Did Jack Johnson fight Jack Dempsey?

[soul_survivor]

To be fair to Johnson how many times did Dempsey officially defend his title? I think four times in five years? Can't remember off the top of my head.

Yeah something like that but still, there is no way a 43 year old, ex boxer, out of shape, possibly ill, having spent years locked up is going to hand a guy, prime, fit, knock out machine, heavyweight champ a beating for 5 or 6 rounds. It's just not happening. I ain't buying what they're selling lol

[ShoulderRoll]

Interesting read. Jack Johnson would have had to be very good to do all that to a prime Dempsey while he himself was an out of shape 43 year old.

Seems very doubtful.

[MasterPlan]

I don't really see how it could have happened. Jack Johnson was so past prime and Dempsey was the biggest sport figure of the day. I don't see how something like this could have happened. Johnson hadn't fought a top fighter for 7 years and had been noticeably going down hill for the last few years he held the belt.

Now, he's supposed to come back, without fighting top fighters and quietly beat the Mike Tyson of his day?

Highly unlikely.

Even more unlikely is this being kept quiet. This was Jack Dempsey we're talking about, a larger-than-life figure in his day.

It's like saying a way past prime Doctor J took on a prime Michael Jordon in a private one-on-one and beat him.

First. He wouldn't beat him years after retiring.
Second. It's doubtful it would stay quiet.

A secret game happened between the champion Minneapolis Lakers led by Big George Mikan against the Harlem Globetrotters in 1948.