Eps 9: Jess Willard vs. Jack Dempsey
The 10-minute podcast titled "Jess Willard vs. Jack Dempsey" talks about the historic boxing match that took place on July 4, 1919, between the reigning champion Jess Willard and the up-and-coming challenger Jack Dempsey. The match was held in Toledo, Ohio, and attracted a record-breaking crowd of 20,000 people. The fight was brutal, with Dempsey delivering a series of crushing blows that ultimately led to a knockout victory in the third round. The victory propelled Dempsey into boxing stardom and cemented his place in history as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
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Host
Vickie Pearson
Podcast Content
Welcome to this episode of our podcast, where we'll take a closer look at the epic encounter between two legendary boxers - Jess Willard and Jack Dempsey. The fight, which took place on July 4th, 1919, at the Bay View Park Arena in Toledo, Ohio, was marketed as the "Fight of the Century," and it certainly lived up to its billing.
Jess Willard, the challenger, was a towering figure, standing at 6 feet 6 inches and weighing over 240 pounds. He had a solid record of 21 wins and only one loss, and had earned a reputation as a fearsome fighter, known for his devastating right hand. In contrast, Jack Dempsey, the reigning champion, was much shorter and lighter, at 6 feet 1 inch and 187 pounds. However, he had an impressive record, with 47 wins, 6 losses, and 9 draws, and had earned the title of "Manassa Mauler" for his relentless aggression in the ring.
In the lead up to the fight, both fighters were confident of victory, with Willard boasting that he would "lick Dempsey inside of ten rounds," while Dempsey predicted that he would win by knockout in four rounds. However, as the opening bell rang, it quickly became apparent that Dempsey was the one in control. He landed a series of hard blows to Willard's face, knocking him down seven times in the first round alone.
Despite his size and strength, Willard was unable to withstand the ferocity of Dempsey's attacks, and by the end of the third round, he was battered and bloodied, with his left eye swollen shut. However, he refused to give up, and continued to battle on, absorbing punishment after punishment.
In the fourth round, Dempsey delivered a final devastating blow, a left hook that knocked Willard down for the last time. The referee stopped the fight, and Dempsey was declared the winner, the new heavyweight champion of the world.
The aftermath of the fight was controversial, with many questioning whether Dempsey's gloves had been loaded with a plaster-like substance, which he used to inflict even more damage on Willard's face. However, no conclusive evidence was ever found, and Dempsey went on to become one of the greatest boxers of all time, defending his title several times before retiring in 1928.
Willard, on the other hand, never fully recovered from the brutal beating he received in the ring that day. He fought only sporadically over the next few years, before retiring in 1923 at the age of 40.
The fight between Jess Willard and Jack Dempsey remains one of the most iconic moments in boxing history, a testament to the grit and determination of both fighters. It was a symbolic passing of the torch from one generation of boxers to the next, from the lumbering giants of old to the lightning-fast maulers of the modern era. It was the Fight of the Century, and it will always be remembered as a true classic.