Jack Dempsey KO’s Jess Willard – 1919
Long before Royce Gracie proved a well trained jiu-jitsu artist could beat a much larger man, Jack Dempsey proved he could do the same with just his fists. Royce Gracie knew things his bigger opponents didn’t, and that’s why he was able to dominate the early UFCs. Jack Dempsey didn’t know anything his bigger opponents didn’t, he just hit them really hard.
Jess Willard knocked out Jack Johnson in 1915 to win the world heavyweight championship. At 6ft 6in he was known as “the Pottawatamie Giant”. Willard was known for being able to take punishment, but he couldn’t take what Dempsey handed him 1919. On July 4th that year Dempsey, who few had given much of a chance, beat up Willard so bad he couldn’t come out for the fourth round.
After the fight many accused Dempsey of using loaded gloves, however there has never been any evidence of this.
