The Dempsey-Tunney Fight of 1926 The Dempsey-Tunney Fight of 1926 By Deborah Boyer | Published: January 1, 2009 Among the many events at the Sesquicentennial, perhaps none drew as much attention and publicity as the world’s heavyweight title fight between defending champion Jack Dempsey and challenger Gene Tunney. Held at the Sesquicentennial Municipal Stadium on September 23, 1926, the boxing match drew a crowd of over 120,000 people and became one of the best known fights of the 1920s. Although Tex Rickard, the promoter for the fight, originally investigated staging the match in Chicago or Jersey City, he eventually arranged for it to be held on September 16, 1926 at Yankee Stadium in New York. These arrangements had to be abandoned, however, when the License Committee of the New York State Athletic Commission refused to issue Dempsey a license to box in New York. Rather than fight the decision in court, Rickard chose to accept the offer of E.L.

Austin, Director of the Sesquicentennial, to hold the match at the Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia on September 23.[1] The decision to move the match to Philadelphia was warmly welcomed by residents of the city. Boxing was hugely popular in the 1920s. As Tunney prepared for his match with Dempsey, a crowd of 2,000 people came just to watch him spar twelve rounds with two workout partners on August 15, 1926.[2] On that same day, more than 1,000 people paid $1 each plus tax to watch Dempsey during his workout at Saratoga Springs, New York.[3] The New York Times published 75 articles on the fight preparations in August and September alone and ran a three-tiered front page headline as well as nine full pages of coverage the day after the fight.[4] While tickets to the fight sold quickly, not everyone approved of the bout being held at the Sesquicentennial.

One letter to the New York Times argued that the fight was being held to “bolster up deficient receipts” at the Sesquicentennial and that it was “disgraceful and humiliating (or should be) to the American people.”[5] Plenty of Americans did not find the fight disgraceful or humiliating at all. The match was attended by both the mayor of Philadelphia and the mayor of New York City as well as Pennsylvania Governor Pinchot, several other governors from across the country, Secretary of the Navy Curtis D. Wilbur, and many millionaires and members of well-known families.[6] Extra trains brought crowds from New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and dozens of other places. People around the world eagerly listened for radio and telegraph reports regarding the outcome of the match. After ten rounds fought in the pouring rain, Tunney defeated Dempsey to claim the title of world’s heavy-weight champion. Although the match did not end in a knockout, Tunney is said to have been “a complete master, from first bell to last.

He out-boxed and he out-fought Dempsey at every turn.”[7] In meticulous detail, the New York Times summarizes the fight and notes Tunney’s strategic and calculated responses to the more rushed and ineffectual charges by Dempsey. One year later on September 22, 1927, Tunney would successfully defend his title and defeat Dempsey again at Soldier Field in Chicago in a fight that came to be known as The Long Count. The Dempsey-Tunney boxing match drew incredible crowds to the Sesquicentennial and demonstrates the extreme popularity of boxing during the 1920s. The Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce estimated that the crowds likely brought an additional $3,000,000 in revenue to city businesses through purchases of meals, hotel rooms, train and taxi rides, and other items.[8] The match helped boost Sesquicentennial attendance numbers while also showing that many members of the public now favored public sporting events to world’s fairs as a way to spend their leisure time and money. [1] New York Times, “Dempsey Title Bout Suddenly Shifted to Philadelphia.” August 19, 1926.

[2] New York Times, “Tunney Boxes Twelve Rounds; 2,000 Attend the Workout.” August 16, 1926. [3] New York Times, “1,000 Pay $1 Each to Watch Dempsey.” August 16, 1926. [4] Pope, Steven W. “Negotiating the ‘Folk Highway’ of the Nation: Sport, Public Culture and American Identity, 1870-1940.” Journal of Social History Vol 27 No 2. (Winter, 1993): p. 327-340. [5] French, Joseph Lewis. “Disapproval of Sesqui Fight.” New York Times. September 12, 1926. [6] Davis, Elmer. “Victory is Popular One.” New York Times. September 24, 1926. [7] Dawson, James P. “Tunney Always Master.” New York Times. September 24, 1926. [8] New York Times.

“Philadelphia Sees Bout a Great Boon.” September 25, 1926. This entry was posted in Entertainment . Bookmark the permalink . Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed. Gene Tunney - BoxRec Gene Tunney Hall of Fame bio: click World Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee Name: Gene Tunney Birth Name: James Joseph Tunney Born: 1897-05-25 Birthplace: New York (Greenwich Village), New York, USA Died: 1978-11-07 (Age:81) 5 Links Career Overview Dethroning a legendary heavyweight champion sometimes is not all it is cracked up to be. Gene Tunney, one of the most skilled of all heavyweight champions, received little more than begrudged respect from sports fans after his two signature performances against Jack Dempsey . Fast, powerful, resilient, intelligent and virtually flawless in technique, Tunney had all the tools for greatness in the ring, but lacked the ferocious style and rugged charisma of the man from whom he wrested the championship.

But even Tunney's detractors couldn't deny that he was a first class fighter, one who had risen from middleweight to heavyweight and fought a generation of quality opponents on the way. Like Dempsey, he cast his own unique shadow over the sport as an accomplished student of the sweet science and one of the greatest athletes of his generation. The Fighting Marine Born James Joseph Tunney, the son of an Irish immigrant longshoreman, Tunney grew up on the mean streets of New York City, where he learned to fight. He became affectionately known in his family as "Gene" because his baby sister had trouble pronouncing his given name. Tunney quit school when he was 15 years old and went to work as a typist for a steamship company to help support his family. It was during this period that he gravitated toward boxing, venturing nightly to the Greenwich Village Athletic Club to train, spar and make valuable connections with people involved in the sport. It soon became his ambition to compete professionally, and he made his pro debut in July 1915 as a middleweight against Bobby Dawson , whom he stopped in eight rounds.

During Tunney's career, official decisions in boxing were outlawed in numerous states, including New York, as a means to avoid corrupt influences in the sport. Fans relied upon newspaper reporters to give them accurate accounts as to who deserved to win the fights. According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, 19 of Tunney's fights officially resulted in a no-decision. On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on the German Empire and entered World War I. Tunney enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on May 2, 1918, 23 days before his 21st birthday. Though he never saw action during his tenure in the Marines, his enlistment would later serve as a source of patriotic pride for many fans and would become a successful promotional tool for his future career. Tunney continued to box while he was stationed in France during the war. He won a four-round decision against Fighting Bob Martin , the heavyweight champion of the American Expeditionary Forces, and defeated 20 opponents in an elimination series to win the American Expeditionary Forces light heavyweight title. With the end of World War I in 1919, Tunney returned to civilian life.

Between December 1919 and October 1920, he scored eleven consecutive knockout victories. Ten of bouts were in New Jersey and one was in New York. Although Tunney's opposition was mediocre at best, the success led to his appearance on the undercard of the highly anticipated fight between World Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey and World Light Heavyweight Champion Georges Carpentier at Boyle's Thirty Acres in Jersey City, New Jersey, on July 2, 1921. The fight, which attracted a crowd of more than 80,000, was boxing's first $1 million gate. Tunney's opponent was Soldier Jones , an overmatched light heavyweight whom Tunney dominated for seven rounds until the referee stopped the fight. Another six consecutive wins led to a fight with former World Light Heavyweight Champion Battling Levinsky —Tunney's first internationally known opponent—at Madison Square Garden in New York City on January 13, 1922. Levinsky, who entered the fight as the American Light Heavyweight Champion, was a veteran of more than 200 bouts and, like Tunney, was known for his defensive skills.

Tunney won by a twelve-round decision to win the American Light Heavyweight Championship, which was considered a major title at the time and greatly increased his stature within the boxing community. The Greb Fights Tunney's next fight against a big-name opponent was at Madison Square Garden on May 23, 1922, against future Hall of Fame inductee Harry Greb , a rugged and relentless slugger from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known as the "Human Windmill," Greb would later win the World Middleweight Championship. The opening ten rounds of the fight between the ultimate slugger and the ultimate boxer proved closely fought, despite Greb's constant fouling. A head-butt in round one broke Tunney's nose, understandably disrupting his concentration. Later in the round, a punch from Greb opened a gash above Tunney's left eye. In the third, a cut over the right eye opened. By the middle rounds, Tunney's face was a red mask of blood, but he continued to hold his own. As the fight entered the championship rounds, however, the effect of the punishment and blood loss on Tunney became obvious, prompting Greb to lay on even more pressure.

Though Tunney never went down and lasted the entire fifteen-round distance, the judge awarded Greb the fight. Tunney, losing his American championship, had also suffered his first professional defeat. After the fight, he collapsed in his dressing room. Left to rebuild his record in order to secure a rematch with Greb, Tunney took on the highly skilled Tommy Loughran —the future World Light Heavyweight Champion and Hall of Fame inductee—in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 24, 1922. He put Loughran down with a right hand in the first round, but Loughran rose to fight on and staggered Tunney in the third. The bout went the twelve-round scheduled distance and was ruled a no-decision. The Philadelphia Inquirer thought Loughran won the bout, while the Philadelphia Record, Philadelphia Public Ledger and New York Times gave it to Tunney. The fight against Loughran was between two fights with heavyweight Charley Weinert . The first match took place on August 17 in Newark, New Jersey, and ended in a no-decision after twelve rounds. According to all three Newark newspapers and all reporting New York City newspapers (except one), Tunney won the fight handily.

The second match was held at Madison Square Garden on November 29. Tunney had an easier time in the rematch, winning by a fourth-round knockout. After nine consecutive fights without a loss, Tunney faced Greb for a second time. Before a crowd of 15,000 at Madison Square Garden on February 23, 1923, Tunney and Greb engaged in a closely contested fight. Tunney, who utilized a punishing body attack to try and slow Greb down, was awarded a fifteen-round split decision. However, the verdict was hotly disputed. 19 of 23 newspapermen at ringside believed Greb deserved the win. A third match occurred on December 10, 1923, again at the Garden. The fight was more of the same, with Tunney going to the body and Greb brawling away. After fifteen rounds, Tunney was declared the winner by a unanimous decision. The consensus was that Tunney won 9 rounds, Greb four and two were even. The pair met twice more. They fought a ten-round no-decision bout in Brooklyn, Ohio, on September 17, 1924.

The New York Times reported that the bout was fought on "fairly even terms." The last match between Tunney and Greb took place in St. Paul, Minnesota, on March 27, 1925. Although it was officially ruled a no-decision after ten scheduled rounds, Tunney clearly got the better of the action. The Associated Press reported: "Tunney gave Greb as thorough a beating as he has ever received." The Road to Dempsey By the mid-1920s, Tunney was increasingly venturing into heavyweight territory. On June 26, 1924, he knocked out fringe contender Erminio Spalla at Yankee Stadium and then dropped back down to light heavyweight to face the aging Georges Carpentier at the Polo Grounds in New York City on July 24, 1924. Carpentier was an experienced, quick, skillful, tough and hard-hitting opponent, but he was past his prime. Tunney dominated the match, flooring the Frenchman three times in the tenth round and once in the fourteenth. In the fifteenth, the referee decided that Carpentier could take no more and stopped the contest.

On June 5, 1925, Tunney faced Tommy Gibbons , who had never been knocked out. Gibbons had even gone a full fifteen rounds with the feared Dempsey just two years earlier. Although he was thought to be at the tale end of his career, Gibbons was still regarded as the first true test for Tunney in the heavyweight division. The "Fighting Marine" passed the test with flying colors, winning the fight by a twelfth-round knockout. It would be the only knockout loss for Gibbons in 106 professional fights. Tunney followed the Gibbons victory with knockout wins over heavyweights Jack Herman Bartley Madden and Dan O'Dowd , and he won a 12-round newspaper decision against Johnny Risko . With Tunney now considered among the top contenders in the division, fans wanted to see him matched with African-American Harry Wills , The Ring magazine's No. 1-rated heavyweight contender. Tunney, however, refused to participate in an interracial prizefight (a stance that detracts from his legacy in the eyes of some historians). Because Dempsey's handlers also refused to put their man in with Wills, a Dempsey-Tunney fight became the next logical match-up.

The Dempsey Fights The first of the two Dempsey-Tunney fights took place on September 23, 1926, at Sesquicentennial Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was Dempsey's first professional bout in three years. In preparation, Tunney used the then-new technique of studying the films available on Dempsey to determine the champion's strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Some 120,557 people turned out—despite a vicious rain storm—to view the much anticipated bout. They were surprised to see the underdog challenger give the highly regarded champion a boxing lesson. For ten rounds, Tunney put on a boxing clinic, never allowing Dempsey into the fight and walking away with a well-deserved 10-round unanimous decision. The Ring magazine later dubbed Tunney's win the "Upset of the Decade." Tunney stayed out of the ring for nearly a year after winning the championship. An intelligent, well-spoken and well-read man, Tunney established friendships among some of the day's top literary figures, including author George Bernard Shaw. But the public yearned for the days when the less bookish and more brutal Dempsey held the crown.

Thus promoter Tex Rickard arranged a rematch. On September 22, 1927, almost a year to the day after their first match, Tunney did battle with Dempsey one more time at Soldiers Field in Chicago, Illinois. Tunney again exhibited supreme technical skills and remarkable conditioning in continually circling Dempsey, using his jab to keep the former champion at bay and taking a clear lead on the score cards. In the seventh, a flurry of punches by Dempsey floored Tunney for the first time in his career. Under a then-new Illinois rule, a fighter scoring a knockdown had to go to the farthest neutral corner before the referee could start counting over the fallen opponent. However, Dempsey went to Tunney's corner. By the time Referee Dave Barry got Dempsey to go to a neutral corner and started his count at one, Tunney had been down for several seconds. Taking full advantage of the extra time, Tunney got up at Barry's count of nine—14 seconds after he had been dropped. Tunney later said he could have arisen at Barry's count of three, when he first looked up at the referee.

Tunney survived the round and came back to score a flash knockdown against Dempsey in the eighth, dropping the former champion to one knee with a right hand. Tunney clearly won the last three rounds and retained his title with a 10-round unanimous decision. However, the "long count" tainted the fight in the minds of many fans. Tunney was often asked if he could have survived the seventh round without the aid of a long count. Tunney always insisted that he could have arisen at Barry's count of three, when he first looked up at the referee. "When I regained consciousness after the brief period of blackout, I felt that I could have jumped up immediately and matched my legs against Jack's, just as I did," he once said. Retirement Tunney's second title defense came on July 26, 1928, against Tom Heeney of New Zealand, who had shown himself to be a viable world-class opponent through recent wins over Jim Maloney , Johnny Risko and Jack Delaney , as well as a draw with future World Heavyweight Champion Jack Sharkey .

However, Heeney was no match for the "Fighting Marine." Even the fact that Jack Dempsey himself worked in Heeney's corner proved no help; he was outclassed from the start. In the eleventh round, the referee decided that the challenger could take no more and stopped the fight. For his win against Heeney, Tunney was given the inaugural Ring magazine Fighter of the Year award. Five days after the Heeney fight, Tunney announced his retirement from boxing. "There is no contender at the present time who appears capable of attracting real public interest," he said. "If there were I might delay my retirement long enough to face him in the ring, but it looks as if it might take two or three years before a dangerous opponent is developed. That is too long to stand and wait." Although they had never truly embraced Tunney, the public was nonetheless stunned; no heavyweight champion had permanently retired with the title. Undefeated as a heavyweight, with only one pro loss, Tunney cut his losses and walked away for good. Following his boxing career, Tunney embarked upon an immensely fruitful career in business and real estate. A chairman or director of several companies and corporations, Tunney made millions after leaving the sport.

He passed away an enormously wealthy man at age 81 on November 7, 1978. "I feel like a part of me is gone," Dempsey said when his former foe died. "As long as Gene was alive, I felt we shared a link with that wonderful period of the past. Now I feel alone." Tunney wrote two autobiographies: A Man Must Fight in 1932 and Arms for Living in 1941. Tunney was inducted into the The Ring magazine's Boxing Hall of Fame in 1955. He was honored as one of the inaugural inductees into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1980 and as an inaugural inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. And, in 2001, Tunney was an inductee into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame . In March 2011, the Tunney family donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History several objects from his career, including the boxing gloves he had worn during the infamous "Long Count" fight.

"The Tunney family is honored that this museum, so much a part of our national heritage, will become the permanent home of a pair of brown, leather boxing gloves worn in one of my father’s—indeed one of the 20th century’s—most historic fights," said Jay Tunney, the late champion's youngest son. "He would be immensely proud, as we are." Family Tunney married Mary Josephine (Polly) Lauder in Rome, Italy, on October 3, 1928. Lauder was a Connecticut socialite and Carnegie Steel Company heiress. The Tunneys would have four children: Gene L. (1931-2009), John V. (born 1934), Jonathon R. "Jay" (born 1936) and Joan (1939-2008). Representing the state of California, John V. served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1971 and the U.S. Senate from 1971 to 1977. In August 1969, Joan was reported missing in Norway.

She was found alive two months later in a French hospital suffering from amnesia. The following May, she was charged with murdering her husband, Lynn Carter Wilkinson, in England. A psychiatrist told the court that she had suffered from schizophrenia for nine years. Joan pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was committed to a mental hospital. In 2010, Jay Tunney wrote a book chronicling the relationship between his father and George Bernard Shaw titled The Prizefighter and the Playwright. Rankings Gene Tunney facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Gene Tunney American boxer C onsidered one of the giants of sports in the 1920s, Gene Tunney became heavyweight boxing champion of the world when he defeated Jack Dempsey in 1926. In a rematch with Dempsey in 1927, Tunney held on to his title in the hotly debated "battle of the long count," in which Tunney got the benefit of an extra long count when the referee, following standard boxing rules, refused to start the count until Dempsey returned to his corner.

Known for his dispassionate, "scientific" boxing style, which involved a careful study of his opponents before he encountered them, Tunney suffered only one defeat in his career as a professional boxer. He was also the first heavyweight champion to retire as champion and not risk a comeback. A Boxing New Yorker Gene Tunney was born James Joseph Tunney to a working class Irish Catholic family in New York City. His father worked as a longshoreman, loading and unloading freighter cargo at New York harbor, and was a fan of boxing. An amateur boxer, Tunney's father fought in matches at Owney Geaghan's boxing club on the Bowery. The young Tunney got into fights in the streets of his Greenwich Village neighborhood as a boy, and his father gave him a pair of boxing gloves for his tenth birthday in the hopes that he would learn to properly defend himself. At fifteen years of age, Tunney dropped out of school and got a job as an office boy at the Ocean Steamship Company, earning five dollars a week. He moved up to mail clerk, more than doubling his pay to eleven dollars a week, and from there was promoted to freight classifier, bringing in seventeen dollars a week.

During breaks, Tunney sparred with any of his office mates who were willing, shoving desks and filing cabinets aside to form a makeshift ring. In the evenings, Tunney further honed his boxing skills at the Greenwich Village Athletic Club. In 1915, fresh out of his teens, Tunney became a professional boxer. This was when he fought his first professional match, against an accomplished young boxer named Bobby Dawson. Tunney's seven-round knockout of Dawson earned him eighteen dollars—more than his weekly pay at the steamship company, and it left him with a taste for more. First North America, then the World After the United States entered World War I in 1917, Tunney joined the Marines and was stationed in France . While there, he fought in the American Expeditionary Force light heavyweight championship and won. He continued his civilian boxing career on his return from Europe , moving up the ranks to defeat successively more powerful opponents. Finally, in 1922, Tunney defeated Battling Levinsky in twelve rounds to take the title of light heavyweight boxing champion of North America . Tunney's success was short lived.

Only months later, he was forced to defend his title against Harry Greb, a highly aggressive boxer who was known for intimidating his opponents with unusually savage attacks. Greb gave no quarter to Tunney in their match, pounding away at the champion for fifteen rounds, and using a number of tactics that were on the borderline of legality. Tunney put up a heroic defense, managing to stay on his feet with a broken nose Greb gave him by head-butting him, and with his eyes swollen almost shut, until the fight was ended with Greb the winner by decision. Chronology Writes Encyclopedia Britannica entry on boxing 1978 Dies in Greenwich, Connecticut at the age of 80 But Tunney made a comeback the following year, 1923, challenging Greb to a rematch. This fight also went a full fifteen rounds before being called in a decision. This time, however, it was Tunney who got the upper hand. He had taken the advice of a boxing tactician, Benny Leonard, who had advised him to keep Greb off balance with as many punches to the body as he could manage. The strategy paid off, and Tunney took back his North American light heavyweight title.

Tunney now had his ultimate goal in sight: the title of heavyweight boxing champion of the world. This title was held by Jack Dempsey, and the two squared off on September 23, 1926. The match was held at Philadelphia's Sesquicentennial Stadium. This site had been chosen because Dempsey had been banned from fighting in New York because he had refused to accept a challenge from African-American boxer Harry Wills. Tunney had trained hard for his fight against Dempsey, watching films of the champion in action over and over again, probing for weaknesses. He also enlisted the aid of boxers who had fought Dempsey, both opponents and former sparring partners. Brought to Tunney's training camp, these fighters gave Tunney access to a pool of expert knowledge on Dempsey's fighting strengths and weaknesses from which to draw in the formation of his own strategies. He also drew on his own experience gained during his then-seventy-seven professional bouts, only one of which he had lost. On the day of the fight, the stadium was jammed with more than 120,000 spectators who shelled out a combined two million dollars to see the championship bout.

Tunney's meticulous study of his adversary paid off. He came on strong in the first round, rocking Dempsey with a hard right to the face and then keeping him off balance for the remainder of the bout, until the fight was called in Tunney's favor after ten rounds. It was the first time that anyone had won a heavyweight championship in a decision rather than a knockout. The "Battle of the Long Count" A year later, almost to the day, on September 22, 1927, Tunney and Dempsey met in a rematch. This time the venue was Soldier Field in Chicago , Illinois . Once again, more than 100,000 fans mobbed the grounds, paying a record $2.6 million to see the match (some sources say the box office take was more than $4.6 million). This fight was also the first to be covered by a professional radio announcer. Tunney and Dempsey slugged it out for the first six rounds, with neither boxer gaining a serious advantage, although Tunney managed to stay ahead in points. Then, in the seventh round, Dempsey dealt Tunney a staggering right to the temple and quickly pressed the attack with a fury of blows.

Tunney went down. Dempsey, caught up in the heat of the moment, failed to promptly retire to his corner of the ring so that the count could start. The referee pleaded with Dempsey to stop hovering over Tunney so that he could start the count, and finally Dempsey yielded. Getting Dempsey to move took all of four or five seconds, but those extra few moments were all Tunney needed to recover. As one of the spectators, sports writer Shirley Povich wrote fifty-one years later in the Washington Post, "I was positive then, as now, that Tunney would not have been up at a proper count of ten, but those precious seconds were heaven-sent for him, and at nine he made a gutsy rise to his feet." The fight was allowed to continue. Tunney managed to avoid Dempsey for the remainder of the round, buying himself even more time to recover. Maintaining his point lead for the remainder of the bout, Tunney won the match by decision in the 10th round. Many fans felt that an injustice had been done, that Dempsey should have won the fight in that fateful seventh round.

Povich recalled that there were "more cheers for Dempsey in that one round than for Tunney in the eight he won in the 10-round fight." The fight came to be known in boxing lore as the "battle of the long count." Undefeated to the End Tunney defended his title once more before hanging up his gloves for good. This was in a match with Tom Heeney in New York City on July 26, 1928. Tunney won that match after ten rounds in a technical knockout, allowing him to retire undefeated, the first heavyweight champion to do so. Awards and Accomplishments Tunney was defeated only once in is professional boxing career, retiring with a record of seventy-six wins to his one loss. He was the first heavy-weight champion to retire without losing his title. 1919 Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame Two Flaws in Tunney's Public Life; Gene Tunney: A Man in Search of Oblivion Gene Tunney should have been the living portrait of the certified American hero. He was the young handsome stalwart fighting Marine of World War I, square-jawed and fearless…. But complete admiration escaped Tunney. The flaws were two.

He was the man who beat a popular idol when he twice destroyed Dempsey. And … he lacked the common touch, choosing to hang out with scholars. Source: Povich, Shirley. Washington Post. (November 10, 1978): C1 Tunney led a full and active life following his retirement from boxing. He married Mary Josephine ("Polly") Lauder, niece of a steel baron Andrew Carnegie on October 3, 1928, and then started what was to be a lucrative career in business. After the United States entered World War II in 1942, Tunney served in the U. S. Navy. On his return from the war, he returned to his business career, seeking to remain out of the public eye for much of the remainder of his life. In 1945, he contributed an entry on boxing for the Encyclopedia Britannica, and in the 1950s and 1960s, he joined forces with his friend Jack Dempsey to argue before congress for the creation of a national commission that would oversee boxing.

Known for his intellect and appreciation for literature, Tunney befriended noted author and sportsman Ernest Hemingway as well as renown playwright and boxing fan George Bernard Shaw. He himself penned three books, Boxing and Training, A Man Must Fight, and Arms for Living. Tunney had four children, one of whom, John Varick Tunney, went on to become a member of the United States Senate representing California . Tunney died in 1978 at the age of eighty. SELECTED WRITINGS BY TUNNEY: Boxing and Training, A. G. Spaulding & Bros., 1928. A Man Must Fight, Houghton Mifflin, 1932. Arms for Living, W. Funk, Inc., 1941. FURTHER INFORMATION Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 10: 1976-1980. Detroit : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1995. Merriam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., 1995. Periodicals "Gene Tunney." Washington Post.

(November 12, 1978): B6. Povich, Shirley. "Two Flaws in Tunney's Public Life; Gene Tunney: A Man in Search of Oblivion." Washington Post (November 10, 1978): C1. Other "Gene Tunney." Cyber Boxing Zone. (October 15, 2002). "Gene Tunney." International Boxing Hall of Fame. (October 15, 2002). Sketch by Michael Belfiore Jack Dempsey vs Gene Tunney - The Long Count (1927) - YouTube Jack Dempsey vs Gene Tunney - The Long Count (1927) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jan 11, 2010 It is one of boxing's most talked about incidents.

In 1926, boxing master Gene Tunney outpointed slugger Jack Dempsey in Philadelphia to win the world heavyweight crown. Their rematch a year later in Chicago produced the famous 'long count.' Watch as Dempsey floors Tunney but forgets to go to a neutral corner as required by the new rule. Tunney takes a nine count but stays on the canvas for 14 seconds because of Dempsey's gaffe. Category BBC SPORT | BOXING | Tunney's 'long count' Wednesday, 30 May, 2001, 15:02 GMT 16:02 UK Tunney's 'long count' BBC Sport Online's Alex Trickett examines boxing duels that dominated a decade, starting with the 1920s and Dempsey versus Tunney. From Louis Armstrong to Al Capone via Greta Garbo and F Scott Fitzgerald, America's Jazz Age was a time of fast-paced living, creativity and change. Wild parties were common, "speakeasy culture" grew up in illegal, prohibition-induced bars, and sport - assisted by the advent of network radio - became a passion of the masses.

Babe Ruth dazzled in baseball, Bobby Jones had records tumbling in golf and tennis starlet Helen Wills-Moody showed that women could perform and entertain as well. But it fell to Jack Dempsey - "The Manassa Mauler" - to preside over them all as heavyweight champion of the world. The first fight took place in rain-swept Philadelphia He was up to the task. A working class hero, not averse to fighting for his supper in small-town saloons, Dempsey seized the "American Dream" when he pounded Jess Willard in 1919 to become champion. In the spirit of the age he married a movie star, was distracted by a few film roles, but remained unbeaten and brutal through a series of defences until 1926. Then, one September night in Philadelphia, he met Gene Tunney. Their first fight was a surprising mismatch. Ever the shrewd ring tactician, Tunney took charge in round one, jabbing, weaving and then dazing the champ with a stinging right to the face. Dempsey, in his familiar crouch, tried hooks to the body, but could not hit a fast-moving target and was picked off repeatedly.

As rain fell on a disbelieving crowd of 130,000, Tunney won almost every one of ten rounds and emerged as the new champion on points. I had my head, but there was no reason to get up prematurely. Why would anyone want to get up early in the same ring with Jack Dempsey? Gene Tunney The stage was set for boxing's first hugely-hyped rematch. And sure enough, when the two met again in Chicago the next year, 104,000 paid out $2.65m to attend, a gate that stood as a record for an incredible 50 years. They were not disappointed. At the opening bell, the 32-year-old Dempsey, who had taken defeat magnanimously and was better loved by the public as a result, charged forward with the hunger of his youth. Tunney resumed where he had left off, boxing with guile and suppressing his angry challenger with relative ease. That is until the seventh. In that round, Dempsey caught Tunney with a long right and followed up with a left hook to the chin.

For the first time in their two contests, Tunney was on the back foot and soon he was on the canvas, dropping hard after a four-punch flurry to his head. Long count Thus began boxing's fabled "long count". Dempsey - who would later ask what a neutral corner was - failed to back away from his fallen foe as the then-new rule dictated. And referee Dave Barry took several seconds to convince him to do so. Only after half-pushing Dempsey in the right direction, did Barry turn back to Tunney and begin his count. If Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey ever fought in a telephone booth, I'd bet every dime I have that it would be Dempsey who would walk out Jack Sharkey, boxer who fought both He reached nine before a shaken - but clearly cognisant - Tunney regained his feet, having gratefully used every extra second given him to unscramble his senses. Afterwards, Tunney would insist that he could have got up earlier. Either way, he managed to stave off Dempsey for the rest of the round and recovered to box his way to another clear-cut points victory. He would retire unbeaten at heavyweight, a record only Rocky Marciano has emulated.

As for Dempsey, this second loss to Tunney propelled him to retirement. America's revered Manassa Mauler had found one opponent he just could not maul. From fighting for his own food, he went on to prepare meals for others as a successful restaurant owner in New York City. Search BBC Sport Online The Official Site of Jack Dempsey BIOGRAPHY The smell of sweat fills the tiny room of screaming fans. Two boxer bob and weave in a miniscule ring, desperately attempting to bring each other to the ground. The primitive intensity of the fight continues to elevate, as fans can almost taste the tension in the pungent, sweat-filled air. Fatigue begins to set in on the opponent as his limp body starts to give into to the mighty bought. An ultimate look of fear sets in the opponent's eyes as Jack Dempsey's fist comes flying towards his face. His eyes close as a powerful and ferocious blow ensues. The opponent's body crumbles to the floor, his last recollection is being the bell sounding Jack Dempsey's victory. This was the scene was the commonality for many boxers who faced Jack Dempsey in the 1920s.

Born in Manassa, Colorado on June 24, 1895, William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey rose to sports stardom in the 1920s. As a nomadic traveler from 1911 to 1916, Dempsey began boxing in the small mining towns of Colorado under the name "Kid Blackie." He emerged from numerous saloon floor-boxing matches to rein victorious in over 80 professional fights by the meager age of 24. Dempsey was perhaps best known for his thrilling knockout victories, many of which occurred in just seconds of the fightï¿½s onset. Dempsey proved his phenomenal ability in a battle of "David and Goliath" match of fists. His iron strength and killer left hooks allowed Dempsey to beat Jess Willard in 1919, leaving the giant bewildered and shattered. This victory awarded Dempsey both the heavyweight title and the nickname of the "Manassa Mauler, " the name that soon haunted potential opponents all around the country. Dempsey became a ring warrior through his tough defense of his title six times in just seven years. In most of his matches, there were no survivors.

A day of disbelief for Dempsey occurred on September 23, 1926 when he was defeated by Gene Tunney and lost his heavyweight title. Ironically, this match yielded the largest paid attendance in boxing history. Tunney and Dempsey went head to head and fist to fist again in 1927 in hopes that Dempsey would reclaim his title. Dempsey lost this rematch, which was coined "The Battle of the Long Count" because of a call by the referee that Dempsey did not return to a neutral corner after Tunney had fallen. Tunney won the match three rounds later. Dempsey continued boxing in exhibitions after his defeat but retired from professional boxing in 1940 and went on to be a successful restaurant owner in New York. Dempsey retired with an astounding record of 60-7-8. Fifty of these wins were knockouts. He was a universally accepted sports star. With his bobbing and weaving stance, amazing speed, graceful agility, and pure power, Jack Dempsey will forever remain the perfect boxer and one of the greatest box office attractions of all time.

ESPN.com: Defeats didn't dampen Dempsey Defeats didn't dampen Dempsey By Larry Schwartz Special to ESPN.com The 1920s were the Golden Age of Sports. In boxing, nobody was more golden -- though not immediately -- than Jack Dempsey. Like Babe Ruth, Red Grange, Bill Tilden and Bobby Jones, Dempsey was the face of his sport. With angry scowl, teeth bared, flashing black eyes and unshaved chin, Dempsey was a warrior stalking his opponent. Fans flocked to see the former barroom brawler who had risen to the pinnacle of his profession. Game and tough with a ruthless spirit, he was a box-office magnet, attracting not only the first $1 million gate but also the first $2 million gate. Jack Dempsey was known to hum as he constantly moved forward at his opponent. "In the ring, he was a tiger without mercy who shuffled forward in a bobbing crouch, humming a barely audible tune and punching to the rhythm of the song," wrote Pulitzer Prize winner Red Smith. "He was 187 pounds of unbridled violence.

This isn't big by heavyweight standards, yet in the judgment of some, this black-browed product of Western mining camps and hobo jungles was the best of all pugilists." Though Dempsey rose to prominence with several brutal early-round knockouts, it was not until he lost his heavyweight crown in 1926 did he win over all fans. Back at the hotel, after being sliced and battered for 10 rounds by Gene Tunney, he was asked by actress Estelle Taylor, the second of his four wives, "What happened?" "Honey," Dempsey said, "I forgot to duck." From that fight on, the Manassa Mauler's popularity grew. "He was reviled as a slacker during World War I, and although a jury exonerated him of a charge of draft dodging, the odium cling to him until the night Tunney punched him almost blind and took his title," Smith wrote. Dempsey even became a folk hero after losing the 1927 rematch with Tunney. It was the battle that went down in history as "The Long Count," after Dempsey put Tunney down on the canvas for more than the 10 seconds required for a knockout.

But Dempsey was a victim of his own behavior and didn't head to the farthest corner, as required, for several seconds, allowing Tunney time to recover. "America acclaimed (Dempsey)," Shirley Povich wrote in the Washington Post. "In victory he was extolled as the invincible one. In defeat, he gained more stature. He was the loser in the battle of the long count, yet the hero." ZONE POLL Previous poll results William Harrison Dempsey was born June 24, 1895, in Manassa, Colo., to parents accustomed to living in poverty. The ninth of 11 children, he was called Harry during his boyhood. Growing up, the family moved to another part of Colorado and then to Utah. After Harry graduated from the eighth grade, he struck out on his own. Legend has it that Dempsey became a hobo, but he actually was an itinerant laborer who rode the freights and camped by the wayside on his way to temporary work. Digging ditches, picking peaches, cutting timber and being a circus roustabout were among his jobs.

Whenever he could, he fought in local clubs in Colorado, Utah and Nevada, using the name "Kid Blackie" or "Young Dempsey." At 19, he switched to Jack Dempsey, the name that two of his brothers had fought under. He showed promise until he was knocked out in the first round by "Fireman" Jim Flynn in 1917, the only knockout he would ever suffer. Late that year, Jack "Doc" Kearns recruited Dempsey. Benefiting immediately from the management of the canny Kearns, Dempsey scored a string of quick knockouts. A year and a half later, he fought for the heavyweight title. Dempsey was five inches shorter and 58 pounds lighter than the 6-foot-6, 245-pound champion, Jess Willard. But on July 4, 1919, under the broiling sun in Toledo, Ohio, Dempsey broke Willard's jaw with one of his first punches, a devastating left hook. He knocked Willard down seven times in the first round and walloped him for two more rounds.

When Willard didn't come out for the fourth round, he had four teeth missing, his eyes were closed, his nose was smashed and two ribs were cracked . not to mention the broken jaw. After successfully defending the title twice in 1920, Dempsey signed to fight Georges Carpentier on July 2, 1921. Wily promoter Tex Rickard saw the fight as "hero" against "villain." The "hero" was the Frenchman, the light-heavyweight champion who had distinguished himself as a pilot in World War I. The "villain" was Dempsey, who was labeled a "slacker" even though he was found not guilty in 1920 after being indicted for draft evasion. About 80,000 fans attended the fight in Jersey City, paying a then-record $1,626,580 -- the first million-dollar gate -- to watch Dempsey knock out Carpentier in the fourth round. On Sept.

14, 1923, Dempsey had a slugfest with Luis Firpo, a 216-pounder from Argentina who was called "the Wild Bull of the Pampas." Firpo's first punch was a thunderous right to the jaw that put the champ down. Dempsey jumped off the canvas before a count could be started and proceeded to knock down Firpo seven times. Before the round ended, an angry Firpo threw a clubbing right that sent Dempsey through the ropes and onto a sportswriter's typewriter. The writer and a Western Union operator helped the champ return to the ring before the count of 10. In Round 2, Dempsey registered two more knockdowns, the second ending the bout after 3 minutes and 57 seconds of mayhem. Dempsey took the next three years off, cavorting around with his actress wife Taylor, and fought only a few exhibitions. When he returned on Sept. 23, 1926, the quicker Tunney turned the aging champ's face into a bloody mess. Before the Tunney rematch, Dempsey fought Jack Sharkey.

When Sharkey complained to the referee in the seventh round that Dempsey was hitting low, Dempsey unloaded a haymaker, a left hook to the exposed chin. Fight over. When asked why he threw the punch when Sharkey wasn't looking, Dempsey said, "What was I supposed to do -- write him a letter?" Dempsey-Tunney II, the jewel of the Golden Age of Sports and likely the most famous fight in history, drew a gate of $2,658,660 (about $22 million in today's dollars) at Chicago's Soldier Field on Sept. 22, 1927. Tunney controlled the first six rounds, but in the seventh, a barrage of thundering blows by Dempsey drove the former marine to the canvas. The timekeeper began his count. The referee, Dave Barry, pointed Dempsey to a neutral corner to his left, ordering him there, but Dempsey ignored him and went to his own corner, about five feet behind Tunney. Barry pointed again to the neutral corner and at the count of three, Dempsey started there, arriving about two seconds later. The timekeeper was at five when Barry turned to Tunney.

But instead of picking up that count in unison with the timekeeper, Barry called out, "One." So began the Long Count. At Barry's count of four, Tunney raised his eyes from the floor and looked at the referee. When the count reached nine, Tunney, holding the rope, pulled himself to his feet. He had been down about 14 seconds. Tunney ran and danced away from Dempsey for the rest of the round. In the eighth, he floored Dempsey, and then went on to dominate the last two rounds to win easily. After the fight, Dempsey lifted Tunney's arm in salute and said, "You were best. You fought a smart fight, kid." That was Dempsey's last bout. The Hall of Fame fighter retired with a 64-6-9 record, according to The Ring magazine. He lost about $3 million in the stock market crash, but recovered enough to become one of the most popular -- and gentlemanly -- restaurant owners in New York. On May 31, 1983, he died of natural causes at age 87. Washingtonpost.com: 1927: Tunney vs.

Dempsey Washington Post Columnist Sept. 22, 1927 CHICAGO  Gene Tunney is still the heavyweight champion of the world and Jack Dempsey, to fighting born, did not "come back." Judged by Referee Dave Barry and two judges of the Illinois Boxing Commission, at the end of ten rounds of fighting, Jack Dempsey tonight was declared beaten by the man who won the title from him in a Philadelphia rainstorm a year ago, and who again was his master tonight in the ring pitched in the center of Soldiers [sic] Field, with 150,000 witnessing the bout that was pugilism's $2,800,000 masterpiece under the promotion of Tex Rickard. One fleeting incident marked the bout. One return of Jack Dempsey to the form that stamped him the "killer." One appalling moment for Gene Tunney in defense of his championship. One knockdown, which saved the fight from a disgraceful exhibition for champion and challenger.

The one event which appeased the craving of the 150,000 who paid more than $2,500,000 to be in at the "kill." The glory that was Jack Dempsey's returned to him in that transient moment in the seventh round of Chicago's extravaganza. The 150,000 saw it. Saw Jack Dempsey with that dreaded left hook punch Gene Tunney on the jaw. Saw Tunney go down to the canvas, felled. Saw Jack Dempsey watch the toll of the referee like he had watched the toll of many another referee  standing, waiting, for his opponent to get up if he could. Gene Tunney did get up. With the count of nine he rose to his feet a calm, deliberate fighting machine, stunned, but aware, and there Gene Tunney saved the championship. It was Dempsey's only serious threat to regain the title he held for seven years, and Tunney, getting up, preserved his title as becomes a champion. That was Jack Dempsey's one serious bid for the title he held so long.

He was beaten thoroughly in a bout that was tame for a championship bout  in a bout that saw a mechanically great fighter reach down in his heart and find the courage to go on and beat a man who had not the stamina nor physical ability to match the Spartan courage that has never been disputed. It was sudden. The same suddenness that has marked Dempsey's meteoric style. But a few moments of the seventh round had passed. Dempsey hit Tunney in the jaw with a short right hook. Tunney countered with a right jab that to Dempsey's head and danced back into Dempsey's corner. And Dempsey pursued him. Dempsey sent a hard left hook to Tunney's jaw. Tunney winced and the grimace was still on his face, when with that quickness of attack that he has always been able to summon, Dempsey raised his right hand a few short inches, delivered the fist to the side of Tunney's jaw, and Tunney dropped. Tunney was hit hard. He failed to hear the first counting of Referee Barry, but he quickly regained his composure. At the count of three he already had raised an arm and was waiting. He waited until the count reached eight.

At nine he arose, again to meet the man who had knocked him down. And, coupling his courage with the ring lore that he was known to possess, he danced away from his foe, saving his title. Then and there by his faultless conduct when matters appeared dark and when the Dempsey of old should have leaped into the "kill" the moment found the Dempsey of 1927 impotent. Tonight the shadows of Jeffries and Corbett and Sulivan flit across the pages of pugilism, which marks [sic] Jack Dempsey's career. They all tried to "come back," and tonight Jack Dempsey took his place at their side  unable to shatter the tradition of the ring. The precedent that has been inviolable when a former heavyweight champion attempted to regain his title. Jack Dempsey, "the killer," was not in the ring at Soldier Field tonight. It was not the Dempsey who was able to annihilate with either hand. Not the Dempsey who battered Willard into submission in three round at Toledo, who knocked out Carpentier in four rounds at Boyles Thirty Acres, who flattened Luis Firpo in two rounds at the Polo Grounds.

It was very much the same Jack Dempsey who bowed to Gene Tunney a year ago in that Philadelphia rainstorm, and very much the same Jack Dempsey who felled Sharkey in the seventh round at Yankee Stadium two months ago, in the ring with Gene Tunney tonight. And that Jack Dempsey was far, is removed from Jack Dempsey, the champion of the days when he knocked out Willard and Firpo and Carpertier. Retrogression in all its phases, marked Jack Dempsey as an easy, if not willing victim of the skill of a younger man, a superior boxer, also with a heart of iron, who retained his world's heavyweight title tonight. The Jack Dempsey who was in the ring with Tunney tonight was old. He was soft. He was deep down on the down grade of his pugilistic career, still with the willingness to force the battle but without the ability. Gene Tunney met almost the same man whom he defeated in Philadelphia. But there are many, many things to be said to the credit of Jack Dempsey. He was ever willing, ever ready to meet with Tunney.

He knew that his one chance for victory lay in the punishment he could inflict at close quarters and he tried, everlastingly, to bring his foe to close quarters for that purpose and not only for the delectation of the fans who gathered at Soldier Field in the expectancy of seeing the kind of fight that they knew Jack Dempsey would present. Tunney tonight fought the fight that won the title and is destined to retain for him the title until a far more worthy challenger than Jack Dempsey arises to a position on the pugilistic horizon. Strictly a counterfighter, who knows when to hit and how. Never in distress except for that brief moment in the seventh round, he won easily. The technical story of the battle can be briefly told. Dempsey, pawing, sniffing, advanced on Tunney from the outset, beckoning him to close quarters, and Tunney danced away, hitting as he danced, and sapping the strength of his foe from the start.

Dempsey would come in close, lean with a pawing left, and when Tunney elected to return a blow, a slight flurry would follow, with Dempsey's face and head invariably the target of Tunney's &COPY; Copyright 1927 The Washington Post Company

Question: In what sport did Gene Tunney defeat Jack Dempsey?
Answer: Boxing