Nonpareil Jack Dempsey

John Edward Kelly (December 15, 1862 – November 1, 1895) was an Irish-born American boxer, better known as Nonpareil Jack Dempsey, who was the first holder of the World Middleweight Championship (1884–1891). He was nicknamed "Nonpareil" because of his reputation of being unbeatable.

Biography

Dempsey was born on December 15, 1862, in Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. He claimed the middleweight title on July 30, 1884, by defeating George Fulljames in Great Kills, Staten Island, New York. He held the title for over six years, defending the title against two fighters during the reign.

In Dempsey's first 65 contests, he lost only once, in a non-title bout to George LaBlanche (a fighter he had beaten previously to cement his claim as middleweight champion) via a spinning backfist, a move that was later banned following Dempsey's death. He also faced Billy Baker in a 4-round bout that was fixed to have Baker win, though Baker failed to score a knockout, resulting in a no decision—Baker was later defeated by Dempsey on points in a rematch. His reign as middleweight champion ended when Bob Fitzsimmons pummeled him around the ring and begged him to concede before he was hurt any more. Dempsey, the reigning champion, would not give up; the fight continued and Fitzsimmons knocked him out in round 13. In his final bout, Dempsey, suffering from tuberculosis, lost to Tommy Ryan.

Though Dempsey beat his first battle with tuberculosis, he died at age 32 at the Portland, Oregon, home of his wife's parents on November 1, 1895, due to a recurrence of the disease. He was buried in an initially unmarked grave at Mount Calvary Cemetery. M. James Brady, Dempsey's father-in-law, refused to permit former World Champion John L. Sullivan and John S. Barnes to raise funds to erect a monument over Dempsey's grave. The family believed that a four-foot marble shaft was a sufficient memorial. The matter was thus dropped.

Dempsey was inducted into The Ring magazine Hall of Fame in 1954, and into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992. The brothers Bernie and William Harrison Dempsey used his name as a pseudonym. And after the latter's success in the 1910s and 1920s he was usually mentioned with his nickname Nonpareil.

Professional boxing record

All newspaper decisions are regarded as "no decision" bouts as they have "resulted in neither boxer winning or losing, and would therefore not count as part of their official fight record."

External links

• from BoxRec (registration required)
• at Find a Grave