Gene Tunney Beats Jack Dempsey – 1927
Known as the “Long Count Fight”, This fight from Sept. 22nd 1927 would be Jack Dempsey’s last. Dempsey lost the title via points to Tunney a year earlier in front of over 120,000 live attendees in Philadelphia, and the rematch was scheduled for almost a year later in Chicago. The rematch would shatter gate records in Chicago’s Soldier Field.
A new rule was instituted for this fight. Previously when a boxer had been knocked down their opponent was permitted to wait near them while the ref counted. As soon as the opponent got up, they were free to knock them back down again. This fight would be the first which required the fighter to go to a neutral corner.
Dempsey, whose camp had lobbied for the rule, didn’t quite get the new rule. In the 7th round Dempsey, who was losing at the time, knocked Tunney down but didn’t retreat to a neutral corner. The referee took several moments to move Dempsey, allowing Tunney time to recover. The official timekeeper noted Tunney was down for 14 seconds, but was up at the ref’s count of 9. Tunney would go on to win a decision in one of the most famous bouts of all time.
