Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #222987 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

Synopsis
A biography of the nation's first celebrity heavyweight champ retraces the life of Jack Dempsey--hobo, roughneck, boxer, millionaire, movie star, and eventually, a man of compassion and generosity.

Customer Reviews

Superb biography
Jack Dempsey is one of the legendary figures of boxing. A man whose myth grows and grows and whose life is crying out to be turned into a hollywood film. His destruction of Jess Willard, his million dollar fights with Georges Carpentier and Gene Tunney and his 4 minute war with Luis Angel Firpo have turned him into a twentieth century icon. This book tells you all of the details of these stories and also catalogues some of the less well known aspects of his life. Dempsey comes across as a complex figure, a ferocious in ring warrior who would do whatever it took to win a fight, but also a gentle and generous man outside of the ring whose easy going nature made him a target for less charitable people. He lived a hard life before he became World Champion and even though he became immensely successful and popular in his later years he never forgot who he was or where he came from. If you are interested in Dempsey and the history of boxing in the early twentieth century, this is the only book you will ever need to read.

Engrossing Social and Sporting History
I've not quite finished this book yet, but I can say already that this is the best one I've read in many a year.

They author's narrative style is very easy on the eye, and his closeness to the champ reveals a depth of insight that serves the book well. He is obviously full of admiration for Dempsey and conveys this in his description of the man. The interleaving of Dempsey's story with the depiction of 'Twenties America is skillfully done and the it melds into a real page-turner.

Excellent stuff.

Dempsey of The Roaring 20's
When Jack Dempsey climbed into the ring to box Jess Willard for the world heavyweight crown, this excellent book shows a photograph of Jack's left hand wrapped in bandages.
Maybe you think - so what? Well, after Jack had demolished Willard, the Kansas said Jack had come into the ring with his gloves on and his hands encased in plaster of Paris. This one photograph puts everything straight. Jack needed only his fists to win.
This book gives you an accurate view of Jack's life and the times he lived in. It is beautifully written and is a pleasure to read. If you are a Jack Dempsey fan then this publication is for you.