American Legends: The Life of Jack Dempsey

*Discusses the facts, legends, and controversies surrounding Dempsey's most famous fights.

*Includes pictures of Dempsey and other important people and events in his life.

*Includes a Bibliography for further reading.

*Includes a Table of Contents. 


"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." – Jack Dempsey


A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. 


During a time when America’s heroes were recognized for toughness and strength, Jack Dempsey was the prototypical “golden boy” of the Roaring Twenties. Just as Babe Ruth, Red Grange, Bill Tilden and Bobby Jones were the signature figures for their respective sports, Dempsey personified the sport of boxing. 


Dempsey’s aggressive style in the ring and the punch he packed made him the heavyweight champion by 1913, and as he continued to hold the title into the 1920s, he became one of his era’s biggest celebrities. Everyone wanted to see Dempsey box, and his bouts started shattering attendance records and purse records, but he was also a cultural icon and pop culture mainstay. His 1921 bout against Frenchman Georges Carpentier was the first event to be nationally broadcast over radio. 


By the time Dempsey lost the title to U.S. Marine Gene Tunney in 1926 and retired following their controversial 1927 rematch (a fight known as “The Long Count”), he was one of the most popular and richest athletes in history, and he parlayed that into success in everything from owning a restaurant to authoring books. He continued to be a hit (figuratively) while on duty in the Pacific during World War II, and when he died at the age of 87 in 1985, the legend’s last words were reportedly “I'm too mean to die."


American Legends: The Life of Jack Dempsey chronicles the life of boxing’s first icon inside and outside the ring. Along with pictures of important people, and places, you will learn about the Manassa Mauler like you never have before, in no time at all.