Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-06-22
JACK DEMPSEY IS
JUST 26 YEARS old
CBy Associated Press)

New York, unc Zl-W1lilam
Harrison Dempsey, the name by
which the worlds champion was
christened, was born 70 years
ago in ManasSa. Colo. The pre-
fix Jack" was assumed by the
big fellow when he had grown
to mans estate, and had chosen
the hstic ring Tor a livelihood. As
fighter ne has had til, idea and
good one, that by assuming the
Christian name of sack some
of the glamour if not the wonder
full boxing science which the orig
inal Jack Dempsey, Brooklyn's
famous "Nonpareil,' possessed
as the middleweight title holder
might revert to him.
The champion is the sixth of Il
family of eight. Three of his
brothers and three of his sisters
are alive but the youngest OF the
eight, who was named Bruce,
died about two years ago. When
Dempsey was seven years old
his parents, Hiram and Celia
Dempsey, with al! their children,
moved from Manassa to MontrO-
Sc, Col. where they lived for nine
years. Then the Dempsew house
hold was shifted tC Salt Lake
City. and that is the place which
hey, including the champion.
claim as their home. D..
Born of rugged parents Dcmp-
,ey claims that lie has Irish.
scotch ard Indian blood in his
veins and insists that the n9n;-
ing qualities ;or which all three
IF these races are famous have
been bred in the bone and blood
md have cOtne down to HIM i'll
generous portions from his ante
cedentS. sad
Most of Dempscy's early life
was spent in The open on farm
)ut later he alternatcd by work
ing in the mines except i'll har-
est time when he found it more
remunerative to devote his
strength to reaping wheat and
other crops in the grain belt. In
this way he kept himself in fine
physical condition, the hard la
Dor developing the wonderful
muscles which proved to the such
useful factor in his winning the
worlds heavyweight title.
Unlike his challenger, Carpen-
tier, Dempsey bad very little ear
y training for a career in the
lighting arena. while the French
hampton was a close student of
he glove game and an actual
competitor when he entered his
teens"
According to Dcmpsey's own
story his first fstic encounter
vas in an improvised ring at
Montrose, Col. when he was -
years old. His opponent was a
Young blacksmith, named Woods
whom he knocked out in the third
-ound. This initial contest net
ted the now champion SIS. His
next fight also resulted in a third
round knockout Andy Malloy,
who had previously walloped one
Of Dempsey's older brothers, be-
ing the victim.
When he was 20 years old he
began rowing around, taking on
a bout whenever the opportunity
offered, while between times he
returned to odd farming jobs or
worked as a miner. His first
eastern experience in the fight
ing arena was in New York City
where he met Andre Anderson,
Wild Burt Kenney and Lester
Johnson, a negro in ten round no
lecision bouts. This was in 1916
During the following year Jack
knocked out Al Norton and Char
ley Miller, each in one round.
Later he won from Willie Nee
han, Carl Morris, Bob McAllis
ter and Gunboat Smith in four
round bouts in California and
was knocked out in one round by
Jim Flynn, the Pueblo Fire
man. In the following year
Dempsey reversed this by knock
ing Flynn out in a single round
and followed Up with series OF
knockouts, among them being
Fred Fulton, Battling Levinsky
I