Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1921-06-24
HISTORY OF JACK DEMPSEY
Who VIII Fight Carpenter on
July 2 for Championship

the name by which the world s
heavyweight champion was
christened, was born &c years
ago in Manassa, Colorado. The
prefix Jack" was assumed by
the big fellow when he had
grown to mans estate, and had
chosen the fistic ring for a live
lihood. AS a fighter he had the
idea and good one, that by as
suming the Christian name of
Jack" some of the blamor if not
the wonderful boxing science
which the original Jack Demp-
sey, Brooklyn's famous Non
pariel." possessed as the middle
weight title holder might revert
to him.
The champion is the sixth
child of a family of eight. Three
of his brothers and three 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 Demp-
sey, with all their children
moved from Manassa to Mont
rose, Colorado, where they lived
for nine years. Then the Demp-
sey household was shifted to Salt
Lake City. Utah, and that is the
place which they, including the
champion, claim as their home.
Born Of rugged-parents Demp-
sey claims that he has Irish,
Scotch and Indian blood in his
veins, and insists that the fight
ing qualities for which all three
races are famous have been bred
in the bone and blood and have
come to him in generous portions
from his anteoedents.
Most of Dempsey's early life
was spent in the open on a farm
but later he altelnated by work.
ing in the mines except in har-
vest time when he found it more
remunerative to devote his
strength to reaping wheat and
other crops in the grain belt. In
this way Dempsey kent himself
in fine physical condition, the
hard labor developing the Won
derful muscles which proved to
be such useful factor in his
winning the worlds heavyweight
title.
Unlike his challenger, Carpen-
tier. Dempsey had very little
early training for a career in the
fighting arena, while the French
champion was a close student of
the glove game and an actual
competitor when he entered his
teens"
According to Dempsey's own
story his first fistic encounter
was in an improvised ring at
Montrose. Colorado. when he was
about 10 years old. His oppon-
ent was young blacksmith
named Woods. whom he knocked
out in the third round. This
initial contest netted the now
champion S25. The next fight
also resulted in a third round
knockout Andy Malloy, who
had previously walloped one of
Dempsev's older brothers, being
the victim.
When he was 20 years old
Dempsey began rowing around,
taking on a bout whenever the
opportunity offered, between
times he returned to odd farm
ing Jobs or worked as a miner.
His first Eastern experience in
fighting arena was in New York
city where he met Andre Ander-
son. Wild Burt Kennedy and Les.
ter Johnson, negro in a 9 round
no decision bout, This was in
1915.
During the following year
Dempsey knocked out AL Norton
and Charley Miller, each in one
round. Later he won from Will
lie Meehan, Carl Morris. Bob Nc
Allister and Gunboat Smith in
four round bouts in California
and was knocked out in one
round by jim Flynn, the Pueblo
Fireman. In the following year
Dempsey reversed this by knock
ing Flynn out in a single round
and following up with a series
of knockouts among his victims
reing Fred Fulton, Battling
Levinsky, Porky Flynn, Arthur
Pelkey and Terry Kellar.
Dempsey's banner year was in
1919 when after scoring five
knockouts of one round each in
Pennsylvania ard Connecticut.
he won the title bv stopping the
hiu EanSaS 7 Willard of Tola