Fleischer, Nat – Jack Dempsey The Idol of Fistiana 1936 revised ed.

Description

Fleischer, Nat ‘Jack Dempsey, The Idol of Fistiana’ 1936 revised ed. 157-pages. Good condition with a tiny nick on the spine. No dust jacket. Has a small postcard replica, and paper replica of the Dempsey-Gibbons fight taped on the frontispiece.

The revised edition maintains Fleischer’s intimate, firsthand perspective on “The Manassa Mauler” while solidifying his retirement legacy:

Hardscrabble Beginnings: The book recounts Dempsey’s nomadic early life, charting his evolution from beating up bullies in tough western mining towns and working as a mucker to establishing his legendary status in the ring.

The Toledo Massacre: Fleischer provides a ringside view of Dempsey’s historic 1919 heavyweight title win over the 250-pound Jess Willard in Toledo, Ohio, highlighting how the vastly outsized Dempsey dropped the giant seven times in a single round.

The Million-Dollar Gates: The text outlines the major multi-million dollar gates of the Roaring Twenties that transformed the commercial viability of boxing. It breaks down his spectacular “Battle of the Century” victory over French star Georges Carpentier and his chaotic, legendary brawl against Luis Ángel Firpo, where Dempsey was punched completely out of the ring before climbing back in to win.

The Tunney Rivalry and Reflection: The 1936 revision benefits from a historical perspective on the aftermath of Dempsey’s retirement, providing analysis on the highly scrutinized 1927 “Long Count” match against Gene Tunney and solidifying Dempsey’s status not just as a former champion, but as a permanent cultural icon of American sport.