A FLAME OF PURE FIRE Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s

After his match with Jess Willard in 1919, Jack Dempsey was declared the heavyweight champion of the world. With that fight he gained the reputation of being "the hardest hitter boxing has ever known." This biography of Dempsey comes mixed with bios of other fighters and a history of the sport politely known as pugilism. The interpretation by narrator Kevin Yon lacks polish. He sounds stiff and inexperienced, and his only inflection is varying his volume. Yon's deficiency is most apparent when he's faced with the occasional poetry, which he has no talent for. Since his own New York-accented voice never produces a character and rarely pauses, separating the author's words from those being quoted causes the listener difficulty that could have been avoided by a more skilled narrator. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2009]