Within the confines of our boxing library here at ImaSportsphile…..Jack Dempsey would rank as the 2nd in a line legendary heavyweight boxers….right behind Jack Johnson….with Gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield following.
The Manasa Mauler seemed to have the same charismatic qualities of Muhammad Ali to the public….. flashy, up on his toes, cocky, quick witted, drew a crowd….that kind of personality that folks like to be around….who the public didn’t much care for as early heavyweight champions that were absolutely loved later in their career….but both were absolute forces in the ring….but one was a Master of the Sweet Science….while the other was a Mauler… as both were Masters of the Ring….just different approaches.
Another similarity that Dempsey had with Ali….was that they both had grudge fights….Ali vs Frazier (3) and Dempsey vs Tunney (2)…..which drew fans by the hordes….as the first match ended in an upset, with Dempsey losing his title on points in 10 rounds….with an attendance for this fight was a record 120,557, the largest attendance ever for a sporting event outside auto racing and soccer at the time.
Truth be known….neither Dempsey or Tunney would have been able to stay in the ring with Ali….but Tunney would have lasted longer….cuz he was by far the better master of the art of boxing….but it was Dempsey who was the most widely acclaimed of his time….just like Ali was in his time.
The story of the Manasa Mauler is one that was worth being told….and certainly one worth being watched….and HBO’s Boxing’s Best tells the story like no other….which is seen herewith. ENJOY!!!
