Dempsey made it back into the ring and beat the count. The fight ended 57 seconds into the second round with Dempsey a knockout winner. Dempsey was inactive in and '25 and put his title on the line against Gene Tunney in At 31, Dempsey fell behind on points and was never able to change the momentum. In July of , Dempsey knocked out future champion Jack Sharkey in the seventh-round the knockout blow was setup by a punch that landed low. Tunney was again outboxing Dempsey when he was dropped in the seventh round.
Before the fight, it was agreed upon that after a knockdown, the fighter scoring the knockdown would go to a neutral corner. But when Tunney hit the canvas, Dempsey hovered over the fallen champ, ignoring the referee's order that he retreat a neutral corner.
By the time Dempsey was ushered across the ring and the referee began his count, it is estimated that Tunney had 14 seconds to recover. Tunney got up and won the fight by decision, but the long-count controversy would remain etched in boxing history.
Despite his successes in the ring during this period, however, Dempsey was not particularly popular with the public. He had not served in the military when the United States entered World War I in , leading some to view him as a slacker and draft dodger.
Furthermore, an infamous and widely ridiculed photograph showed Dempsey at a Philadelphia shipyard, supposedly hard at work, but wearing shiny patent-leather shoes. Strangely, Dempsey finally achieved widespread popularity when he lost his championship title. On September 23, , he was defeated by challenger Gene Tunney before a record crowd of , fans in Philadelphia.
When the bruised and battered Dempsey returned to his hotel that night, his wife, shocked at his gruesome appearance, asked him what happened. A year later, in , Dempsey challenged Tunney to a rematch in a fight that would become one of the most controversial in boxing history. Dempsey knocked Tunney down in the seventh round but forgot a new rule requiring him to return to a neutral corner while the referee counted, extending the pause in the fight.
Dempsey's slipup afforded Tunney at least five precious extra seconds to recover and return to his feet, and Tunney eventually won the fight. Although Dempsey fans argue that he would have won if not for the "long count," Tunney maintained that he was in control throughout the fight.
After his second loss to Tunney, Dempsey retired from boxing but remained a prominent cultural figure. He opened Jack Dempsey's Restaurant in New York City, where he was famous for his hospitality and willingness to chat with any customer who walked through his doors. He also tried his hand at acting. During World War II , Dempsey put all questions surrounding his war record to rest by serving as a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard.
Nicknamed the "Manassa Mauler," Dempsey ranked second only to Babe Ruth among the great American sports icons of the s. He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in , and many commentators still rank him among the ten greatest boxers of all time. This last bout became the focus of an enduring controversy.
Dempsey floored Tunney in the seventh round but refused to go to a neutral corner according to the rules. The countdown was delayed, and Tunney, given this extra respite, recovered sufficiently to outbox Dempsey the rest of the way.
For several years after his defeat, Dempsey refereed, announced boxing matches, and mentored young fighters. He attempted a comeback in but failed.
Afterward, explaining the ten-round decision for Tunney to his wife, Dempsey said, "Honey, I forgot to duck. Comeback Attempt The following year, Dempsey made an attempt to regain the title in a rematch that became known as the "Long Count" fight. Tunney would not engage Dempsey in the latter's boxing style and held the upper hand for the first rounds. In round seven, Dempsey landed a combination that knocked Tunney to the mat.
The referee told Dempsey to get to a neutral corner; he said, "I'll stay here. Tunney took all of the "Long Count" before getting back up, and then finished the fight, winning another ten-round decision. Why didn't Dempsey move to the neutral corner? I just couldn't. I wanted Tunney to get up. I wanted to kill the S.
Retired Hero Dempsey retired after the second Tunney fight. His dignity in defeat won him new admirers. After losing his fortune in the stock market crash, he opened a restaurant in New York.
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