Jack Dempsey’s MMA Fight

Jack Dempsey’s MMA Fight

Jack Dempsey -vs- Cowboy Lutrell

Ponce De Leon Park, Atlanta

July 1, 1940

16mm Sound Transfer

The Fight

Compared to many sports figures and celebrities, Jack Dempsey remained a visible and respected figure long after his boxing career ended.  He kept in shape, managed his restaurant, trained boxers, performed service for the military during World War II,  and did charity work.  Even through his forties, Jack was never far from the ring, sparring for the camera with Max Schmeling, Max Baer, Aturo Godoy and others to promote fights.  Dempsey also worked as a referee for boxing and wrestling matches. 

One evening in 1940, Dempsey was refereeing a wrestling match between Cowboy Luttrell and Dorve Roche.  There was an argument in the ring, and an altercation between Dempsey and the Cowboy.  To settle what was apparently a genuine public grudge, and to make a fistful of short money, business manager Max Waxman arranged a boxer vs wrestler match between Dempsey and Lutrell in Atlanta on July 1, 1940.  Neither an exhibition or a sanctioned prizefight, and certainly not a comeback attempt, the contest was akin to n MMA beatdown.  The Referee was Ring Magazine published Nat Fleischer, who worked the fight with as much energy as the fighters themselves.  Though a seasoned wrestler, Lutrell never managed to grab hold of Dempsey, as Jack began pounded him without mercy from the opening bell.  Most accounts describe the event as a disgrace, and has since been largely forgotten.   

The Film

The contest was captured (poorly) by a film crew, from a single camera angle, so low that spectators get in the way of the action.  Yet, the film was shown later in theaters in the weeks after the fight.  In this edition, the narrator describes the fight as an historical and nostalgic event for Dempsey, who was 45 years old at the time.

The rarity of this film is not so much the bout, as is the pre-fight newsreel footage, and the post fight interview between Dempsey and referee/publisher Nat Fleischer and wrestler Dorve Roche standing to the left.

Tony Galento -vs- Lou Nova 9/15/39

Tony “Two-Ton” Galento -vs- Lou Nova

Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia

September 15, 1939

Restored NBC Radio Broadcast

1 Hour 10 Minutes

Two years into Joe Louis reign as heavyweight Champion in 1939, there were a series of title elimination fights among the top contenders including Max Baer, Tony Galento and Lou Nova.  The Baer-Nova and Baer-Galento fights survive on film, but Tony Galento’s upset against Lou Nova has not been shown in public since the 1940s.  Nova was the rising star of the division, and having defeated Baer several months earlier, Nova was expected to beat Galento for a title shot at Louis.

The Fight

Recently described in an excellent article by Clarence George on boxing.com, The Galento-Nova fight quickly became a streetfight, with fouling, wrestling and the two fighters tumbling together to the canvas several times during the fight.  Galento thumbed Nova early in the fight and in addition to suffering an eye cut, Nova never gained the upper hand.  Ring Magazine described the fight as “discraceful”, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t exciting.

The Broadcast

A representative at ESPN told me that a film clip of the fight survives, but the footage remains elusive.   However, several years ago I purchased a number of old radio broadcast tapes, and when I looked through them recently I discovered this recording of the Galento-Nova fight.  The NBC live broadcast is hosted by Bill Stern, and runs over an hour, including prefight ring intros, trash talk during the refs instructions, and the 14 round blow by blow fight call by Ben Taub. An elated Galento and disappointed Nova are briefly interviewed in the postfight.  The controversy over the fight apparently came in the newspaper reports later.  The radio call made by Stern and Taub is exciting to hear, but they raise no questions about the action itself.

The Restoration

The tape cuts in several spots, but no more than a minute appears to be missing.  The broadcast is otherwise complete.  The audio suffered from generation loss, hiss and lack of low end.  I transferred the analog tape to a digital file.  With several editing tools I was able to bring some clarity back to the sound and reduce the noise level.  It was a pleasure bringing this fight brought back to life.

I have added period images and several photos of the fight for the video portion.  Otherwise, grab a beer, turn the lights down and enjoy the fight!

Tony Galento -vs- Jackie Gleason

Tony Galento -vs- Jackie Gleason
As told to Rocky Marciano 
Main Event 
Television Series 1961
16mm Sound Film Transfer 

Rocky’s Talk Show 

In 1960, former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano was contracted to host a boxing and interview program called Main Event.  Each of the 30 episodes included studio interviews between Rocky and a contemporary celebrity, actor or sports star.  The interviews lasted only a few minutes each, and were followed by the feature presentation being a recent or classic boxing match.  Some shows were better than others, but all the interviews were interesting, and the best ones were classic.

Here is the Jackie Gleason’s famous episode with Rocky Marciano, where Gleason describes his famous altercation with Tony “Two-Ton” Galento outside a nightclub.  

I also really enjoyed their refreshing and genuine conversation.

Willie Pastrano -vs- Terry Downes

Willie Pastrano vs Terry Downes

Light Heavyweight Championship

King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, Lancashire, UK

November 30, 1964

Thanks to a fellow collector for requesting this rare footage featuring the great Light Heavyweight Champion (1963-65) Willie Pastrano.  Trained by Angelo Dundee, at his best Pastrano resembled both Muhammad Ali and Willie Pep.  He was a glamorous, fast, resourceful and defensive boxer, who made up for his lack of KO power with constant movement.  Here is the original BBC broadcast of Pastrano’s title defense against former Commonwealth (British Empire) middleweight champion, Terry Downes.

Jake LaMotta Touches The Earth

Jake LaMotta vs Danny Nardico,

Coral Gables, Florida, December 31, 1952

16mm Sound Film Transfer

12 Minutes

The Fight and The Knockdown

Nearly two years after the great Jake LaMotta lost his middleweight title to Sugar Ray Robinson in their final epic battle, LaMotta was still fighting on.  In this match against light heavyweight Danny Nardico, Jake is still savvy and tough, but with each passing round, he falls further behind.  What makes this bout notable is that Jake’s once granite chin fails him, and LaMotta is suddenly and dramatically knocked down for the first time in his long career.

The Film

The film is in great condition.  The ring photography is very good and the action is clear.  Despite the pounding that LaMotta takes after the seventh round knockdown, Jake fights with characteristic disdain, holding the rope for support with one hand and punching with the other even as Nardico’s punches wail in.

Collector's Note: 190 16mm Boxing Films Added to Archive

Collector's Note:

I have recently acquired a collection of nearly 200 16mm classic boxing films.  Most are in excellent condition.  I am happy to say that among the many reels of film are rare and/or rarely seen fight films.  As the material is cataloged and archived, I will be showing some of this material on this blog, including brilliant quality upgrades of copies that have previously been traded among collectors, or currently seen in low quality on Youtube.

Max Baer | Rare Training Footage 1934

Max Baer | Rare Training Footage

King Levinsky Exhibition prefight 1934

16mm Sound Transfer

The New Champion

Max Baer was one of the most colorful and exciting of the heavyweight Champions.  The fact that he did not hold the title very long, and lost it out of recklessness to Jim Braddock in 1935 did not darken his legacy as a boxer and personality.  Much has been written about Baer’s lack of training, particularly after he lost the title, but I question this notion.  It’s certainly true that Baer was a gifted athlete, and his discipline only went so far, but for Max boxing was a means to an end.  A fighter with no training discipline would not have won the fights he did again fellow contenders like Tommy Farr, Tony Galento, Pat Comisky, Ben Foord and others until he retired in 1941.