On This Date in Sports September 22, 1927: The Long Count
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Jack Dempsey floors Gene Tunney in the seventh round in a rematch for the heavyweight championship at Soldier Field in Chicago. However, the referee begins the count late when Dempsey fails to go to a neutral corner. This gives Tuney a few extra seconds to get up and continue the fight; he was down for 14 seconds by most accounts. Gene Tunney would go on to win the ten-round fight with a unanimous decision.
Jack Dempsey was born in Manassa, Colorado, on June 24, 1895. The Manassa Mauler quickly became one of the top boxers in the heavyweight division. On July 4, 1919, he won the heavyweight championship by defeating Jess Willard in Toledo. After capturing the title, Jack Dempsey became one of the most significant cultural icons of the roaring ’20s. Adding to the legacy would be an acting career that started with silent movies and married actress Estelle Taylor. Dempsey was not a fighting champion, as he only defended the title five times and took a three-year break before facing Gene Tunney for the first time on September 23, 1926, in Philadelphia. Tunney won the fight with a unanimous decision before a record crowd of 120,557, ending Dempsey’s seven-year reign.
Gene Tunney was born on May 25, 1897, in New York. He gained great fame as the “Fighting Marine,” beginning his professional career after serving in the Marines. Heading into the first fight against Jack Dempsey, Tunney had a professional record of 63-1-1. Despite his tremendous record and Dempsey’s three-year layoff, Tuney was a heavy underdog but controlled the fight from start to finish.
In July, Jack Dempsey went into the rematch at Chicago’s Soldier Field after beating Jack Sharkey in a warm-up fight at Yankee Stadium. The rematch was heavily anticipated but full of speculation that a fix was in when word leaked out that Al Capone had bet heavily in favor of Jack Dempsey. The fight would draw 104,943 fans to Soldier Field, setting a record for $2,658,660 in gate receipts. It was the first time that any sports or entertainment event had made more than $2 million.
Like the first fight, Gene Tunney was in control from the start and was by most accounts far ahead on points after the first six rounds. With the fight lasting just ten rounds, Jack Dempsey had to make his move in the seventh round to have a chance to win back the heavyweight championship. Trapping Tunney against the ropes, Dempsey unleashed a devastating combination of punches that knocked the champion to the canvas. However, the referee did not start the count right away as Jack Dempsey stood over the dazed Tuney, waiting to resume his attack. This was common of Dempsey’s offensive style and had previously been legal. However, a new rule in boxing mandated that the count would not begin until the standing boxer went into a neutral corner. With the delay, Gene Tunney was given at least four extra seconds to get up and beat the count of ten, which he did with one second to spare. By most accounts, Tuney had been down for 14 seconds and should have been counted out. After the seventh round ended, Tunney recovered from his first career knockdown and regained control of the fight. In the eighth round, he even knocked Dempsey to the canvas, and the referee began the count right away without Tunney moving. However, Dempsey made it up in a quick second to resume the fight. The fight would again go the distance, with Gene Tunney again earning a unanimous decision win.
The fight would be the final of Jack Dempsey’s career as he retired with a record of 44-6-9. Gene Tunney himself would retire a year later after successfully defending his title with a knockout of Tom Heeney, retiring with a record of 65-1-1. Each boxer would go on to the Boxing Hall of Fame.