About the Author

Jack Cavanaugh is a veteran sportswriter who has covered scores of major boxing bouts, along with the Olympics, the World Series, Super Bowl games, the Masters golf tournament, and both the U.S. golf and tennis opens. His work has appeared most notably on the sports pages of The New York Times, for which he has covered hundreds of varied sports assignments. In addition, he has been a frequent contributor to Sports Illustrated and written for Reader's Digest, Tennis and Golf magazines, and other national publications. He is also a former reporter for both ABC and CBS News. Cavanaugh currently is an adjunct writing professor at Fairfield University. He and his wife, Marge, live in Wilton, Connecticut.


From the Hardcover edition.

Reviews

On September 23, 1926, in Philadelphia, Gene Tunney easily defeated Jack Dempsey for the title of heavyweight champion of the world, and in this exhaustively researched work, sportswriter Cavanaugh makes an excellent case for Tunney's undervalued prowess as a fighter. Dempsey was the Mike Tyson of his era, and his beating at the hands of the defense-minded, Shakespeare-quoting Tunney shocked the boxing cognoscenti. Exactly 364 days later, Tunney beat Dempsey again in the famous "Long-Count" match, one of the most controversial in the history of the sport. The two fights, vividly recounted by Cavanaugh, marked a pinnacle of popular success for boxing (which in the preceding decades had been illegal in much of the country), drew the largest crowds of any sporting event at that time and made the principals the most highly paid athletes in the world. Ironically, the losses only increased the popularity of Dempsey, who until then faced accusations of being a greedy draft dodger. In victory, however, Tunney proved to be an unpopular champion both with sportswriters and the American public, who like their heroes more common-minded. After successfully defending his title once more, Tunney took his millions, married an heiress and settled down in Greenwich, Conn. Cavanaugh brings alive an era when boxers fought more in a year than they do now over entire careers. (Nov.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Gene Tunney should have been a poster child for boxing in the 1920s, an era in which the sport was not too successfully attempting to polish its image and broaden its appeal. A World War I veteran; a classic boxer; handsome, articulate, and well read; and soon to be married to an heiress (Polly Lauder), he stood in juxtaposition to many of the ruffians who had come before him and still populated the fight game. But life is fickle, and fan favorite Tunney, who was going into a bout he was supposed to lose, actually plummeted in popularity after beating the reigning heavyweight champion, man-killer Jack Dempsey. Tunney became even less popular after their rematch, in which he survived the famous "long count" to defeat Dempsey again. Suddenly, Tunney was scorned for being too much of a boxer and not enough of a fighter; for being articulate and well read to the point of seeming like a snobbish poseur. In his well-documented telling of Tunney's story, veteran journalist and sportswriter Cavanaugh treats us to glimpses of Dempsey and other fighters, managers, promoters, and sportswriters of a decidedly colorful era. Recommended for all medium-to-large public libraries.-Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.