How close was Max Baer to Jack Dempsey ?
Max was 14 when Dempsey floored Luis Firpo in 1923 and later said he was in awe of Dempsey from that moment on. By the time Max’s manager, Ancil Hoffman, matched him to fight Frankie Campbell in 1930, Dempsey had already taken notice that Max was no ordinary boxer and had rated Max and Frankie the two best heavyweight fighters in the state. After Baer’s loss to Tommy Loughran in 1931, where it was reported he was showing off for Dempsey, who refereed the bout, Max met Jack and sport writer Grantland Rice for lunch at the Warwick Hotel in New York City. Baer complained that in his match with Loughran, “I’ve been looking at left jabs all night, lefts, lefts, lefts, that’s all I’ve seen.” To which Dempsey said, “you could have stopped that lefty in the first round.” When Max asked how, Dempsey stood up and told him to take off his coat. By now all activity in the restaurant had come to a stand still. “Now lead with the left,” said Jack and as Max shot out his left arm, Dempsey fired his r
