Strangely, Dempsey finally achieved widespread popularity when he lost his championship title. However, film evidence revealed Willard inspecting Dempsey's gloves before the fight, making it highly improbable that the fighter could have cheated. The "loaded glove" theory held some credence because of the seemingly extraordinary amount of damage Dempsey did to Willard's face. The Willard-Dempsey fight became the subject of controversy in 1964, when Dempsey's former manager, Jack Kearns - who, by this time, had fallen out with Dempsey - claimed that he had "loaded" the boxer's gloves with Plaster of Paris. Despite his enormous disadvantage in size, Dempsey dominated Willard with his superior quickness and ruthless tactics, knocking the bigger man out in the third round to earn the title of world heavyweight champion. No one in the boxing world thought the 6'1", 187-pound Dempsey stood a chance. Nicknamed "The Great White Hope," Willard stood a menacing 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed in at 245 pounds. On Independence Day in 1919, Dempsey got his first big opportunity: A fight against world heavyweight champion Jess Willard.
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