three years and Dempsey's previous one sided victories explain the one sided Dempsey Willard bout
@@DHEMGHJS SI tried 1 way. There were several that were used. Another one was to put a hardening agent in the horsehair, or to literally move the padding out of the way so you had bone on leather which was tantamount to a bare-knuckle fight.
the most obvious for me is the low blows while Willard is getting back to his feet, the reffing in this bout was absolute sh**
Rules then were different from today, and referees were often lax in enforcing the existing ones ... in particular during big money fights.
with all due respect, fighters with "loaded" gloves are as old as the hills and still persist today. Willard indeed may have been very strong (as was Primo Carnero and we saw what Louis did to him) but that doesn't always translate to a big punch. Personally I think a prime George Foreman would have put Willard away in the first round.
Still trying to figure out how Dempsey held a metal bolt in his glove while grasping the top rope at least once with either hand. Also trying to figure why Willard would send blind cornermen to Dempsey's corner to watch the wrapping of the plaster of paris encrusted tape on Dempsey's hands.
Surprised Dempsey hasn't been accused of hiding a horseshoe inside his glove.😆
Very fishy that Dempseys trainer stood to win $100,000 dollars for a first round knockout of Jess Willard tho. Glad the jigging buffoon didnt win that bet . I mean Willard was a giant who had beaten Jack Johnson. Even that fight was deemed a dive by Johnson However. Sounds like Boxing back then was totally corrupt .....
It's well documented that fighters, their managers or promoters and even the mob dictated fight results since even before the sport was officially organized. That said, I do think that Dempsey and Kearns did expect a quick win against Willard. In fact, Willard was almost done by the end of round one.
I don’t know about this particular fight, but boxing was riddled with corruption at that time, and stayed that way until at least the 1960s!
Primo Carnera was probably the strongest of them all. It didn't help him either.
Great job! Dempsey lost the title in 1926.
Johnson admitted that he was beaten
Well this is pure horse feathers... Jack Johnson wrote in his autobiography (read it) he tanked the fight with Willard... Newspapers reported Johnson easily won the first 20 rounds, outpunching Willard 10-1 ... Johnson did nothing for the next 5 rounds as the crowed booed ... they even reported that Johnson told a runner after the 25th round, to tell his wife to leave the area, because he was ending the fight in the next round ... NOBODY heard the KO punch land. It didn't. Johnson went down very gently and shaded his eyes from the sun as he was counted out. His wife had signaled to him that she had all the documents that would allow Johnson (a fugitive from justice) back into the United States. He would only serve one year in prison while getting training, fighting, and coaching privileges. His wife needing to get all the documents from government lawyers and get to her box seat to signal Johnson, is why the fight went 26 rounds. All Willard's fights with Bull Young were fixed, in that he had no chance in hell, and was used to pad Willard's record. Young was a horrible fighter. Dempsey remarked that punching Willard was like throwing pine cones at the side of a barn. It certainly looked that way.
You know, they have video of the Johnson-Willard fight that you can check out on youtube. The final KO punch is easily visible to see and a big shot that Johnson catches with his left jaw. His head moves back. In the 26th round on a humid, 100 + degree day, pretty much no one would get back up. After the count Johnson is still lying there, not getting up. Forget what Jack Johnson writes in his bio.
@@thomashahn631 The motion of the SUPPOSED KO PUNCH is shown in the video. It did not land. Nobody heard it. Nearly all newspaper reports stated people doubted the punch landed. Johnson went down and immediately shaded his eyes from the sun with his right forearm during the count. The weather report for the day was balmy. It wasn't hot and ringsiders even had heavy suit jackets on as they jumped in the ring after the match. It was a total fake. Johnson tanked the fight. He backed up with his hands way down below his waist, setting up the fake KO shot. The first right didn't work well for a fake KO, so he kept inviting the same punch, with his hands way, way down.
I don't understand the title. WILLARD COULD HAVE KILLED JACK DEMPSEY! ?? How??
Willared had, in fact, killed a young heavyweight; thus, he had potential to do the same to Dempsey.
Lol Dempsey toppled Willard 7 times in the first round. Who could of killed who again ?
Jack had stuffed gloves in that fight
Yeah stuffed with his fists.
Astonishing,I'd know idea
Not likely
You didnt watch the same fight. Jack kicked his ass. All 1 sided the entire fight.
We all saw the damn fight. Williard couldn't do anything. Stop with the silliness.
After watching the Johnson fight I thought Willard was much better than most gave him credit for, and it made me suspicious about how Dempsey could knock him around so easily.
Dempsey knocked out most of his opponants pre title very easily. He knocked out Fred Fulton in 18 seconds, a man who Willard blatantly ducked after Fulton knocked him down in an exhibition. He knocked out such big hard hitting men as Gunboat Smith, Carl Morris, Homer Smith, and others all in the first round. I see no reason to find anything with Willard suspicious when Dempsey was constantly doing this to his oppositon. The plaster of Paris thing was debunked after tests done by boxing illustrated in 1965 showed Jack would have broken his own hands plus Dempseys hands were wrapped and gloves in full view of Willard before the fight as seen by the footage.
Willard was a fraud Johnson threw the fight for leniency Dempsey exposed it
Believe something going on with Dempsey and that fight !
There are several reasons to suspect something, but no 100% reliable account has come up yet to prove Dempsey's gloves were "loaded".
He might not have been the toughest but kind and tough.
Jack Johnson laid down he was shadings his eyes from the son because he lost he got to come back to America, Dempsey rumor was he dunked his left hand in water as he entered the ring which made his wrap like a case but Dempsey was just better and won
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Saved by the bell whilst being down about 25 seconds
video on my page shows wlad was way more advanced than primo,and the guy he fought was a way more advanced Louis,you cant change video with words you’re exposed lunatic
I doubt Willard could've "killed" Dempsey. Dempsey was a strong man and could take a punch. Willard could not defend himself at all.
Willard proved that he "could" kill an opponent. It's doubtful that he had the power to harm Dempsey for reason you've pointed out.
He would have if Dempseys gloves weren't loaded.When you watch the fight. Watch how Dempsey is holding his hands up.
Absurd.
Willard was a cheapskate. He didn't hire the best team to prepare him for the fight. Plus, Dempsey's style was made to defeat larger opponents by fighting in a lower stance.
Years later didn't Willard swear not only that Dempsey had a bolt in his glove, but Willard actually showed people the bolt!
Several accounts have Dempsey's gloves weighted by different means ... none verified.
Bullshit.
Let's see... A bolt, brass knuckles, plaster of paris, cement... how about a ball-peen hammer. And Dempsey must've brought all that to the Firpo fight in 1923.