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Jack Dempsey vs Cowboy Luttral 1.6.1940 (Final Round)

3,611 views · Published 9 May 2016 · 2:14 · Indexed 17 October 2026

Channel: Classic Boxing Matches · 2016 · Sports

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The bizarre comeback fight for Jack Dempsey against Cowboy Luttral from 1940.  Dempsey had been retired for almost 13 years when he took on professional wrestler Cowboy Luttral.  To this day there is still some debate around if the fight was staged or a legitimate professional contest.  More info below...

Jack Dempsey was one of the most popular sporting icons in America and his legend lives on to this day.  His local popularity during the 1910's and 1920's can only be matched by arguably John L. Sullivan or James J. Jeffries from previous eras.  Over the course of 13 years from 1914 to 1927, Dempsey amassed a 54-6-9 professional record and had an extremely exciting fighting style fans loved akin to Mike Tyson during his prime. Some stand out achievements include knocking out one of the best European boxers to ever lace gloves in Georges Carpentier, scoring a record number of knockdowns against the extremely hard hitting Argentinian fighter Luis Angel Firpo and absolutely demolishing the giant 6'6" Jess Willard for the World Heavyweight Championship.  Dempsey's two losing efforts against Gene Tunney make up one of the most documented sporting rivalries of all time.  Following his retirement from the ring Dempsey became a referee for wrestling and boxing matches, which is where his rivalry with "Cowboy" Clarence P. Luttral started.  Most sources explained that during a wrestling match in which Dempsey was referee, Cowboy Luttral (sometimes spelt Luttrel or Lutrell) took a swing at him for an apparent "bad call".  To settle the matter, both men agreed to a boxing match.  It was a classic Boxer vs Wrestler match up to settle their differences.

Most people believe the fight itself was "worked", or in other words the outcome predetermined.  In Round 2 Luttral got trapped in a corner and initially it looked like he was just daring Dempsey to punch him however a short time later Demspey landed some very realistic looking punches that dropped Luttral to the canvas three times before a fourth knockdown put him through the ropes and out for the count.  Luttral left the arena in an ambulance.  Interesting fact, Nat Fleischer, the editor in chief of Ring magazine, was referee in this fight!

The punches Dempsey threw in this match looked legitimate.  They may have lacked the speed he once possessed but they were certainly solid and snapped Luttral's head back more than once.  The ending is dubious however as it looks like Luttral was waiting for the punch when he fell out of the ring...  Some boxing pundit's view this fight as nothing more than an exhibition, some sources have it recorded as a legitimate professional fight, either way it was the last recorded in-ring performance from one of the all time greats.  Even at 45 years old Demspey still looked in good physical fighting condition.  With Joe Louis as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion however, Dempsey must have realised any serious attempt at a comeback would be futile because although he told reporters it was a comeback fight he never fought again...

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