DEMPSEY LOSES ON LONG COUNT:
September 22, 1927
Jack Dempsey, the "Manassa Mauler," misses an opportunity to regain the
heavyweight boxing title when he fails to return to a neutral corner after
knocking down champ Gene Tunney in a title match in Chicago. Dempsey waited
five
precious seconds before heading to the neutral corner, at which point the
referee began the 10-count as the rules dictated. As the referee reached
nine
seconds, Tunney got back up to his feet. He had actually been down for what
amounted to 14 seconds. Tunney went on to win the bout in a decision after
10
rounds.Jack Dempsey, one of the most formidable and popular boxers of all
time,
was born in Manassa, Colorado, in 1895. One of 11 children, he left home at
age
16 and traveled around Colorado's mining towns, earning a living boxing
under
the name of "Kid Blackie." In 1916, he abandoned saloon-floor matches in
favor
of professional bouts and earned a reputation as a quick and lethal fighter
who
generally knocked out his opponents at some point in the first round.By1919,
Dempsey earned a fight with heavyweight champion Jess Willard. They met at
an
outdoor arena in Toledo, Ohio, on July 4. The 37-year-old champ was no match
for
the young brawler, and Dempsey attacked fast and furiously, knocking the
giant
to the canvas seven times in the first round. At the end of the third round,
Willard had a broken jaw, a closed eye, two broken ribs, and a partial loss
of
hearing. He chose not to come out of his corner for the fourth round, and
Dempsey was proclaimed the heavyweight champion of the world.Dempsey,
nicknamed
the Manassa Mauler, was one of the great sports stars of the 1920s. He
successfully defended his title five times in four years to the refrain of
record-breaking ticket sales. He employed a brutally aggressive style that
has
been appropriated by many champions since. Bobbing and weaving, he remained
on
the offensive almost continuously, swinging rights and lefts out of his
crouching stance with amazing speed and power. After a memorable match
against
Luis Angel Firpo--the "Wild Bull of the Pampas"--in 1923, Dempsey's promoter
decided it was in the champ's best interest to fight as infrequently as
possible, thereby ensuring that excitement and profit would be high when he
did.
In 1924 and 1925, Dempsey was out of the ring.Meanwhile, Gene Tunney, a
scholarly former U.S. Marine with a refined boxing style, was steadily
accumulating victories. The "Fighting Marine" lost sometimes, which may be
why
Dempsey agreed to meet Tunney for his first match in three years. On
September
23, 1926, at Sesquicentennial Stadium in Philadelphia, Tunney dethroned a
rusty
Dempsey before 120,000 fans. Tunney never knocked Dempsey down, but he
systematically accumulated enough points to win the heavyweight title in a
decision after 10 rounds.Dempsey briefly considered retiring, but in July
1927
he returned to the ring to defeat Jack Sarkey, which earned him a rematch
with
Tunney. On September 22, 1927, the Manassa Mauler came to Soldier Field in
Chicago to regain his title. More than 100,000 spectators turned up, and
there
was talk that gangster Al Capone had tried to fix the fight. To avoid any
possible charges of a fix, the referee was replaced at the last minute. Dave
Barry, the new referee, took the boxers aside just before the match began
and
reminded them of a new rule that required a fighter scoring a knockdown to
retreat to a neutral corner. He could not begin his count, he warned them,
until
the fighter on his feet started backing off to a far corner.As the match got
underway, Tunney took charge of the fight, racking up points and keeping
Dempsey
at bay. In the seventh round, however, the old Dempsey returned, knocking
Tunney
against the ropes and then felling him with three strong punches. Tunney
went
down, and Dempsey took a step back to the nearest corner--not a neutral
corner.
Barry rushed over to Dempsey and yelled, "Go to a neutral corner, Jack!" but
Dempsey just stood there, glassy-eyed. Finally, Barry grabbed him and shoved
him
on his way. Dempsey shuffled across the ring, finally remembering the new
rule
that had been twice told to him before the match. Barry then began the
10-count,
and Tunney got up at nine.Tunney's total of 14 seconds on the ground allowed
him
precious time to recuperate from Dempsey's assault. He ran from his opponent
for
the rest of the round and then came back to dominate the eighth, even
knocking
Dempsey down briefly. Tunney won another decision.Dempsey continued to box
in
exhibition matches until 1940, but he was never a serious contender again.
He
became a successful restaurateur in New York City and remained a popular
figure
until his death in 1983. Gene Tunney retired in 1928 after successfully
defending his title against Tom Heeney. He became a wealthy business
executive,
and his son, John V. Tunney, was a U.S. senator.
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