This was an e-mail from Steve Holdenried:
This story was not written by me. Ora Dean wrote this story about his bouts with Jack Dempsey. When my grandfather was ill and at home, retired form the Kirkwood Police Force he put together this story. He felt that if he could sell the story to the Readers Digest and make enough money, he would go to Lourdes, France. Only a miracle could change the ravages of the disease that brought this man to the canvas. Ora was a fighter and the referee was starting the count, here was a chance to get back on his feet.
In July of 1919, I boxed Jack Dempsey twice - Thursday and Saturday of the same week. Jack had just won the world championship from Jess Willard. The newspapers announced he would be at the Forest Park Highland’s in his first appearance as a new champion. He was to be there and would box exhibitions.
I had just signed a contract with Theodore (Ted) Johnson to be my manager. I was going to fight Fred Nelson on a card at the Old Coliseum in St. Louis the last of July. We were in the semifinals at 148 pounds. Johnson said he would get me a sparring mate when I was ready. Ted managed several boys and we all trained at the Senate Athletic Club. I worked during the day at the Davis Tool Company and trained at night.
Well, after two weeks of shadowboxing and punching the bags, I asked Johnson why the other boys did not work out with me. He told me that several boys said Dean wants to knock out his training mates, so they would not work with you. This hurt me and I must have spoke without thinking, “WELL JACK DEMPSEY IS COMING TO THE CITY. DO YOU THINK HE WILL BOX WITH ME “?
I forgot about the remark but Johnson did not. Later, he said he had been to the Highlands and made the arrangements for me to fight Dempsey. He went on to say that I could box on one of the night shows. (The Highlands theatre had two shows, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Why had Johnson taken my remark serious; he and I both knew that I was not in Dempsey’s class?
On Wednesday, Ted and I went to the Highlands. When we got there, a heavyweight named Fleming wanted to box with Dempsey. Kerns, Dempsey’s manager, asked us to come back the next night. So, because I was not going to box this night, we just relaxed and sat around listening to what was going on. We sat down with a group behind the stage beside Kern, Dempsey and a guy named Marty Cutler. Marty was the champ’s regular sparring mate. There was a lady lion tamer, her husband, an actor and Ed Wray the sports editor for the Post Dispatch.
Somebody, I think it was Wray, asked Dempsey, “What is your idea of a champion?” Dempsey turned and spoke real loud “I WILL NOT LOOSE THE TITTLE SITTING IN THE CORNER”. I suppose he was thinking of the fight with Willard and how Willard lost. Some were playing cards and they were trying to teach Dempsey to play poker. He really was not interested and his mind just seemed to wander. Then Fleming said he had a bout with Carl Morris. Jack just came alive and told us all a story about how he had first started boxing.
Jack said one day, while he was walking along a railroad track, he saw a lot of people up on a hill. Thinking it may be a picnic and that there may be some food to eat, he went up to investigate. He said he found Morris training in a boxing ring. He did not have a sparing partner he was just shadowboxing. One of the spectators yelled out to me “Say you’re a big fellow, will you box with him?” Heck, I replied, I don’t know anything about boxing, but I can fight. The manager of Morris asked me to put on some gloves and fight as best as I could. I thought, well there might be something in it for me, so I put on the gloves and fought as best as I could. Afterward, they asked me to stay on as a sparring mate. I agreed and that evening I ate chicken and slept in a real bed - it just seemed like heaven.
After I learned a little about boxing and we were training, I hit him in the face a couple of times. This angered him and he said “Why you little------ " calling me a name. Well that did it; I saw red and let him have one. He went right down and out. His manager ran over to me and yelled “The big boy will be sore so you better leave". Then he said, “Heck, you’re good enough to start on your own". Jack stopped talking and everybody just started doing something else.
This was the first time I was ever-back stage. I was curious and started to wander around. I came upon a man looking through a hole in the curtain. He was holding a gun; it was the lion tamer’s husband. She was on stage in a cage with several ferocious lions. He went on to say “I told her not to feed these darn animals too much meat. When they eat meat it makes them wild. I had to shoot one some time ago.”
On Thursday, I was put in a dressing room with Cutler. He was about 35 years old. He said he had been Dempsey’s trainer. People often mistake a trainer for an athlete but they are not; they just condition an athlete. He was very kind and helped me in every way he could. He said he was acting as Dempsey’s sparring partner but only until they could find some one else. He went on to say that he had hoped it was soon because he could not take it much longer. Dempsey will give you the shirt off his back but, in the ring, he forgets this and will knock you down, help you up, then knock you down again. He is always sorry afterwards but Cutler said I just couldn’t stand being knocked out that often.
Cutler said, “because you are boxing Jack tonight let me give you a tip. He does not like a opponent to show the WHITE FEATHER.” When he could see that I was unfamiliar with this expression, he told me the White Feather meant showing fear.
When the curtain went up, it left about four feet between the floodlights and the curtain. The ring was behind the curtain. Kerns and Dempsey made their entrance in full dress suits. They talked and cracked a few jokes then Kern would talk about how Dempsey trained. Kern would then finish the story with how Jack made his climb to the championship.
Kern then stopped faced the crowd and shouted, “Dempsey is like the old Irishmen at the party. Everyone has to do something to entertain. He can not sing or dance. But, just to be sociable, he will fight any one in the house.” The champ then made his exit. He made a quick change because he wore red tights under his suit. The second curtain went up and Kerns said loud, slow and clear, “LADIES AND GENTELMAN. I WILL NOW INTRODUCE TO YOU THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, JACK DEMPSEY IN FIGHTING TRIM.”
Dempsey then shadow-bowed while his regular sparing partner entered the ring; he had on some rather large gloves. They then boxed while Kern explained the punches. Kern then told the audience that Dempsey would now demonstrate the punches used in winning the title from Willard. Dempsey went through the demonstration while Cutler covered himself up. It was really rough because he used a lot of force and even lifted Cutler up off the canvas with his blows. When this would finish, Cutler would leave the ring and another boxer would enter the ring. This time it would be me!
I knew this was only an exhibition and we both wore large gloves but here I was about to get into the ring with the world champion. The rounds were only two minutes long with a minute of rest between rounds. There was no stool in the corner and Kerns acted as the referee; the bell rang. I had been boxing for over three years and thought I knew something about it. I stepped out and landed several light blows. He hit me on the arms and on the shoulders; it felt like the gloves were filled with steel wool not horsehair. Even when he missed I could feel the wind. I now know that he really missed purposely. He shifted his body, later known as the Dempsey shift, and then he snorted. Kerns shouted, “Jack” and he stepped back. I was glad Kerns was in the ring. Soon, but not too soon, the first round was over. While standing in my corner I remember what Cutler said about the White Feather and determined not to show it.
When the bell rang for the second round, I tried to perform as I had in the first, but this time, Jack did not miss. When the blows hit, it seemed the gloves had lead in them. He would not stop this time when Kerns shouted out his name. He just kept coming after me, I tried to get away, but I soon felt the ropes at my back trapping me. I felt cornered and just caught. When I tried to fight my way out, the lights suddenly went out and I found myself on my knees.
I forgot who I was boxing and wondered why the referee did not start the count. I looked up and saw Dempsey and tried to get up. Suddenly, some one grabbed me under my arms and I was lifted to my feet like I was a baby. I again remembered what Cutler said and I tried to swing. Jack backed up across the ring but then came forward and he grabbed me and just smothered my arms. He was smiling and motioned to the bell ringer. Johnson later told me that if he had let me go I would have fell right down; I was out on my feet.
When I was back in the dressing room, Cutler said that this was the first time I ever saw him act like that. He believed he was actually getting humane. We then heard a ruckus in the hall. We opened the door to look out and found Dempsey snorting with rage. Kern was shouting at the champ and pleading with him. He called out "Jack, Jack don’t start any trouble here". Jack had overheard a remark in the adjoining room about him and he was mad and angry. He calmed down only after Kern promised to get rid of the fellow. Kern knew that Jack wanted to, and would have, punched the fellow right out. The champ finally went back in his room but the whole place was on edge.
I wondered why Cutler had not gone over to help Kern control Jack. Cutler must have read my thoughts because he looked at me and said, ”Only Kern and only Kern can handle Jack when he gets this way”.
Johnson and I caught the streetcar for home. He left at the transfer point and I caught the Lee Car for the ride home. I felt real bad and decided to give up the idea of boxing. I got out of the streetcar two blocks before home and walked. I figured the fresh air would clear my aching head. The next morning I woke up refreshed and went to work. On my way that morning, I thought to myself - I’m twenty-two, married with two kids and I had a good job. I had been boxing on and off again for about five years, so I decided that it was time to quit. Yea! That was the thoughts that I had when I got to work.
When I got to work, the whole place was talking about my boxing the champion. I was getting slaps on the back, handshakes, and cheers. The superintendent even came over to talk to me. I started to think that hey maybe I had not done so badly after all. I thought that maybe I would even try again. Perhaps Dempsey had just hit me with a lucky punch and he could not do this again.
I must have been in a daze when the superintendent told me that Mr. Davis told him that he would buy reserve seat tickets for all the employees to see the champion if I would agree to box again. I got caught up in all the excitement and said "yes"; I would but I did not think it could really be arranged. He then told me that the arrangements had already been made with the Circus Management and I would be boxing Dempsey again this Saturday.
Again, Johnson and I went to the Forest Park Highlands. When we arrived everybody was in a festive mood. I was put in a room with Cutler and he was extremely happy. An old friend of Dempsey, McCabe, was taking Cutler’s place in the ring with the champ. McCabe was a good boxer who had trained with Jack and he was on the card tonight. Cutler said, “I may get paid well but I’m glad that someone is going to take my place”. Just then we heard the show manager calling for the boxing act to begin.
The act went on about like it did on Thursday except that McCabe was now in the ring with the champ for the demonstration. When the action was over, Kerns yelled out that maybe Jack went through the demonstration too fast. He then asked the two to go through the punches again. McCabe stepped back and protested, “WHAT AGAIN”. This caused the whole place to have belly laughs. Afterwards, Kern said, “Say, we got to leave that part of the act in”, McCabe did not think that this was funny at all.
It was not long before it was time for me to get in the ring with the champion. When I was introduced, the crowd went wild and clapped and did wolf whistles. They had come to see Dempsey but these are all my friends from the shop. I knew that the cheers were so loud for me because these were my buddies but I wondered if Jack knew that, I hope he knew that. The bell rang out and the first of two rounds began. He came straight at me and started pressing me. He kept coming until Kern yelled out "Jack, Jack". Then he stepped back and relaxed. It was not too long before the first round was over.
I was standing in my corner saying a prayer. All I wanted was to survive the next two minutes. Just one more round and I told God that if I made it through this bout, I would never again do such a foolish thing. Sweat was running off me by the gallons; I had to do this my friends were all here.
The bell rang out and I turned around and charged out to meet the champ. I was determined that he would not hit me like he did in the last second round we had. He came right at me and into me like a freight train. I was fighting for my life and all I could hear was Kern yelling "JACK, JACK, and JACK". I was backing but throwing punches as hard as I could. I connected with I think Jack’s face. He started snorting and snorting like a giant bull. I could feel the wind coming out of his nose. He was now hitting me and his gloves seemed to just explode every time they landed and they did time after time. I was being tossed from right to left, right to left, like I was a rag doll. My feet were not even touching the floor. I reached down with all my might and pushed off with my legs to back up and get away. I then hit the ropes and I could not go any further; I was done it was just hopeless. The whole audience could sense the terrible end and put out a groan. And then it happened, Jack straightened up stepped back and just smiled. The bell rang it was all over. The crowd simply went loud. My ears went deaf with all the cheering but this time they were not cheering for me, they were all in this for Dempsey. They kept it up - not for what the champ had done, it was for what he could have done and did not do.
Later, McCabe and I entered Jack’s room. He was a very gentle man this night. He even invited us up to his hotel room. He then autographed his photo and gave it to me. It read, “To my friend Ora”. I took it home that night and put it up on the mantel.
In 1920, I moved to Staunton Illinois and went on work as a night shift policeman. McCabe, who was living in Gillispie just north of me, became the Chief of Police in his town. We became very good friends and trained together for several fights. He was a hard puncher, sturdy and loved to fight. I was frail but liked to box, we made a good pair. One day after a long workout, he told me this story.
He said that he was back-stage with Dempsey one day in Cleveland when Dempsey asked him if he remembered me. He went on to say that I was only a welter- weight and that had boxed me twice in two days in St. Louis. McCabe who, at this time, did not really remember much about me said he did not know me. Well, Dempsey sat back and said to him, “That guy was either the gamiest or craziest boy that I had ever met. I hit him hard enough the first night to jar his whole family. When I saw him come back two days later like nothing had happened, I was just stunned.”
I remember Grandfather talking about Jack Dempsey one time when I was up in his room. He was looking for an article from the newspapers that he had saved. He read me some stuff from an old yellow piece of paper and then, he showed me a cartoon of his fight with the champ. It showed Jack as a large well-built giant punching what looked like a tin man being blown apart. Grandpa just waited to see my reaction, which of course, he got. Grandpa is that you?” Yes, he said and we both just laughed and laughed. Grandpa was a lot of fun and I really miss him. Love you Grandpa, a lot!
