I selected Jack Dempsey (Cherokee) for the NDN All-Stars team because – he was the best and toughest boxer of the first half of the 20th Century, and the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World for SEVEN YEARS!
There have been a lot of books written about NDN All-Star #6 Jack Dempsey (Cherokee) so there are tons of resources where you can find out more about his life and his boxing career. I will provide a short list of some of the books that I have read below. His story of growing up in poverty and having to fight in bars and back alleys to earn food money gives you an idea of the determination he had to make it to the top.
And on July 4, 1919 – in Toledo, OH, he did just that. Dempsey shocked the world when he savagely beat the reigning Heavyweight Champion Jess Willard into submission. The extent of the beating cannot be exaggerated. Willard’s face was a bloody pulp, he lost teeth, and had his jaw and facial bones broken. You can see the actual fight here.
After boxing, Jack Dempsey became a successful business man and restaurant owner. He also dabbled in acting, making a few movies in Hollywood.
NDN All-Star #6 Jack Dempsey’s legacy and impact on the sport of boxing lives on today. His fighting style is studied and emulated by current fighters of all weight classes. Former Heavyweight Champion “Iron” Mike Tyson has said many times that his ultimate boxing hero – and the fighter that he tried most to emulate – is Jack Dempsey.
What greater compliment can you get?
NDN All-Star #6 Jack Dempsey (Cherokee) is certainly deserving of a spot on the NDN All-Stars roster.
Suggested reading:
- Kid Blackie: Jack Dempsey’s Colorado Days by Toby Smith
- Dempsey and the Wild Bull: The Four Minute Fight of the Century by John Jarrett
- When Dempsey Fought Tunney: Heroes, Hokum and Storytelling in the Jazz Age by Bruce J. Evensen
- A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring ’20s by Roger Kahn
#ndnallstars #jackdempsey #cherokee #boxing #heavyweight #champion
If you enjoy the content here and would like to help support our mission of celebrating great Native athletes of the past and present, please take a look at our NDN All-Stars Shop. Proceeds from every purchase help us continue to retell these stories. Also, if you would like to donate to this effort, please visit our Patreon page.
Thank you for your support!