Jack Dempsey-Gene Tunney Fight at Soldier Field, September 22, 1927
On September 22, 1927, more than 100,000 boxing fans filled Soldier Field for a boxing match between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney to decide the Heavyweight Championship of the World. The crowd witnessed one of the most controversial championships in boxing history, known for the "long count" given by the referee.
Washington Post sports reporter Shirley Povich wrote: "Gene Tunney did get up. With the count of nine he rose to his feet a calm, deliberate fighting machine, stunned, but aware, and there Gene Tunney saved the championship. It was Dempsey's only serious threat to regain the title he held for seven years, and Tunney, getting up, preserved his title as becomes a champion.
Source: Washington Post, Encyclopedia of Chicago, Wikipedia.
Photos Courtesy Library of Congress
