The championship bout of The Roaring Twenties Heavyweight Extravaganza pits, to the surprise of no one, two of the most famous rivals in pugilistic history.
Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney fought two of the most legendary matches in boxing history. Their first meeting, in 1926, drew a crowd of more than 120,000 people to Philadelphia's Sesquicentennial (later JFK) Stadium. The rematch the following year attracted a live gate of $2.6 million in 1927 dollars, or about $33.3 million today. To put that in perspective, Pacquaio-Cotto drew a live gate of $8.8 million.
Despite Tunney's two clear victories, a couple of questions have lingered for more than 80 years. The more obvious is the question of "The Long Count," when Dempsey apparently forgot about a new rule requiring him to go to a neutral corner after scoring a knockdown, instead of looming over his wounded prey, as he had against Jess Willard and Luis Firpo.
So Tunney got at least five extra seconds to recover, though the fight film (linked below) shows him looking at the referee and listening to the count as soon as it begins, leading his supporters to argue that he could have gotten up before 10 even without the delay.
The more intriguing question for our purposes is how much Dempsey's age and inactivity -- he was sidelined for three years and nine days between the win over Firpo and the first loss to Dempsey. Films of the two Tunney fights show little of the aggression or hand speed that marked Dempsey's great fights.
At the same time, slick boxers gave Dempsey trouble, even at his peak. Could Tunney have stood up to the Dempsey who destroyed Willard and terrorized the division in the early 1920s?
Tournament results to this point are of little help in predicting the final outcome.
Tunney struggled at times with fighters well below Dempsey's level. In the semis, Godfrey -- big and powerful, but much slower than a peak Manassa Mauler -- landed a number of big shots and remained competitive throughout.
Likewise, Dempsey -- after blowing through his first four opponents without a serious scare -- fell behind on points to Max Schmeling before winning on a technical knockout in the 14th round, due to a cut over the German's right eye. A solid boxer-puncher, Schmeling lacked Tunney's ring artistry, but also hit harder.
The oddsmakers are torn here, but have established Dempsey as an early 6-5 betting favorite.
A few links to fuel the imagination:
Documentary segment including Dempsey vs. Firpo and Tunney I
Shirley Povich's contemporary account of the second fight
Documentary segment covering the second fight, including interview with Ray Arcel.