TUNNEY – DEMPSEY FIGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 28 October 1927, Page 4

TUNNEY - DEMPSEY FIGHT

AN EXPERT’S IMPRESSIONS. s DOWN FOR 14 SECONDS. In tlie American newspaper accounts of the Tunney-Dempsev championship contest great prominence is given to the knock-down in the seventh round. Robert Kdgen, the famous boxing writer, states:— “ Then came the seventh round and the sensation of the light—a sensation that brought 150,000 yelling to their feet. Dempsey threw away his defence and went after Tunney like a tiger. Tunncy missed left, missed with a right, lie doubled back to get away. Dempsey rushed him luriously to the ropes on the west side ol the ring. “Almost against the ropes, Tunney tried to get away, but Dempsey leaped at him. A terrific left book on Tunney’s jaw and Tunney was half-twisted around by the blow. He threw out bis arms despairingly, trying to grab at Dempsey and bold him tight as he bad held him a hundred times before. But Dempsey’s right was already on the way. It crashed on Tunney's head. Tunney didn’t reel and fall. He was lifted from his feet by that second blow. He seemed to whirl in the air as he fell heavily on his hack, and as In* struck the floor his lelt arm was thing across the rope. “ I was sitting in the front row of the Press section, and Tunney tell exactly m front of me. I could have reached out and touched him with my hand. I looked at his eyes, which c losed as lie struggled to rise. llis head came up. and he fell back again, lie lilted his shoulders trom the floor, and could get no further. “ Meanwhile the referee had tufted around toward Dempsey, who had tinned uncertainly toward his corn-. I .' and had not stepped into it. because Tunney fell only a couple of steps Iro o 1 that angle of the ring. Time went bv, and there was no count. 4 lien the referee bent over Tunney. and. after looking around toward the timekeeper, began to count slowly. Tunney evi-

dently needed plenty ol time. “ At these lights 1 always carry a split-second watch to time knock-downs for in the old days a favourite trick was to give a lighter a long count t i save him from a knock-out, especially if lie was favourite in the belting. When Tunney was fiat on the floor I stopped the split second hand. Ine count went on. Dempsey had walked away well out of range. I uiiney siru;.;glacl to rise, and the count reached nine. Then Tunney rocked forv.irt and came up to his feet. The relo'eo stepped back. As the reloroo counted

‘nine’ and Tunney lelt the lloor I stopped the other split second hand. According to my watch Tunney was down on his hack just fourteen seconds. “ In most places and under the usual rule of prize-ring circumstances a man is out when he is knocked clou n and fails to rise within ton seconds. B'd apparently not under Chicago rules.

“ Tunney was knocked out. hut thev let him go on fighting. I'll say for Gene Tunney that he is not out until he’s counted out hy a reloroo.

“Dempsey started alter Tumioy, deliberately looking for a chance to get over one solid sock, ’lunney was groggy. 11 is eves stood out with an expression of desperation But he ran backward, around and around the ring, and nhei' he had to go faster he ran sideways and frontward. Dempsey lollowed gathering for the leap, and eou'd not catch him.

“ It lias a long chase, tor a minute at least Tunney stopped and tried to hold .Jack oil' with a jab and a light cross, lml lie was pitifully slow. His blows missed, and there would have been no sling in them if they had landed. Tunney staggered as ho rail. Once Dempsey cornered him along the ropes and leaped at him with a vicious left hook for his chin, and missed aTunney reeled aside. Tunney bare ! y lasted out the round.” “ I T N( j TEST ION A IiLY SLOW.” Hiirrv B. Smith, sporting editor ol the San Francisco “ t hrunirle.” writes : “Tie count was unquestionably slow all the way from three to live seconds. Yet the rules of the Illinois commission distinctly state, in the event of a knock-down, the man wit scores the knock-down must retire to his corner before the count is started. Dempsey and his handlers certainly should have been aware id’ this ruling. If not, somebody or other was guilty o: well-nigh criminal carelessness. Certainly the rule is as fair to one as to the other.

“ Personally I doubt i! a shorter count would have made any dillcroiiee in the final outcome. Tunney. for the first four seconds, was badly stunned and 1 doubt if he knew what was going on. Then his brain cleared, he partially raised himself to his feet and was simply taking advantage, as a smart boxer would do, of the full count. Had the count been shorter. Tunney, to my way of thinking, would have been on his feet that much sooner. Doubtless he would have weathered the storm, as indeed he did weather it, and come along for a victory.

“ Jack Dempsey is, or should be. clone with tlic ring. His close triends will tell you that, admitting the while that he has slowed down to he little more than a hollow shell of the once great fighter. In his two matches with Tunney, Dempsey has taken nothing hut a heating. If he chooses to continue in the squared circle he will develop into nothing more than a punching hag for whoever may he selected to oppose him. I’d hate to see that.

“ I wouldn’t say that Tunney compares with such champions as Rob Fitzsimmons, Jim Jellifies, or Jack Johnson when they were in their prime, or even with the Jack Dempsey of several years ago.”