Blast From the Past: Dempsey vs. Firpo

By Jay McIntyre - 12/26/2013 - Comments

dempsey45343By Jay McIntyre: Happy Holidays! Here’s an article on boxing on Boxing Day! I hope that it holds you over until the next worthwhile boxing match!

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? The punchline to this rhetorical question is, of course, an unconscious Luis Angel Firpo. During The Golden Age of Boxing, nobody was more popular than the king of the heavyweights, “The Manassa Mauler” himself, Jack Dempsey. Surging through the heavyweight division during a time when there was one world title per weight class and a multitude of hungry, dangerous contenders, Dempsey was capable of delivering clinical beatings with freakish regularity. On July 4th, 1919, he seized the heavyweight crown from “Giant” Jess Willard (Willard was knocked out in three rounds) and spent the next four years pummeling anyone brave, or foolish, or financially desperate enough to step through the ropes and shake a fist at him. So when Luis Angel Firpo boldly stated that he could knock out Jack Dempsey, some ears perked up, and some eyebrows were skeptically raised. Why did the smaller Dempsey prove the odds-makers right? And why was Firpo unable to capitalize on his two knockdowns of the champ? Let’s have a look and see what both men were capable of doing in this inaugural installment of “Blast From the Past: Dempsey vs Firpo”.

The Dempsey-Firpo fight still gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. One cannot define “barn burner” without invariably coming back to this two round melee. What you don’t see very often these days is effective in-fighting, however one hundred years ago, in-fighting was not the lost art that it is today – it was the bread and butter of American boxing – and it was exciting to watch. In this particular title bout, Dempsey landed an incredible amount of accurate punches on the inside while receiving comparatively little damage for his efforts. The reason? Dempsey employed very effective in-fighting that created opportunities for himself, while denying opportunities for Firpo. To the casual observer it might seem like a reckless bar brawl, but to the keen eye – paying particularly close attention to Dempsey – a strategic, methodical kind of warfare should begin to crystallize.

The scene begins amicably enough with Firpo cloaked in his checkered robe, waiting calmly on his stool. Dempsey soon steps through the ropes and in a show of respect, shakes a hand that will soon floor him. However, while both men were gentleman and could share each other’s company outside the ring, in the squared circle, there can be only one (much like “The Highlander”, but without the swords). At the opening bell, Dempsey characteristically takes the centre of the ring and begins to stalk his opponent not unlike a panther. Dempsey would always take the centre of the ring first, and if his opponent’s tried to race him for it the results wouldn’t be pleasant.

During the early twentieth century Dempsey revolutionized the way that heavyweights fought at an elite level. The upright style of “fighting tall” was popular during this time as it kept a balanced stance, equally poised for both forward offense and lateral or backward moving defense. Dempsey instead fought out of a semi to deep crouch and swayed his upper body like pendulum as his opponents fired shots at his head. If his opponent was unwilling to lead and punch first, he would use a jab or long, shallow hook to help him bridge the gap safely and get inside. In his fight against Firpo we see him walk down his opponent and bob and weave under the incoming shots bringing him into Firpo’s personal space.

Once inside Dempsey was able to fire salvos of close range punches (hooks and uppercuts) to Firpo’s body and head. Being the larger man, in-fighting was not to Firpo’s advantage as his longer arms will not have the torque when he punches. He also was not as good at in-fighting as Dempsey. He would, of course, be incredibly strong and could man-handle the body of his opponent, but there is more to in-fighting than brute force. This might seem counter-intuitive, but the reality is that a taller fighter is really only left with the hope of clinching, leaning, and biding his time for separation (or throwing his opponent off of him) when paired against a superior in-fighter (if the smaller man is of equal or lesser value as an in-fighter, than all bets are off). When the clinch would invariably happen, Dempsey would often trap Firpo’s forearms by placing his forearm and hand over the forearm and elbow to prevent Firpo’s punching. He would do this with his forearm on the inside or outside of Firpo’s, the key was control of the top of Firpo’s forearm to prevent its movement for punching. As he would wrestle Firpo, he would pull down one side of Firpo’s body to load his punch, and release his clinch on that same side to fire a hook to the head.

Dempsey would also employ an under hook to wreak havoc on Firpo’s body. An under hook is the placement one’s arm underneath their opponent’s arm in order to control their mid-section and upper body. Bracing himself on the side of his under hook, Dempey would turn his opponent into his free hand on his other side. This free hand would be given space so that Dempsey could rotate his whole body into his punches, slamming hooks to the body and head of his trapped target.

When an opponent is constantly trying to retool their body to defend against what you are doing, they are thinking preparing for what you will do next. Dempsey’s inside game is varied and brutal. While Firpo has tried to adapt to Dempsey’s control of his arms – avoiding the left hook by having his head on the other side of Dempsey’s and by trying to free up his arm for his own punching, Dempsey has modified his in-fighting to stay one step ahead and work at damaging Firpo from other angles.

These are just a few of Dempsey’s various attacks on the inside, but they are far from revolutionary. What Dempsey did to make them special lay in the mechanics of his punching. Swinging wildly with only your arm’s weight behind it is indicative of terrible form, and lackluster power. Firpo was a power puncher with devastating force because his whole body turned into each attack, but his shots were long and looping. This increased distance and time for travel would leave openings, and giving a sharp boxer openings is courting certain disaster. If you observe the animated gif below, you will notice Dempsey’s fast, and compact punching form – his whole body behind each punch that travels the shortest distance possible.

Dempsey would lead with a stepping jab which he referred to as a “lead jolt”, which is something like a stiff jab, but with a little more impetus. Closing the distance with this punch – turning his left shoulder into the jab – Dempsey would have his right side loaded for either a right straight or a right hook or uppercut to the body. His infamous left hook would almost always follow and at this point Dempsey was in very close range for unleashing a barrage of hooks and short punches to the head and/or body. Dempsey was always lauded as a naturally powerful puncher, but he himself disputed this saying that he learned long ago that it was important to use his whole body when he punches. He also knew that tight punching is quicker and keeps the attacker relatively safe from harm. In Dempsey’s fight with Firpo a lot of his knockdowns came from his effective punching while in-fighting. Dempsey could close the distance, punch fast, punch hard, and keep his economy of motion to a minimum. There is a reason “Iron” Mike Tyson idolized Dempsey’s style – indeed the similarities between the fighting styles of the two men are strikingly obvious.

After the fourth knockdown, Dempsey became overly aggressive and ignored the vital techniques he employed to close the gap. When Dempsey decided to ignore what made him great, and stood there like a punching bag, Firpo would oblige him with some punishing blows. Fortunately for Dempsey, his chin is about as solid as a granite counter top.

Firpo was always at his best when his opponents – regardless of their size and punching prowess – chose to stand in front of him and go toe-to-toe. Firpo made a name for himself beating reputable boxers such as Ed “Gunboat” Smith, Jess Willard and “K.O.” Bill Brennan. However, in Dempsey he found an odd mixture of aggression and elusiveness. He struggled to line up the smaller, swifter man, and was unable to control Dempsey’s arms in the clinch. Though he demonstrated bravery, resolve and power, his technique was not enough to dethrone “The Manassa Mauler”.

The teachable moment here is that size, by itself, confers no advantage. Dempsey was able to beat the larger, equally devastating puncher because of his technique. The shorter punch is always the better punch because even if it has less power, if it lands first it is the one that matters. Regardless of how it manifests itself, there is no substitute for an intelligent style that is adapted to who you are as a person. Dempsey was genuinely afraid of getting hurt so he felt the powerful urge to finish his fights before his opponent’s could hurt him. In his fight against Firpo, he closed the distance to take away Firpo’s long, dangerous punches, controlled his arms during in-fighting to create and exploit openings, and punched with a more compact technique – that is how he beat Firpo.

I feel sorry for anyone reading this who will tune into the heavyweight fights of today. The explosiveness and feral desire to finish an opponent with such technical savagery is clearly lacking these days. Sure there are knockouts. Sure there are bigger men with better records. But at the end of the day when I tune into whatever the heavyweights have to offer in the twenty-first century, I am left wanting. There are some worthwhile fighters out there, please don’t get me wrong (see my recent article http://a-neutral-corner.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-end-of-era-my-appraisal-of-dr.html as a case in point), but anyone who has spent any time appreciating the rich history of boxing will agree with me on some level. Perhaps it’s nostalgia. Perhaps it’s the old man in me preferring the “good old days”. Perhaps I am incredibly mistaken. Perhaps…

For a full version with gifs and photos that illustrate the above points, please check out my blog (address below)

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Check out my boxing blog: a-neutral-corner.blogspot.ca



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