BOXING.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 September 1927, Page 2

BOXING.

THE BIG FIGHT. TUNNEY WINS. (Australian Press Association & SunO NEW YORK, Sept. 22.” Jack Dempsey weighed out at 192 J pounds and Gene Tunney at 189 j pounds. Rain began early, and more fell before the bout commenced, but it soon stopped. It is estimated that there were 150,000 spectators present, and the gate receipts totalled 2,800,000 dollars.

The bout started at eight minutes past ten o’clock. : . First, round—Dempsey led with' his left hand, and he missed. Tunney then caught him with a left to the face. Then they clinched. The ehalenger next: landed a left to the heart. Then Tunney rocked Dempsey with a right to the jaw, following whi,ch they clinched. Tunney thereafter landed a light right to the face. Dempsey hooked his left to the body at close range. Tunney landed a few more light blows, and he seemed to have the advantage at the hell. i

Second round—Dempsey landed his right to the heart, and next sent another right to the body. Then the challenger drove two hard ones to the head and the body. Tunney next fell into a clinch. The men exchanged hard rights, and also blows on each others’ cars. Then they clinched. Dempsey landed a right. On the break. Tunney hooked both his right and left to the jaw, and he sent the challenger’s head back with a light left. At the bell this again appeared to he Tunney’s round.

Third round—Dempsey came out aggressively. They clinched immediately, and Tunney seemed to hold the challenger’s arms. The crowd yelled disapproval. They sparred, and Tunney jabbed a hard left to the jaw, Dempsey punished him with short-driven blows at close range. Dempsey hit Tunney three low blows but the champion did not complain. Dempsey again struck two low blows, and one of the judges called it a foul, hut the bout went on. Tunney came hack with a right and left to the head. Dempsey put his right and left to the body, and they clinched. Tunney crossed his light: to the ear. At the hell Tunney still appeared to lead the fight. Fourth round—Dempsey led with tlie left, and tne chjjinnion crossed both left and right to the face. Dempsey retaliated with a vicious left to the body, and Tunney returned a hard right, to the face.- Then he put two with his left t i the challengers face, and Dempsey appeared, to butt him. for which the.referee warned the challenger. Tunney now appeared to land Mows the more frequently, intermingling his fast work with skilful boxing. Tunney crossed his right to the head,

and he shook Dempsey with another right. Tuiuioy’s seconds here shouted at Dempsey’s hutting tactics. Howe*?r, the champion landed five' hard blows rapidly, and the challenger wobbled. Tunney drove hard after his opponent, and chased him into a neutral corner. Tlie challenger was hanging on at the bell, and was in had shape. His seconds worked hard over him at the interval.

Fifth round—Dempsey appeared wary, and was stepping away. Tunney put his left to the face. Dempsey then landed his right to the body, and sent another low left to the body, but the champion still did not complain. Tunney next looped ail overhand right to Dempsey’s head with Dempsey on the ropes. Dempsey then hacked away, and Tunney fought him into a corner where ho landed a left hook to the body, and he hung on when the champion bored into close range. Dempsey got home a left hook to the jaw, hut he was slow to follow it up. Tunney landed ’repeated blows to the head, body and face, and he landed a final blow flush on Dempsey’s jaw. This was Tunney’s round.

Sixth round—They sparred cautiously at the start. Dempsey then landed three hard body punches, then they came to close quarters, where Tunney pinned the other’s arms. They hacked away, and the champion sent his right to the head, which made the challenger go into a clinch. Dempsey seemed desperately anxious to put all his strength into close-range fighting, hut Tunney’s boxing seemed safely to keep him at long range. Dempsey landed a right to the body, which made Tunney dance away. Dempsey then hooked a right and left to the jaw, which shook Tunney and again the challenger honked a right to the face. He was strong and dangerous, now appearing at his best. It was Dempsey’s round. Seventh Round—Dempsey floored Tnnney with a right and a left to the jaw. Tunney rose on -the count of nine. Dempsey then flow in, determined to finish him, but Tunney fell into a clinch. Dempsey then landed a right to the body, and drove Tunney around the ring, Tunney backing away, but suddenly he ’ began driving his left to the jaw. Dempsey hooked a left to the jaw, and then lie drove Tunney to the ropes with a right to the body. Tunney, however, danced away, with Dempsey pursuing. - Dempsey then waded in, apparently inviting a close-range exchange, in which lie put a left, right iand left to the body. At the hell Tunney was very weak in his corner. Tt was a long, ileft book, flush to the jaw, which floored the champion Eighth Round—Dempsey again commenced pursuing the champion. Tunney, however, crossed a light right and left to the head. Then Dempseylanded a low left to the body and one on the head. Tunney danced away. Dempsey’ next aimed for the body- and Tunney jabbed him on the face. Dempsey pounded Tunney’s neck in a clinch and landed a right to the body. Then Tunney dropped Dempsey with a left to the jaw, but lie hounded up without taking any count. Tunney now forced the fighting, and ho put Dempsey on the ropes. Dempsey- now had become much slower, and Tunney drove Three lefts to his face. They exchanged rights to the face. Both Dempsey’s eyes were now badly- cut. It was Tunney’s round. Ninth Round—Dempsey attacked, and missed with his left. lie pounded the champion in a clinch. Then Tunney put in a left and a right to the head, and they wrestled about the ring. Dempsey put two rights to the body, and clubbed his right to Tunney’s head. Tunney jabbed Dempsey twice to the face with his left, and Dempsey was bleeding badly. Tunney- then aimed at the face with both ids hands. He next shot his right to the jaw and his left to the body, and Dempsey was shaky. The challenger then put a left and right into the body, but Tunney crossed a straight right to Dempsey’s face, which had now 'become a mass of blood. It was again Tunney’s round. Last Round —The men shook hands. Dempsey first wrestled with Tunney, and an exchange of left hooks followed. Tunney crossed two rights to the face. Both men were swinging wildly and were trying for a knock-out. Dempsey landed <a left to the head, and Tunnev then put his left and right to the face. Then he jabbed the challenger with two lefts to the face and sent a right cross to the head. Dempsey now appeared to be groggy. Tunnev crossed two rights to the face, and again sent in a hard right, which

stung Dempsey. Dempsey was nowvery weak. Tunney was pummelling him with both hands. The champion next crossed his right to the jaw, and sent his right and Jiis left to the face. The announcer raised Ttmney’s hand in signal of victory.

i It was Dempsey's inability to follow up the terrific blow that floored the champion, which cost him the fight. Dempsey’s old-time ferocity and clear-headedness then seemed gone. He was unable to break through the skilful boxing defence which Tunney immediately brought into play after rising from the canvas. Towards the end the challenger weakened, and the champion showed the greater strength, indicating to some observers if the fight had gone any longer than ten rounds, Tunney would have suceeded in knocking out his .opponent. EIGHT SUMMED UP. The announcer then described every round of the fight in detail, and at the conclusion he summarised the contest as follows: It has been a wonderful fight, and he never expected to see a better one. Thero were no fouls' and nothing questionable from start to finish. From the start to the finish, of the fight it was difficult to see which way the decision would go. At one time Dempsey would appear to have everything his own way, and some of the rounds he annexed by a wide margin. Jn others it was Tunney who was equally decisive. Right up to the finish it appeared from the description that Dempsey would emerge victor, but the hist two rounds went to the champion, and the fight was really won in the last round, Dempsey being knocked out on his feet a few minutes before the final bell went. WINNER'S SPEECH. After the fight there was a roar for a speech from the winner, who spoke very hurriedly, saying: “To tlie whole world, and to my friends in Canada in particular: 1 am pleased to -have been able to keep the championship. It was a great fight, and one which I feel honoured to win.” TUNNEY’S COUNT. NEW YORK, Sept. 22. When Tunney went to the floor in tlie seventh round, Dempsey stood over him near the ropes, instead of going to a neutral corner, as the rules required, before the count can he started. The count was as a result delayed several seconds, and Tunney had more time in which to recover, and then, swinging himself up by grasping the rope, he danced away. Dempsey’s manager said ho would protest to the Boxing Commission that Tunney received a fifteen second count, but the referees in the preliminary bouts had also waited until’ one of the fighters who had floored an opponent backed away into the neutral corner before beginning to count. The fight provided as thrilling a spectacle by reason of the knock-down of the champion, as by its climax, and the clear-cut victory of the champion as its result.

DEMPSEY’S CLAIM THAT HE WON. NEW YORK, Sept. 22.

Dempsey virtually claimed that the referee’s decision was unfair in a statement he made after the fight. Hfci said:—“l heat Tunney to-night, and I will beat him again any time he wants to get into the ring with me. lam not ready to retire by a long shot; not before 1 have had another crack at Tunney. I know down -in my soul I knocked Tunney out to-night, and what’s more, chased him all around the ring, and should have won on points at least.”

The New York “ Times ” fight export says:—“His deliberate refusal’ to observe the boxing rules of Illinois State Athletic Commission, or his ignoarncc of the rule, or both, cost DerjpUey his chance to regain the chanipiosnli'p. Tunney should have lost tlie contest. He should have been knocked out, and was, in fact, in the seventh round. That this result docs not go into the record book is due to the failure of Dempsey to move into a neutral corner when Tunney was floored.”

THE DECIDING FACTOR. NEW YORK, Sept. 22. The “ Chicago Tribune’s ” boxing expert says; “Superior ring generalship and endurance, the two most important qualifications in a figther, enabled Gene Tunney to retain the championship. It was Tunney’s ringcraft which enabled him to weather the seventh round, when he was sent to the mat, and it was Ills endurance which enabled him to outfight, the challenger in the closing round.

PRESS COMMENT. 'Received this dav at 9.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 23. Commenting on the Dempsey-Tunney fight, Paul Gallico, in the “ New York News,” said all that saved the heavyweight title to Gene Tenney was the Philadelphia count, henceforth to be known as the Chicago count. When Dempsey had Tunney knocked out in tlie seventh round, they gave Tunney at least fifteen seconds, if not more. The “ Herald Tribune ” expert says only Dempsey’s amazing gameness and courage and great durability kept him on liis feet.

. Tlie New York “World” says Tunney was awarded the decision on points at the end of ten rounds, but lie was the luckiest champion who ever retained the crown.

Tho “ New York American ” says, it was a fairly even fight. Going into the tenth round with a knock-down weighing strongly in Dempsey’s favour, but all through the tenth round Tunney battered Dempsey until the ex-cham-pion’s face streamed with blood. The New York “ Journal ” says Dempsey lias himself to blame for his failure to regain his title, intimating lie failed to follow the Illinois rules.

The New York “ Telegraph ” says Tunney’s victory stamps him as v great heavy-weight, and his rare exhibition of courage and generalship thwarted Dempsey as he stood on the brink of the accomplishment of a comeback miracle.

Jimmy De Forest, a noted trainer, says: “ Jack lost the hatti’e in tho last round.” SYDNEY, Sept. 24. At the Leic-hharat Stadium, the bantamweight championship of Australia, McAlister outpointed Archie Cowan in fifteen rounds.