In 1934, famed boxer Jack Dempsey, "The Manassa Mauler," claimed he could beat any robotic pugilist. Now that would be some sweet science! From Paleofuture:
In the April, 1934, issue of Modern Mechanix and Inventions the "mechanical robot" goes toe-to-toe with boxing legend Jack Dempsey. In the article Dempsey relays a conversation he had with a friend about what it would be like to fight a robot. According to Dempsey — who says he could tear one to pieces "bolt by bolt and scatter its brain wheels and cogs all over the canvas" — the main deficiency of a boxing robot would be its lack of brains:
"The reason is simple: Engineers can build a robot that will possess everything except brains. And without brains no man can ever attain championship class in the boxing game. It is true enough that we have had some rare intellectual specimens in the higher frames of boxing glory, but I can truthfully say that no man ever attained genuine boxing recognition without real headwork. The best punch in the world is not worth a whoop if the boxer doesn't know what to do with it."
