- GENE TUNNEY II (SEP 1927)
After dropping Tunney in the seventh round, Dempsey initially failed to go to a neutral corner, meaning that the referee was not able to start the count for five seconds. Tunney rose to his feet at an official count of ‘nine’, but was unofficially down for 14 seconds. Tunney would go on to triumph via decision, with The Long Count being remembered as one of the most controversial moments in boxing history. - GEORGES CARPENTIER (JUL 1921)
The blockbuster bout between Dempsey and Carpentier famously generated the sport’s first-ever million-dollar gate. Dempsey KO’d Carpentier in the fourth round. - LUIS FIRPO (SEP 1923)
Dempsey vs Firpo is rightly regarded as one of the most action-packed fights of all time, despite lasting less than four minutes. Firpo was floored seven times in the opening round alone, yet rallied to knock Dempsey through the ropes and out of the ring. In the second, Dempsey uncorked a knockout punch to gain victory. - JESS WILLARD (JUL 1919)
Dempsey also scored seven first-round knockdowns when he dethroned Willard to become the world heavyweight king. The savage coronation was complete when Willard failed to make it out for the fourth. - GENE TUNNEY I (SEP 1926)
In his first fight with Tunney, Dempsey lost the world heavyweight title on points in front of over 120,000. - JACK SHARKEY (JUL 1927)
Sandwiched between Dempsey’s two losses to Tunney was a scintillating seventh-round knockout of betting favourite Sharkey, who complained afterwards that the finishing shot had been preceded by a low blow. - TOMMY GIBBONS (JUL 1923)
The Gibbons fight itself was not particularly memorable – Dempsey won a relatively uneventful contest on the scorecards – but it had crippling consequences for the host town of Shelby, Montana, which was left financially ruined after extreme overinvestment. - BILL BRENNAN II (DEC 1920)
Dempsey engaged in a vicious war with old rival Brennan, who was rumoured to have ties with gangster Al Capone. Dempsey was victorious via 12th-round KO. - BILLY MISKE III (SEP 1920)
In what was the first defence of his world heavyweight crown, Dempsey dispatched familiar foe Miske in the third round. Miske was suffering from a severe kidney disease at the time, which would prove to be fatal. - FRED FULTON (JUL 1918)
Defying the oddsmakers, Dempsey cemented himself as the premier heavyweight contender in the world by knocking out Fulton after just 23 seconds.
The 10 most famous fights of Jack Dempsey
The legendary Jack Dempsey was born on this day (June 24) back in 1895. Here are his 10 most famous fights
