THERE is much to be learned by looking back through boxing?s rich history.
It was a sweltering day in July of 1919 in Toledo, Ohio when a former saloon fighter and one-time hobo by the name of Jack Dempsey forcibly tore the heavyweight crown from the head of a champion.
Jess Willard, a 198cm behemoth outweighed Dempsey by a whopping 26kgs when the two men fought but it was the blistering speed of the smaller man that triumphed in three short rounds of utter carnage.
New Zealander Joseph Parker ? a heavyweight with his own history of fast hands ? tackles a fighter whose size resembles that of Willard when he faces off against Britain?s Anthony Joshua in Sunday?s (AEDT) Cardiff unification bout for Parker?s WBO and Joshua?s WBA and IBF titles.
But hand speed isn?t the only thing linking Parker and Dempsey.
Parker?s father Dempsey was named after the former saloon fighter-turned heavyweight champion and it was through his passion for the sport that a young Joe gained his love of boxing.
?It?s good to watch all those fights back then to get a fair idea of how they fought. It?s a lot different now but Dempsey was a great champion,? Parker told foxsports.com.au.
?I?m glad that my dad was named after Dempsey because he was able to introduce us to boxing and my brother and I developed a great passion for the sport, which is why we took it up and saw it as a career.?
There?s fight game has changed significantly in the century since Dempsey?s famous victory Toledo but the boxing world still sits up and takes notice when a big man displays a fast-handed approach.
