Fitzsimmons vs NP Dempsey

[GPater11093]

Reading about this fight and this is a very overlooked win.

Nonpareil Dempsey was thought to be well - Nonpareil, at the time and regarded by some as the Greatest boxer that had ever lived. It was unimaginable that he could be beaten, especially by a young ginger from Australia.

Fitzsimmons had had a few fights and beaten a few good fighters and came over to america and registered afew wins to let him known to american audiences before challenging Dempsey. He was still somewhat unknown and not regarded highly at all. One of Fitzsimmons many biographers Dale Webb claims this fight to be akin to someone coming from a British gym and challenging Mike Tyson (this quote was around the early 90s).

Now Fitzsimmons really gave Dempsey a hiding and battered the great fighter and KO'd him. Surely this win is overlooked when regarding great wins?

Also can anyone tell me about the actual fight, can find plenty pre fight stuff but no fight reports.

[McGrain]

It was a hiding, basically, a one-sided thrashing.

[GPater11093]

What I thought.

So a complete domination over arguably the best fighter that had ever lived up till that point, no a half bad win.

[McGrain]

Dempsey was past his best though. I have fight reports for this one somewhere, i'll maybe dig some bits and bobs out tomorrow, remind me if I forget.

[GPater11093]

Dempsey was past his best though. I have fight reports for this one somewhere, i'll maybe dig some bits and bobs out tomorrow, remind me if I forget.

Nice one. Dempsey was past his best but he was still a very good operater and still probably the best fighter in boxing at that time. Would have been interesting if Jim Hall had gotten a shot at NP before Fitz t see how there bout would have played out.

[McGrain]

"Dempsey was never really in the fight. Fitzsimmons punished him from start to finish and in the fourth round Dempsey began to bleed and became groggy. Notwithstanding the fact that he was known to be and appeared to be overdrawn, Fitzsimmons fought magnificently, and so did Dempsey...Dempsey was licked from the start but he tried his best...

In the tenth round Fitzsimmons picked him up after having knocked him down and said, "Jack, you are whipped, I can't hit you." Dempsey insisted upon fighting."


- St Paul Daily Globe

[McGrain]

From The San Fransisco Morning Call,before the fight:

"Dempsey's friends think for the first time there is a prospect of his defeat...what makes Dempsey's friends afraid is the belief that the "Nonapareil" is not the man he once was. His defeat by LaBlanche, whilst undoubtedly an accident, has nevertheless shaken confidence in Dempsey a little."

[My2Sense]

Janitor started a thread on this fight and post a truckload of newspaper clippings.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

In the end, Fitz was simply too strong and powerful for Dempsey.

[McGrain]

:lol:

You got a post in that thread too GP!

[GPater11093]

Janitor started a thread on this fight and post a truckload of newspaper clippings.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

In the end, Fitz was simply too strong and powerful for Dempsey.

Thanks, looking forward to reading it

:lol:

You got a post in that thread too GP!

:lol::lol:

I know :patsch:patsch Save you some time though Ill just read everythign off there tommorow. Completly forgot about that thread

[guilalah]

Pollack's 'In the Ring with Bob Fitzsimmons' has great coverage of this fight.

Dempsey took a terrible beating, and Fitzsimmons was glad when it was over.

I remember one comment (cited in Pollack) to the effect that Dempsey showed a form that would have enabled him to beat any other man in his weight class, yet was completely out-classed by Fitzsimmons. The fight established Fitzsimmons as a fistic phenom.

[burt bienstock]

The Bob Fitzimmons who Kod Jack Dempsey, in 1891, was 28 years old then, and was in his fistic prime...Fitz at that middleweight match very well might have been the greatest fighter that ever lived...Hereafter the Dempsey ko Fitzimmons,was forced to tackle the best heavyweights of the time,and still flattened most of them,such as Maher Gus Fuhlin Tom Sharkey,Corbett,etc,and spotting themup to 50 lbs.....All this when he was past his peak...Fitz was unique ,for he had pipe stem legs,no waist ,massive chest and shoulders,and arms that was once described ,as coming from a cable car...Thus his tremendous punching power on a 160 lb frame......