Dempsey vs Tunney 16 Ticket Presentation Piece From Sept. 22, 1927 Rematch

This framed presentation features a group of 16 full tickets, ranging from $5.00 to $40.00, for the September 22, 1927 Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney heavyweight championship rematch, the famous "Long Count" fight. A reported 150,000 patrons crowded at Soldier's Field in Chicago, to see if Dempsey could win back his crown from Tunney. In the 1920's, Dempsey captured the public's imagination as a brawler, a former hobo who first fought mining town saloons. Tunney read the classics and was a thinking man's boxer, a superb tactician. He easily defeated Dempsey in their first match. But Dempsey won over the public when he was quoted in explaining the defeat to his wife, "Honey, I forgot to duck." In round 7 of the rematch, Dempsey connected with a combination of punches, sending Tunney to the canvas. Pandemonium reigned as fans the screamed on their feet. The referee started his count and motioned Dempsey to the neutral corner, finally pushing him. Instead of picking up the timekeeper's count at six, the referee shouted "One." At the count of three Tunney lifted his head and looked at the referee, but didn't get to his feet until the referee reached nine. Tunney won the 10-round unanimous decision, made controversial by the "long count" which aided his recovery. When pressed why he didn't go to a neutral corner, Dempsey replied, "I couldn't move. I just couldn't. I wanted Tunney to get up. I wanted to kill the S.O.B." The Dempsey-Tunney II produced a gate of $2.65 million, a record that stood for 50 years. The average 1930's worker made $800-$1200 a year, so many had to save up to be able to afford the $5-$40 admission. This presentation piece is in overall very good condition. There are some light water stains to the matting and tickets.