DEMPSEY'S MISTAKE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 226, 24 September 1927, Page 15

DEMPSEY'S MISTAKE.

Why Tunney Was Allowed Extra Time To Recover. (By Cable.—Tress Association.—Copyright ) (Received 9 a.m.) NEW YORK, September 23. Commenting on the Dempsey-Tunney fight laul Gnllico, of the "New York News," said: "All that savi the heavyweight title for Gene Tunney was the Philadelphia count, henceforth to be known as the Chicago count. When Dempsey had Tunney knocked out in the seventh round they gave Tunney at least

ji) seconas, ii nui. mult. The "New York World" expert said: "Tunnoy was awarded the decision on points at the end of ten rounds, but he wa§ the luckiest champion who ever retained his crown." The "New York American" said: "It waa a fairly even fight going into the tenth with the knock-down -weighinfr strongly in Dempsey'e favour, but all through the tenth Tunney battered Dempeey until the ex-champion'e face streamed with blood." The "New York Journal" said: "Dempgey has himself to blame for his failure to regain his title as he failed to follow the Illinois rules." A New York telegram said: "Tunney's victory stamped him as a great heavyweight. His rare exhibition of courage and generalship thwarted Dempeey as he stood on the brink of accomplishing a comeback miracle. , ' The boxing expert of the "New York Times" says Dempsey'e deliberate refusal to observe the boxing rules of the Illinois State Athletic Commission, or else his ignorance of the rules, or both together, cost him his chance to regain the championship. Tunney, he says, should have lost the contest. He ought to have been knocked out, and in fact he was, in the seventh round. That this result does not go into the record books is due to Dempsey's failure to move into a neutral corner when Tunney was floored in that round. Generalship of Tunney. The boxing expert of the "Chicago Tribune" says that superior ring generalship and endurance, which are the two mo3t important qualifications of a boxer, enabled Tunney to retain the championship. It was his ringcraft which enabled him to weather the seventh round, when he was sent to the mat, and it was his endurance which made it possible for him to outbox his challenger in the last round. . It is generally agreed that Dempsey's inability to follow up the one terrific blow that floored Tunney in the ueventh round cost him the victory. Hia oldtime ferocity and clear-headedness seemed gone. He was unable to break through the skilful defensive boxing which Tunney immediately brought into piny after rising from the canvas. Toward the end the challenger weakened and the champion showed greater strength, and, according to some observers, if the bout had gone on for more than 10 rounds Tunney would have succeeded in knocking out his opponent. The 15 Seconds Count. When Tunney went to the floor in the seventh Dempsey stood over him near the ropes, instead of poinp to a neutral corner as the rules require, before the count can bs started. The count was, as a result, delayed for several seconds and Tunney had more time in which to recover. He then swung himself up by grasping the rope and danced away. Dempsey's manager said he would pßotest to the Boxing Commission that Tunney received a 15-seeond count, but the referees in the preliminary bouts prior to the main event hed also waited until one of the boxers, who had floored his opponent, had backed away into a neutral corner before beginning the count. The contest provided a thrilling spectacle, with the knock-down of the champion as its climax and his clear-cut victory as its result. It is estimated that 50,000,000 persons in the United States alone heard a description of the bout over the radio. Dempsey Defiant. In a statement made by Dempsey after his defeat by Tunney in the contest for the heavy-weight boxing championship he virtually claimed that the referee's decision was unfair. "I defeated Tunney to-night," he said, "and I will do so again at any time that he wishes to come into the same ring with me. I am not ready to retire by a long shot, and not before I have had another bout with Tunney. "I know down in my mind that I knocked Tunney out to-night, and, what is more, I chased him all round the ring and should have won on points at least."