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N0KFQ > TODAY 22.09.12 17:39l 101 Lines 5046 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Sep 22
Path: IZ3LSV<IV3SCP<IW0QNL<IK6ZDE<VE2PKT<VK2DOT<N0KFQ<KB0WSA
Sent: 120922/1522Z 28708@KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA BPQK1.4.52
Sep 22, 1927:
Dempsey loses on long count
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.
By 1919, 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 died in 1978 at the age of 81. His son,
John V. Tunney, was a U.S. senator.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ KB0WSA.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: n0kfq@winlink.org
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