Only a few days in the past—Saturday, Could 31, to be actual—marked the forty second anniversary of the loss of life of Jack Dempsey, the ninth man to carry the world heavyweight crown and certainly one of boxing’s most enduring icons.
That somber milestone brings to thoughts one of many sport’s most storied chapters: the notorious “Lengthy Rely Struggle,” a contest that, even now, practically 98 years later, stays etched in boxing lore. On September 22, that anniversary will as soon as once more stir reminiscences of an evening when the foundations, the group, and destiny itself all collided underneath the lights at Chicago’s Soldier Discipline.
There are solely a handful of heavyweight bouts that dwell in the identical historic breath—these seismic nights that altered the panorama of the game. Consider Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, each the 1936 shocker and the 1938 redemption; or the unforgettable evening in Tokyo in 1990 when Buster Douglas shocked a 42-to-1 favourite Mike Tyson within the tenth spherical; or Muhammad Ali’s masterclass in Kinshasa in 1974, when chants of “Ali bomaye!” thundered by way of the humid evening as he toppled the seemingly invincible George Foreman.
After which there’s Dempsey-Tunney II—the Lengthy Rely Struggle—maybe essentially the most dissected contest within the century-long chronicle of the game.
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A WARM NIGHT IN CHICAGO…
It was a sizzling summer time night in Chicago, September 22, 1927. Greater than 120,000 followers packed Soldier Discipline, a lot of them simply to witness a spectacle. Within the ring, 32-year-old Jack Dempsey, the “Manassa Mauler,” stood poised for redemption. As soon as the undisputed heavyweight king, Dempsey had surrendered the title a yr earlier to Gene Tunney in a stunning upset in Philadelphia. Now, with a ledger studying 54-5-9 with 50 knockouts, he aimed to reclaim the throne.
Throughout the ring stood Tunney, 30 years outdated, boasting an excellent 63-1-1 report with 44 knockouts. A cerebral ex-Marine and World Struggle I hero, Tunney was no strange prizefighter—an avid reader of Shakespeare and lover of classical music, he was as a lot scholar as slugger, a curious match within the brutal world of boxing.
Regardless of Tunney’s decisive win of their first bout, Dempsey as soon as once more entered because the betting favourite. The general public nonetheless believed the previous champion would bulldoze his approach again to the highest, obliterating the extra methodical Tunney. Promoter Tex Rickard, in the meantime, was smiling ear-to-ear—the dwell gate had topped $2.5 million, practically double that of their first encounter.
The early rounds had been aggressive however unspectacular. Dempsey charged like a bull; Tunney stayed elusive, shifting and countering with precision. The motion simmered with out boiling—till Spherical 7.
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THE SEVENTH ROUND THAT SHOOK THE SPORT
Halfway by way of the seventh, Dempsey lastly landed the sort of punch that made him a legend—a thunderous left-right mixture that despatched Tunney crashing to the canvas. Chicago erupted. However then got here the second that might immortalize the struggle.
New guidelines had not too long ago been applied: when a knockdown happens, the standing fighter should instantly retreat to a impartial nook earlier than the referee can start the rely. Dempsey, both unaware or too locked in on his damage opponent, hovered over Tunney like a vulture, delaying the beginning of the rely.
Referee Dave Barry ordered Dempsey to a impartial nook, however treasured seconds ticked by earlier than he complied. By the point Barry truly started his rely, Tunney had already been down for an estimated 14–16 seconds. Nonetheless groggy, Tunney rose at Barry’s rely of 9, narrowly beating the official rely—if not the stopwatch.
What adopted was a masterclass in survival. Tunney used his legs, his jab, and his composure to climate Dempsey’s storm and retake management of the struggle over the ultimate three rounds. The choice went to the champion—unanimously—and controversy was born.
The bout was without end branded The Lengthy Rely Struggle. And the retelling of that rely? It’s solely grown longer with time.
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EPILOGUE OF LEGENDS
Dempsey by no means fought once more. He walked away with an official report of 54-6-9 (44 KOs), although some sources listing it as 61 wins, 50 by knockout. By the point of that second Tunney struggle, his pursuits had shifted to Hollywood and enterprise ventures, and the hearth that when made him essentially the most feared man within the sport had begun to fade.
He’d develop into champion in 1919 with a savage beating of Jess Willard in Toledo, knocking the large down seven instances within the first spherical. He defended the title in opposition to names like Billy Miske, Invoice Brennan, Georges Carpentier, Tommy Gibbons, and Argentina’s Luis Ángel Firpo—the primary Latin American to struggle for the heavyweight crown. That wild brawl with Firpo ended controversially however solidified Dempsey’s fable.
Then got here Gene Tunney.
James Joseph “Gene” Tunney was the son of Irish immigrants and a product of New York’s streets. He honed his craft in metropolis gyms, working his approach by way of the ranks to develop into gentle heavyweight champion. His solely skilled loss got here in a brutal struggle with Pittsburgh’s Harry Greb—a 15-round massacre that left Tunney with a damaged nostril and short-term blindness. Tunney would later avenge that loss—and beat Greb three extra instances.
Within the first Dempsey bout on September 23, 1926, Tunney entered as a 3-to-1 underdog. He boxed circles across the Manassa Mauler, successful at the least 9 of the ten rounds in a show that shocked the boxing world.
After the Lengthy Rely victory, Tunney fought simply as soon as extra—a profitable protection in opposition to Tom Heeney at Madison Sq. Backyard in July 1928. He retired with a report of 65-1-1 (48 KOs), his lone loss avenged, his legacy safe. He lived a quiet, snug life due to sensible investments and frugal habits. In 1990, he was inducted into the Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame.
Tunney died in Greenwich, Connecticut, on November 7, 1978, on the age of 80.
Dempsey handed 5 years later, on Could 31, 1983, in New York Metropolis, aged 87.
Two titans, one unforgettable struggle, and a rely that also echoes by way of time.
