Which boxer defeated Jack Dempsey in the 1927 'Long Count Fight'?

Gene Tunney defeated Jack Dempsey in the 1927 “Long Count Fight.”

The heavyweight championship rematch took place on September 22, 1927, at Soldier Field in Chicago. Dempsey knocked Tunney down in the seventh round, but he failed to move promptly to a neutral corner. Under the rules, the referee delayed the count until Dempsey complied, giving Tunney extra time to recover. That controversial sequence created the fight's famous nickname.

Tunney rose before the count ended and survived the round. He then boxed effectively in the remaining rounds and won a unanimous decision after 10 rounds, retaining the world heavyweight championship. The official result was not changed, although debate over the delayed count continued for decades.

The bout was a rematch of their 1926 championship fight, which Tunney had also won by decision. The 1927 contest became one of boxing's defining historical episodes because it combined a dramatic knockdown, a disputed application of the neutral-corner rule and a champion who recovered to outpoint a celebrated former titleholder.