Editing Jack Dempsey (section)

===World heavyweight champion===
[[File:Jack Dempsey, Harry Houdini and Benny Leonard2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Dempsey mock punching [[Harry Houdini]] (held back by [[Benny Leonard]])]]
Among his opponents as a rising contender were [[Fireman Jim Flynn]], the only boxer ever to beat Dempsey by a knockout when Dempsey lost to him in the first round (although some boxing historians believe the fight was a "fix"),<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://coxscorner.tripod.com/dempsey_dive.html |first1=Monte |last1=Cox |first2=Bob |last2=Soderman |title= Did Jack Dempsey Take a Dive? |publisher=Cox's Corner |access-date= July 16, 2008}}</ref> and [[Gunboat Smith]], (who was a formerly highly ranked contender who had beaten both World Champion [[Jess Willard]] and Hall of Famer [[Sam Langford|Sam Langford)]]. Dempsey beat Smith for the third time on a second-round knockout. Dempsey had refused a match with [[Sam Langford]] in 1916. According to Dempsey: "I think Sam Langford was the greatest fighter we ever had."

Before he employed the long-experienced [[Jack Kearns]] as his manager, Dempsey was first managed by John J. Reisler.<ref group=upper-alpha>{{cite news |title='John the Barber' fight mentor, dead. Jack Dempsey's first manager succumbs to an infection of his finger. His wife, reconciled after a long separation, is at the bedside with their children. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/09/16/archives/john-the-barber-fight-mentor-dead-jack-dempseys-first-manager.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 16, 1930|access-date= October 16, 2008}}</ref><ref group=upper-alpha>{{cite news |title=Jack Kearns, manager of Dempsey, dies at 80; Earned and spent a fortune as pilot of six champions. Associated with Rickard life full of drama taught Dempsey left hook Dempsey winner in 15. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/07/08/archives/jack-kearns-manager-of-dempsey-dies-at-80-earned-and-spent-a.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date= July 8, 1963 |access-date= October 16, 2008}}</ref>

One year later, in 1918, Dempsey fought in 17 matches, going 15–1 with one no-decision. One of those fights was with Flynn, who was knocked out by Dempsey, coincidentally, in the first round. Among other matches won that year were against [[Light Heavyweight]] Champion [[Battling Levinsky]], Bill Brennan, Fred Fulton, [[Carl E. Morris]], Billy Miske, heavyweight Lefty Jim McGettigan, and Homer Smith. In 1919, he won five consecutive regular bouts by knockout in the first round as well as a one-round special bout.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=9009&cat=boxer |title= Jack Dempsey |work= BoxRec.com |access-date= December 27, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150415192748/http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=9009&cat=boxer |archive-date= April 15, 2015 |url-status= dead }}</ref>