Fogarty's entrance into tho fighting game reads like a romance. He was born on December 24 1865, in the Third ward, as a lad he was pretty handy with his fists, and boxing came to him by intuition. The first time he ever had a boxing glove on his hands was one night in a resort Jimmy Ryan was conducting on Christian street. Fogarty was invited to go to Ryan's place on a Saturday night and one of his chums suggested they put on the gloves for a friendly bout. The "friendly bout " turned out to be a slugging match, as neither one knew anything about boxing, but Fogarty, who was young and strong, landed his left hand with all his might in tho pit of the stomach and sent his opponent down and out. He was a winner in his first attempt at the game. After that he became a regular Saturday night attendant and Ryan started him out by picking his opponents and giving him lots of encouragement to continue at the boxing game. But Fogarty, who at that time was working in a large establishment as a packer, had no intention of becoming a professional fighter, and his career as such really started more by accident than by pre-arrangement. One night in November, 1885, he was passing Johnny Clark's place at Eighth and Vine streets, and was very anxious to go in and see tho show, but not having the price of admission he thought it would he a clever scheme to enter the tournament Clark was promoting at that time. So, he entered the arena, as he figured Clark would surely invite him to remain and see the show if he entered his name in the coming tournament. His plan worked out fine. He enjoyed the show, went home and forgot all about the tournament, but about a week later he was notified to appear and be ready to box in the competition. After long deliberation he decided to take a chance and, much to his surprise, he defeated every man pitted against him. and won the prize which was offered to the winner. After winning the prize so easily he began to attract attention and all the wise ones began to look him over. He was matched to fight Jimmy Mitchell, who had just defeated Young Alf Greenfield, of England. Fogarty surprised all by knocking out Mitchell in two rounds. Many claimed the victory was a fluke, so another match was arranged and the new star again performed the trick in two rounds.
Those two easy victories brought him into the limelight and he was matched to meet Jack Kelly, of Port Richmond, but, after training for three weeks the match fell through as. Kelly refused to meet the young sensation.
In the meantime Arthur Chambers took Fogarty in hand and pronounced him the most likely man to tight Jack.
Dempsey and I went ahead arranging the match. That took some time, as Dempsey's backers insisted on a side bet of $2500. It was also agreed the fight should be in private with only ten men aside, Fogarty's ten men each put up $250. which made up his side bet of $2500. As near as I can remember, five of the ten were Chambers, Billy Miller, Pat McCarney, Charley McManus and Walter Kiem, and the late Jim Watson, of the Press, was the only Philadelphia newspaperman present.
Fogarty was supposed to be training while the negotiations for the match were in progress, but the youngster neglected that important part of the fighting game and was out having a good time. He received only about seven days' training for the fight, as the date was set without his knowledge. Not to fight on the date set meant the loss of the stakes, which were put up as a forfeit, so Chambers got him in the best possible condition in the short time remaining. The date of the fight was February 2, 1886, which was less than six months from the day that Fogarty made his first appearance in the ring.
Fogarty with his seconds and backers left for New York the day before the fight, but not one of them knew just where the fight would be held until the last moment. The naming of the battle ground was left to the Dempsey contingent and as the fight was to be in private great secrecy was maintained, the police were going to prevent the battle at all hazards, and even to this day many of the old-timers are under the impression the fight was held in a roadhouse on Long Island, but in reality it took place in the heart of New York city at a place in Thirteenth street, known as Clarendon Hall. All told, in eluding principals, seconds, backers, newspapermen and spectators, only forty persons witnessed the fight. So quietly had matters been arranged and carried out very few even of the sporting fraternity knew that the fight was going to take place.
The stakes amounted to $6500. Besides the side bet of $2500 that each man had provided, $1500 was subscribed by a party of ten New York clubmen who paid $150 each for the privilege of witnessing the fight. The stake of $6500 was the largest up to that time since the days of Tom Hyer and Yankee Sullivan, who fought for the championship on February 7, 1849, at Rock Point, Md., for $10,000 a side, which Hyer won in sixteen rounds.
The Dempsey-Fogarty fight was conducted somewhat on the plan of a cocking main, the two men fighting for their respective cities. The winner got a percentage of the stakes, $1500 while the balance of the winnings, $2500, went to the men who put up the money. It was long after midnight when the men clambered through the ropes. Fogarty came first and Dempsey soon followed. Both were stripped to the waist and wore tights to tho knees. Dempsey stripped to about 148 pounds and Fogarty, although a fraction of an inch taller, was nevertheless some six pounds lighter. Fogarty was seconded by Arthur Chambers and Billy Edwards, and Gus Tuthill, Tom Cleary and Billy Madden looked after Dempsey.
Al Smith, dean of referees, was the third man in the ring and Joe Holand acted as timekeeper. Small kid gloves were used and a lot of punishment was inflicted by both men. The fight lasted one hour and forty-seven minutes and in all that time there was no demonstration whatever among the spectators. Perfect order was preserved, the sharp "spat" or dull "thump" of exchanging blows and bard breathing of the contestants alone breaking the stillness of the night. With the gloomy gaslights flickering and the small body of interested onlookers, all crouched close to ropes, without, a word being spoken, made the scene a most impressive one.
When time was called for the first round Dempsey was cool and looked confident, for that style of battling was nothing new to him. While Fogarty seemed somewhat nervous, I really think it was the first time he realized the importance of the fight and all that went with it. Both were very cautious, Dempsey was bent on feeling out his man; Fogarty was looking out for Dempsey and ready to land a good telling blow should the opportunity present itself. Both seemed working for body blows, but Dempsey suddenly landed his left on Fogart's faco, leaving a red mark. The second and third rounds were also slow, both waiting for the other to begin, hostilities. Dempsey began work in the fourth round and Fogarty fought on the defensive. Dempsey soon landed his right on Fogarty's face and almost floored him, but the pain only seemed to rouse the youngsters mettle. He rushed at the nonpareil and was met with a left jab on the mouth, which cut his lip. He succeeded in getting home on Dempsey's ribs with a tremendous right-hand swing which shook the champion s whole frame.
Dempsey devoted all his attention to Fogarty's face, while the Philadelphia boy paid most attention to the body. Both men were very agile of foot, otherwise knock-downs would have been more frequent.
Up to that stage of the battle Fogarty was held back by his seconds and had done practically all his fighting with one hand when he decided ho would use his own judgment and fight in the style he knew best. The result of changing bis tactics was marvelous and in the eighth round he had Dempsey very weak and for the time he looked like a sure winner. Dempsey could hardly hold up his hands. He kept his head and ran around the ring, avoiding Fogarty's blows. Twice he actually ran with Fogarty in hot pursuit, but the old fox was playing possum and allowed Fogarty, who seemed much the stronger of the two, to force matters, but somehow he never could get near enough to Dempsey to make his blows effective.
Fogarty finally got winded himself and in the tenth round Dempsey rallied and became the aggressor. He brought all his ring generalship into play and kept jabbing his opponent in the face with his tantalizing left. In the fifteenth round Fogarty swung at Detnpsey's ribs in exchange for a left hand jab and got home with such force that Dempsey fell down in trying to recover from the blow. Fogarty, finding that Dempsey'a blows lacked steam, began forcing matters in the twentieth round. But that was the point where experience began to assert itself. Whatever chance Fogarty had of winning started to ebb away and all those present realized that barring a chance, blow Dempsey would eventually win through his greater experience and head work.
Both were bleeding from the nose. Dempsey was also tired, but Fogarty's legs seemed gone; he could hardly stand, but he was strong in the arms and on being knocked down by Dempsey in the twenty-third round he took the limit to rest and then bounded up and went at Dempsey, fighting him all over the ring. Both were glad to breathe in the next two rounds, although there was some good hard fighting, It looked as if they were going to remain in the ring for. many more rounds, but the end came suddenly in the, twenty-seventh round, when Dempsey swung at Fogarty with, his left hand, and Fogarty ducked the wrong way. The blow took effect on the point of his jaw and down he went. Although the blow was not a hard one, it was in just the right spot.
Twice Fogarty struggled to his feet and essayed to assume a fighting attitude, but as many times he fell, unable to steady his reeling brain and the ten seconds allowed by the Queensbury rules for a man to come to time, elapsed with Fogarty still groggy. Dempsey was declared the winner after one of the fiercest fights of modern days.
Fogerty was game to the last, and he was up in the centre of the ring again desirous of continuing the fight fifteen seconds after his handlers had thrown up the sponge.
He stood in the ring and said he was not "half done fighting," but he was too late, the match and stakes had already been awarded to Dempsey. The men were made to shake hands and Dempsey ' said, "Fogarty, you are the best man I over fought, and I shall never fight you again." And he never did.
One More Triumph
Jack Dempsey, the invincible New Yorker, gives a vigorous tanning to Jack Fogarty of Philadelphia. - - 1- Jack Dempsey (upper right cameo) - - 2- Jack Fogarty (lower left cameo) - The National Police Gazette 13 Feb 1886
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