On July 27, 1918, boxer Jack Dempsey knocked out Fred Fulton in just under 19 seconds of the first round. It was Dempsey’s first major fight, and within a year, Dempsey would go on to defeat Jess Willard to become world heavyweight champion, a title he held for seven years.
Regarded by many as the apotheosis of the professional fighter, Dempsey trained for his fight against Fulton with Jimmy DeForest, a prominent athletic trainer and promoter who operated gymnasiums in West Allenhurst and Asbury Park over the years.
Training some of the top fighters of the day, including Jim Jeffries, Jersey Joe Walcott and Luis Firpo, DeForest’s training sessions attracted crowds and he rented out the Long Branch Casino for fights and dances. On November 1, 2006, DeForest was selected to the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame.
Sources:
Jack Dempsey. (2021). Biography, updated October 22, 2021. Available: https://www.biography.com/athlete/jack-dempsey#early-years-
Jimmy DeForest. (2006). New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. Available: http://www.njboxinghof.org/jimmy-deforest/
Featured image Photo of Jimmy DeForest and Jack Dempsey: Creator unknown, believed to be a newspaper photograph. Date of creation/publication believed to be c. 1918. Newspaper content pre-1926 public domain.
Photo credit: Boxer Jack Dempsey, his wife Estelle Taylor, and trainer Jimmy DeForest. Bain News Service, publisher, date unknown. George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress, public domain.
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