It was September of 1923 when Jack Dempsey was knocked out of the boxing ring and with a little help from his friends, like Babe Ruth, was pushed back into the square circle. Jack scored a win by knocking out Luis Firpo.
Both became very popular, especially Jack, a former hobo, who had achieved universal recognition for his heroics in the ring.
Something strange happened….Jack stopped fighting. He settled in Los Angeles, acted in a couple of movies, had his nose fixed, married movie star Estelle Taylor and became friends with several Hollywood actors.
From September 1923 to September 1926, Jack didn’t fight at all. Little did he know that a couple of historic fights were in his path to immortality…..?
In 1926 Philadelphia held a world’s fair, called the Sesquicentennial Exposition, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The affair was a total disaster. No funding, exhibitions were running way behind and even the state of Pennsylvania declined to contribute anything toward the costs.
It rained every day in Philadelphia during the summer of 1926 and into the fall the rain kept falling. This had a very depressing effect on the crowds in many ways. Nothing seemed to be going right until one event saved the Exposition from total failure.
On September 23, in a stadium never used, Jack Dempsey defended his heavyweight title against an “up and coming” challenger named Gene Tunney. It was Dempsey’s first fight in exactly three years.
Boxing was the most popular sport in America. The news of this fight was front page news around the world. In America, at every gathering of people from churches to work to bars….one topic dominated the conversation, the Dempsey fight. One New York sports writer called this the greatest event since Moses took on Pharaoh of Egypt. Another called the upcoming bout “the greatest event since the Silurian Age.”
Newspapers across the country invited readers to pick the winner. It would later be revealed that less than 10% of the responses picked Tunney as the winner.
Over 135,000 paying customers crammed into Sesquicentennial Municipal Stadium. A conservative estimate is ~ 250,000 ticket requests for the fight. Not just from Americans but across the world boxing fans wanted to attend this special event. In addition to the 135,000 paying customers another 35,000 were gathered outside the stadium just to be there for event. Several newspapers sent their entire sports department to cover the match. The gate receipts alone totaled $2,000,000. The New York Times called this bout “The biggest event in the history of sports.” The fight was broadcast through the radio waves to more than 50 million fans from New York to California.
Extra trains brought crowds from New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and dozens of other places. People around the world eagerly listened for radio and telegraph reports regarding the outcome of the match.
The most popular baseball player in America, Babe Ruth, captured ringside seats along with two female companions. The Babe had a lot of female friends. It should be noted that the Babe and Jack Dempsey had not spoken to each other since the Firpo fight. The Babe was jealous that Dempsey had become richer and more famous than he.
After ten rounds fought in the pouring rain, Tunney defeated Dempsey to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Tunney was a master of the art of boxing from the first bell to the last. Many fans were stunned at the outcome and others openly wept over Dempsey’s loss. How could a powder-puff puncher have defeated the great champion?
The Dempsey-Tunney fight drew incredible crowds to the Sesquicentennial and demonstrates the popularity of boxing during the 1920’s. The Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce estimated that the crowds likely brought an addition $5,000,000.00 in revenue to the city businesses through purchases of meals, hotel room, train and taxi rides, and other items.
Another note: When Dempsey returned to his hotel that night, his wife, shocked at his gruesome appearance, asked him what happened. “Honey,” Dempsey famously answered. “I forgot to duck.” The hilarious and self-effacing anecdote made Dempsey a folk legend for the rest of his life.
Up next -- the greatest rematch in boxing history and the most controversial fight ever!! Don’t miss Part 3 of this article.
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David Tyler
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