Jack Dempsey's Refusal to Fight Joe Jeanette

[Willie Pep 229]

I do not own the book, currently, but I believe I've sourced the page all the same. It reads about right, but the internet does do a good job at mislabeling and without the book I can't confirm this is what it says it is.

Anyway, here she is boys

Page 48 Manassa Mauler by Randy Roberts:



I'll OCR it like I did the Greb-Gans transcription if it helps, but, looks readable to me....I mean I read it.

I wonder what Joe said?

If this is true then Jeannette got what he deserved, nothing.

But you know, one should never trust the past, it keeps changing.

[Marchegiano]

If this is true then Jeannette got what he deserved, nothing.

But you know, one should never trust the past, it keeps changing.

****, that landed hard


Thanks bud, I'm of for a bit of work, that'll make it easier. **** does change, so much, so quickly too.

[Marchegiano]

Also, if no one gets to it before me I will try to grab Dan Daniels original NY Sun article and post that ****s.

[travestyny]

If this is true then Jeannette got what he deserved, nothing.

But you know, one should never trust the past, it keeps changing.

Dude, it was an exhibition for 4-6 rounds (I can never remember which one). If it indeed was a set up, he probably got just about as much by having Dempsey publicly duck it.

[travestyny]

Also, if no one gets to it before me I will try to grab Dan Daniels original NY Sun article and post that ****s.

I'll give a look for it. Now that you have the name of the paper, it shouldn't be too hard. Having the date should make it easy.

[travestyny]

I think this must be it.

New York Sun -- November 19th, 1918

Here's some highlights from what I can gather.

Joe Bonds was actually a football player at the time, but also a boxer (hadn't fought in "awhile," which for those days apparently meant months). He had fought Dempsey in the past (went a full 10 rounds with him in 1916). The managers of the fund were having trouble finding someone to fight Dempsey so they reached out to him. They were told by his football coach that he had a busted hand and hadn't boxed for some time. Bonds said he reluctantly agreed so that the show would go on.

While at the event in the dressing room, Bonds is approached by Jeannette who says how lucky he is to be facing Dempsey. Said he was trying to get that fight for 2 weeks. Bonds said they told him that no one was willing to fight Dempsey, and he felt they were getting one over on him. Jeannette expressed a desire to take Bonds place, and Bonds said he really needed the $100 because "his wife is broke" (doesn't that mean he is also broke? ). Jeannette gives him $100.


Two things are interesting however.

1. It says that when Dempsey said he would take on all challengers, it was understood that he didn't mean "negroes." I guess Joe Bonds didn't understand that.....?

2. It seems to speculate that this was a part of some shenanigans involving Dempsey and maybe a manager of Battling Levinsky. Apparently Dempsey made an agreement to allow Levinsky to go the distance with him in their fight (about a week before this), so Levinsky didn't train seriously, and Dempsey double crossed him in the opening round.

It doesn't make clear how this is linked to Joe Jeannette's money. Instead, it simply asks who was responsible for letting Jeanette go on.



If this was a plot....it seems like a spur of the moment one by Joe Jeanette.

[Willie Pep 229]

If we can believe Bonds, Jeannette was making his own move.

(Probably not, it would have had to have been a very disorganized event for Jeannette to get into the ring unchallenged, but then again that's boxing.)

It was a creepy thing for Jeannette to do but then again being 'color lined out' is creeper.

Just realized that this was the Knights of Columbus Milk Fund event from August 20th 1918 which means that Dempsey was already the "#1 challenger" in most people's eyes, having just KOed Fred Fulton on July 27th.

This makes Jeannette's action creepy again.

A guy fights his way into that position for a title shot and you try to ambush him, so you can gain from his effort . . . Creepy.

[Willie Pep 229]

Here's another thought: someone suggested what really bothered Doc Kearns that night was Harry Wills.

Kearns was already getting noise form New York/Wills' people about a Dempsey-Wills fight and Kearns was holding off the challenges by drawing the color line. Had he let Dempsey fight an "exhibition" that night, in New York, with Jeannette, he would lose his leverage in keeping Wills's people at bay.

Funny if it all comes back to Wills again.

[travestyny]

If we can believe Bonds, Jeannette was making his own move.

(Probably not, it would have had to have been a very disorganized event for Jeannette to get into the ring unchallenged, but then again that's boxing.)

It was a creepy thing for Jeannette to do but then again being 'color lined out' is creeper.

Just realized that this was the Knights of Columbus Milk Fund event from August 20th 1918 which means that Dempsey was already the "#1 challenger" in most people's eyes, having just KOed Fred Fulton on July 27th.

This makes Jeannette's action creepy again.

A guy fights his way into that position for a title shot and you try to ambush him, so you can gain from his effort . . . Creepy.

Eh. But at the same time, put yourself in Jeanette's shoes. Know your place or fight for what's right?

[Willie Pep 229]

Try to the forget the 'what's right' stuff . . . Jeannette made his move because he wasn't going to get a shot any other way.

That's makes it justifiable, but he still had to reach down inside himself and come up Machiavellian to make that move, at that time. It took Dempsey over 20 fights in 18 months get in that position; a little more respect for Dempsey's effort and opportunity was in order.