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Jack Dempsey: The Idol Of Fistiana
Book by Fleischer, Nat
234 pages, Hardcover
Published April 25, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 5, 2018
Here, as in my previous exposure to Nat Fleischer's writing (that being an entry in his "Black Dynamite" series) we have a solid presentation of facts, albeit sans any stylistic graces, at least in the main. A couple of chapters are beautiful pieces of sports writing, but for the most part Herr Fleischer cannot hold a candle to the best sport scribes, of his day or any other. His contribution to the sport of boxing is inestimable, but it lies mostly in his dedication as a preservationist, not in his writing. At least, I'm convinced of that after reading this book.
"Idol of Fistiana" follows the rise of one of boxing's most mythic and savage fighters, from his early days laboring in the mines to his ham and egger days in the tank towns where, as an unknown quantity and undernourished man-child with a stubbly three-day growth of beard, he would take on all comers. The book does a decent job of leavening the story with anecdotes and tall tales (like Dempsey's alleged scrap with a bear), and some of the round-by-round descriptions of famous fights are enjoyable for wonkish-minded boxing fans. Before the invention of punch-counting mechanisms, such blow-by-blow reports were the closest thing to a trustworthy, objective accounting we had to go on, and Fleischer's contribution is appreciated.
That said, the book does not do a good job (or even make much of an effort) to plumb into the life of the man who captured the world's imagination, nor does the author try to really explain or explore the cult that grew up around Jack Dempsey. The "Manassa Mauler" went from being a public pariah (derided as a "slacker" for not doing his part in the Great War) to having a mug more famous and easier for the common man to identify than the face of the President of the United States. True, such probing exploratory narratives weren't quite as en vogue in Fleischer's day as in ours, but the scribe shirks his duty a bit in this reader's opinion. Copious photos and personal recollections help cushion the blow, but the final verdict has to be a draw. And, as one old boxing warhorse trainer once said, "Getting a draw is a bit like kissing your sister." For completists and hardcores only.
"Idol of Fistiana" follows the rise of one of boxing's most mythic and savage fighters, from his early days laboring in the mines to his ham and egger days in the tank towns where, as an unknown quantity and undernourished man-child with a stubbly three-day growth of beard, he would take on all comers. The book does a decent job of leavening the story with anecdotes and tall tales (like Dempsey's alleged scrap with a bear), and some of the round-by-round descriptions of famous fights are enjoyable for wonkish-minded boxing fans. Before the invention of punch-counting mechanisms, such blow-by-blow reports were the closest thing to a trustworthy, objective accounting we had to go on, and Fleischer's contribution is appreciated.
That said, the book does not do a good job (or even make much of an effort) to plumb into the life of the man who captured the world's imagination, nor does the author try to really explain or explore the cult that grew up around Jack Dempsey. The "Manassa Mauler" went from being a public pariah (derided as a "slacker" for not doing his part in the Great War) to having a mug more famous and easier for the common man to identify than the face of the President of the United States. True, such probing exploratory narratives weren't quite as en vogue in Fleischer's day as in ours, but the scribe shirks his duty a bit in this reader's opinion. Copious photos and personal recollections help cushion the blow, but the final verdict has to be a draw. And, as one old boxing warhorse trainer once said, "Getting a draw is a bit like kissing your sister." For completists and hardcores only.
February 2, 2020
A simple easy to read book about Jack Dempsey. Author Nat Fleisher relies on his relationship with Jack Dempsey to write a great biography, released just about the time Nat died.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews