BOXING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3702, 11 October 1927, Page 4

BOXING.

GREAT RING GENERAL,

BEST SINCE FITZSIMMONS

COOL, CRAFTY TUNNEY,

The following resume of the Tun-ney-Dempsey fight was cabled to the Sydney Sun on September 23: —

Tunney outpointed his opponent in eight rounds out of ten. If it had gone another two rounds Dempsey must have suffered a knockout. Tunney himself was very nearly knocked out in the seventh round, and it seemed that nothing could wrest victory from the challenger. During the early rounds Tunney piled up a comfortable margin of points. Dempsey saw himself a beaten man if it came to a points decision, so, in the seventh round, he came back with unbelievable speed and showed power and skill better than in all his fights of recent years. He knocked Tunney down, and that young man wisely refrained from rising until nine had been counted. Then Dempsey tried to finish Tunney off, but could not quite do it. Tunney was in distress at the end of that round, but the minute’s rest renewed his youthful strength. He came hack in the last three rounds to beat Dempsey with a far greater margin of points, and with greater decisiveness, than in their fight last year. Cool, cautious, and crafty Tunney enhanced his reputation as the foremost ring general since the days of Bob 'Fitzsimmons and James 1. Corbett. He showed himself a most resourceful champion.

(Before the fight was half way over it appeared certain that if he could avoid those reckless swings of Dempsey’s, he must win. He stepped into one of these, however, and Dempsey tried desperately to put him out. But Dempsey was the fiery old tiger for half a round only. He had shot his bolt.

Apart from this punch, Tunney beat him at practically every stage. Tunney’s .cburage in his comeback from that fearful seventh round was magnificent, and during the last three rounds he grew stronger and stronger, matching everything Dempsey showed in gameness and overwhelming him by his stamina.