The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-09-23
Dempsey Followers SaIve
Wounds With Great
Big If
SENDS GENE TO CANVAS
Champion Proves Self Mas
ter Boxer Again.
By Henry L. Farrell

CHICAGO, Sept. 49, Gene
Tunney held his worlds heavy
weight championship today by
proved right of conquest, but
his second battle with Jack
Dempsey Thursday night, like
most important fights of recent
years, left the hackers of the
loser with a great big "IF" to
salve their wounds.
Tunney won decisively on the
basis of points; he displayed power
and stamina which many doubted
he possessed. But in the tenth round
fight there was a torrid seventh
round in which Dempsey. showing
for moment that great attack of
old which earned him the title of
the "Manassa Mauler," crashed
rights and left through the cham
pion's defense and~droye Tunney to
the canvas for longer than the 10
seconds which normally constitutes
knockout.
To Neutral Corner
But unc.er the rules of boxing ex-
hibitions" in Chicago, the referee
cannot begin to count over fighter
who is down until the opponent has
withdrawn to a neutral corner. For
two or three seconds or more Tunney
went down, Dempsey failed to go to
a neutral corner and the referee
failed to count.
On the other hand, Tunney
seemed to be waiting deliberately
for the count to get the benefit of
moments rest, and had Dempsey |
gone Immediately to the corner, the |
champion raight still have been able
to get to his feet before the fatal
"ten."
Leo Flynn, Dempsey's manager,
threatened to contest the decision |
which was given to Tunney after |
the ten-round fight. He said Tun-
ney was on the canvas for Is sec
onds. Dempsey, however, was heard
to say it was "just one Of the breaks
in the game"
Near to Top
At any rate, for one brief moment
in that seventh round Dempsey
stood nearer the top Of the come
back trail than any other dethroned
heavyweight champion has reached.
Only Tunney's covering and dancing
and careful steps backward around
the ring for the rest of the round
saved him. But then, if Dempsey |
had been the Dempstey of Toledo he
would have crashed through Tor
another finishing blow.
The Dempsey rally in the seventh
round came Unexpectedly, after the
3S-year- former champion had
failed miserably to show his old
time form.
The first five rounds were almost
a replica of the first five at Phila-
delphia last year, when Tunney won
the title. There were few damag-
ing blows in the first two rounds.
In the third, Dempsey nit Gene
what appeared to be low blows three
times in succession, and moment
later followed with two more. Jack
was playing for the body and Gene
was pounding his opponents face,
Many Low Blows
In the fourth Dempsey again
seemed to be hitting low, and once |
he was cautioned for butting. Tun-
ney may have been angere,d by what |
he considered fouls; at any rate, he
opened up on the former champion |
and landed two hard rights which |
shook Dempsey and three more,
straight to the jaw, which left Jack |
groggy. Jack was hanging on at
the bellg
BY the fifth, Dempsey was slow
ing up. He landed few goo" blows,
but failed to follow up. Tunr kept |
landing regularly.
Dempsey took the sixth round by
landing freely to Genes head and |
body. Tllnney, safe margin of |
victorious rounds behind him, was |
playing cautious game.
Then came the vicious seventh, in |
which a CHI ampionship almost |
changed hands.
They hammered each other hard
in the eighth and ninth, two fe-
rocious rounds. Tunney kept play |
ing for Jacks face and had it cut
and bleeding, and Dempsey was
shaky as the ninth round ended.
Both played for a knockout in the |
tenth swinging wildly Dannseu