Jack Dempsey vs Fred Fulton

Jack Dempsey established himself as the leading challenger for the world heavyweight championship by knocking out Fred Fulton in the first round at the Federal League Baseball Park in Harrison, New Jersey, on July 27, 1918. The contest had been arranged for eight rounds, but lasted only 23 seconds according to the official record. Referee Johnny Eckhardt completed the count with Fulton stretched on the canvas after a right hand to the jaw. Dempsey weighed 188 pounds, conceding 20 pounds to the 208-pound Fulton, who was also considerably taller and possessed a much longer reach. Approximately 10,000 spectators attended. Fulton entered as a two-to-one favourite and received $12,500, while Dempsey’s purse was $5,000.

The match was of considerable importance despite its brevity. Fulton, known as the Rochester Plasterer, had been regarded for some time as the most likely challenger to Jess Willard, who had held the heavyweight championship since defeating Jack Johnson in 1915. A proposed championship contest between Willard and Fulton for July 4, 1918, had been abandoned after opposition to staging such an event during the First World War. Fulton had size, experience and a record containing victories over several recognised heavyweights, including Sam Langford, Gunboat Smith and Frank Moran. Dempsey’s reputation had risen rapidly during the early months of 1918, when he travelled frequently and stopped a succession of opponents, among them Carl Morris, Bill Brennan, Tom McCarty and Dan Flynn. Even so, he remained the smaller and less established man when he entered the ring at Harrison.

There had been some disagreement over the hand bandages before the contest. Fulton’s manager, Mike Collins, examined Dempsey’s hands in the ring and objected to the tyre tape used in the wrapping. Dempsey’s manager, Jack Kearns, answered that Fulton could use as much of the same tape as he wished. The dispute caused no postponement, and both men were called to the centre by Eckhardt. Fulton appeared to possess every physical advantage. He was upright, rangy and accustomed to controlling opponents with the left hand before bringing his right into play. Dempsey stood lower, his weight carried forward, with his gloves held in position to slip beneath the taller man’s reach.

At the bell, Dempsey did not pause to study the distance. He rushed directly across the ring and moved inside Fulton’s extended arms before the favourite could establish his jab. Accounts of the precise combination differ slightly, which is unsurprising given the speed of the finish. Contemporary descriptions reported a right swing beneath the heart or a left hook driven into the body, followed immediately by a right to the jaw. The body blow bent Fulton and drew down his guard. Dempsey then turned his weight into the right hand, catching him cleanly on the chin before he had recovered his position.

Fulton fell heavily, careening towards the ropes and finishing on his hands and knees before collapsing to the canvas. He made no effective attempt to rise while Eckhardt counted ten. Some ringside observers stated that he was unconscious before the count had properly begun. Fulton had not landed a punch, and there had been no clinch, prolonged exchange or opportunity for the larger man to use his reach. The official time was announced as 23 seconds. A later account by sportswriter Bob Edgren maintained that Fulton struck the floor after 18? seconds, which led many subsequent records to describe the knockout as an 18-second finish. The contemporary newspapers, however, reported 23 seconds, and that remains the accepted official time.

The abrupt ending astonished the crowd. Fulton had been expected to test Dempsey over several rounds and perhaps use his height to control him, but the contest was settled before any such plan could be attempted. Dempsey’s method was simple and exact. He closed the distance at once, struck the body to lower Fulton’s defence and delivered the right hand while the taller boxer was bent and unable to retreat. The finish demonstrated not merely punching power but Dempsey’s ability to cross open ground quickly and attack without losing balance. Against a man who required room in which to box, the immediate pressure denied every physical advantage Fulton possessed.

Fulton later claimed that the parties had agreed to treat the contest as an eight-round exhibition and that Dempsey had broken the understanding by attacking with full force. The allegation was made publicly in February 1919 and was denied by Dempsey, who dismissed Fulton’s complaint and offered to knock him out again. No convincing evidence emerged that the Harrison contest had been anything other than a genuine match, and contemporary reporting treated the knockout as legitimate. Fulton continued boxing for many years and remained capable of defeating useful heavyweights, but the loss removed him from immediate championship consideration and permanently altered his standing.

For Dempsey, the victory was the decisive result of his rise through the heavyweight division. During the previous months he had been building a reputation through frequent appearances and short knockouts, but Fulton was the first opponent whose defeat placed him unmistakably near the championship. The New York press described Dempsey as having reached the top of the heavyweight ladder, while Bob Edgren predicted that he would defeat Willard if the two met. Less than a year later, on July 4, 1919, Dempsey overwhelmed Willard at Toledo and became world heavyweight champion. The Fulton contest contained only a few seconds of action, yet its importance was considerable. It converted Dempsey from a dangerous travelling contender into the recognised opponent for the champion and revealed the aggressive style which was shortly to change the direction of heavyweight boxing.