Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1919 to 1926, Jack Dempsey, also known as the Manassa Mauler, began his boxing career as a skinny boy of sixteen, riding the rails and participating in hastily staged saloon bouts against miners and lumberjacks. In this incisive, fast-paced biography, Randy Roberts charts the life and career of a man widely regarded as one of the toughest ever to enter the ring. He details Dempsey's transition from barroom fights to professional boxing and his emerging reputation for fast, brutal knockouts. Roberts draws on a wealth of newspaper articles and interviews to chronicle Dempsey's rise to the heavyweight championship and his six title defenses. Also included are accounts of the eventual loss of his title to Gene Tunney in 1926, and the rematch in 1927, which Dempsey also lost in the infamous "long count." After continuing to fight in exhibitions, Dempsey retired from boxing in 1940 with an astonishing 64 victories, 49 of them knockouts. Roberts tells of the building of this record, including accounts of Dempsey's forays into Hollywood, the controversy over his alleged draft-dodging, his long life after retirement, and his enduring legacy as one of the greatest fighters in boxing history.
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"In a creative and flowing literary style, but with keen attention to detail and judicious analyses of his material, Roberts approaches the heralded heavyweight champion as a legend and symbol of his age... Jack Dempsey: The Manassa Mauler is a first-rate slice of Americana. It is fresh, witty, entertaining, and serious." --Washington Post Book World
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I write stories that I would like to read, stories about sports and film icons who had an impact on American history. People like John Wayne, Joe Louis, and Muhammad Ali. My most recent book is "A Team for America: The Army-Navy Game That Rallied a Nation." It's the story of a West Point football team during World War II, striving to win a national championship before they shipped off to the battle front. It was their last chance to be boys before the nation demanded that they be men. During the months between D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge the team gave the millions of American soldiers around the world something to celebrate. After their last game General Douglas MacArthur wired Coach Red Blaik, "THE GREATEST OF ALL ARMY TEAMS. WE HAVE STOPPED THE WAR TO CELEBRATE YOUR MAGNIFICENT SUCCESS."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A solidly written biography,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jack Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler (Paperback)
Jack Dempsy: The Manassa Mauler by Randy Roberts (Professor of History, Purdue University) is a solidly written biography of the famous Heavyweight Champion of the World who held that title from 1919 to 1926. From Jack Dempsy's childhood and his rough-and-tumble beginning of a boxing career at 16; to his rise to the top -- and eventual defeat; to his retirement from boxing in 1940 with sixty-four victories (forty-nine of them by knockout), and more, Jack Dempsy: The Manassa Mauler is an excellent and very highly recommended contribution to Professional Boxing History, and a "must read" biography for dedicated fans of "the sweet science".
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The manassa mauler,
By
This review is from: Jack Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler (Paperback)
Jack Dempsey has always been my favorite boxer, , Randy Roberts did his home work before writing this wonderful book. He went into great detail, when Dempsey fought Firpo ,and when he lost his title to Gene Tunney.Anyone who enjoys reading about heavyweight champions from the past, will really love this book. i still go back and read my favorite chapters over again. Kenny Hetrick
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
AS ALMOST every frontier historian since Frederick Jackson Turner has proclaimed, the western frontier was the spawning ground for that nebulous figure of the late nineteenth century, the American hero. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
boxing bill, million dollar gate, license committee, boxing commission, exhibition bouts, heavyweight division, long count, heavyweight championship fight, former champion, bad nigger, lightweight champion Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, United States, Jack Dempsey, San Francisco, Great Falls, Salt Lake City, Grantland Rice, Nat Fleischer, Madison Square Garden, Tex Rickard, Atlantic City, Great War, Jack Johnson, Paul Gallico, Dan Daniel, Jersey City, New Jersey, Los Angeles, New Orleans, American Legion, Bill Tate, Doc Kearns, Harry Wills, Jess Willard, World War New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
AS ALMOST every frontier historian since Frederick Jackson Turner has proclaimed, the western frontier was the spawning ground for that nebulous figure of the late nineteenth century, the American hero. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
boxing bill, million dollar gate, license committee, boxing commission, exhibition bouts, heavyweight division, long count, heavyweight championship fight, former champion, bad nigger, lightweight champion Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, United States, Jack Dempsey, San Francisco, Great Falls, Salt Lake City, Grantland Rice, Nat Fleischer, Madison Square Garden, Tex Rickard, Atlantic City, Great War, Jack Johnson, Paul Gallico, Dan Daniel, Jersey City, New Jersey, Los Angeles, New Orleans, American Legion, Bill Tate, Doc Kearns, Harry Wills, Jess Willard, World War New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
17
books
cite this book:
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- City Games: The Evolution of American Urban Society and the Rise of Sports (Sport and Society) by Steven A. Riess in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Manly Art by Elliott J. Gorn in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Beyond the Ring: THE ROLE OF BOXING IN AMERICAN SOCIETY (Sport and Society) by Jeffrey T. Sammons in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Winning is the Only Thing: Sports in America since 1945 (The American Moment) by Randy Roberts in Back Matter
- Understanding Masculinities by MAC AN GHAILL on page 167
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