July 2, 1921 – It was a title fight of title fights in the sport of boxing’s first million-dollar-plus gate. The grand total was right around $1.7 million in fact. The participants had something to do with the hype and popularity of the match. World heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey would face a worthy challenger Frenchman Georges Carpentier.
The Champ knocked out Capentier in round 4 of his 3rd title defense in front of a cheering crowd of 91,000 spectators at Boyle’s Thirty Acres in Jersey City, New Jersey. Nicknamed the Manassa Mauler, Dempsey competed from 1914 through 1927 and reigned as the HeavyWeight Title holder for much of that, 1919 through 1926.
Jack would definitely throw punches and in doing so so often and the power he had behind them it is no wonder that he is one of the most popular boxers in history.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
Sports History On This Day: April 21
Home Run Magic! Yes, there have been plenty of base clearers hit in single
Peter Bonert Shares Stories of the Link Between Germany and the NFL
In this episode, Peter Bonert rides shotgun in the DeLorean to take us back
Sports History On This Day: April 20
Three MLB ballparks had debuts into the Big Leagues on this day in history.
Sports History On This Day: April 19
April 19, 1947 – Maurice Richard is named as the National Hockey League’s Most Valuable
Swinging A’s (The Oakland Athletics of the 1970s)
Just how good were the Oakland Athletics from 1971-to-1975? They were good enough to
Sports History On This Day: April 18
April 18, 1942 – It was a miraculous comeback in the Stanley Cup Finals! The
Sports History On This Day: April 17
April 17, 1911 – Clarence DeMar won his first Boston Marathon race. The victory was run at
Sports History On This Day: April 16
April 16, 1912 – The Pittsburgh Pirates turned in a fielding rarity of a 5-3-7