Jess Willard, a shy and gentle Kansas native who stood 6 feet 6 inches and weighed 245 pounds, had won the boxing championship from Jack Johnson of Texas in 1915 in Havana, Cuba. Jack Dempsey of Manassa, Colorado, whose career began in 1911 and whose trademark style featured bobbing and weaving, emerged as Willard's challenger after his manager, Jack "Doc" Kearns, caught the attention of promoter Tex Rickard. Despite the fighters' difference in size and weight, their bout was arranged and held on July 4, 1919, at what is now Bayview Park, where a wooden stadium built solely for the event seated 80,000 and housed the fight and 19,000 spectators. Water and newspapers cost a dollar each, and the newspapers were used to keep freshly cut wood from staining attendants' pants. Dempsey floored Willard seven times in the first round and won after the third round, becoming heavyweight champion and earning $25,000, while receipts of $452,224 helped pave the way for future million-dollar boxing matches.