Long Count
Encyclopedia
Long Count or Slow count is a term used in boxing
. When a boxer is knocked down in a fight, the referee will count over them and the boxer must be on their feet by the count of ten or else is deemed to have been knocked out
. A long count occurs when a boxer is given more than the alloted time (a notional ten seconds) to rise to his or her feet.
was reputedly down for up to 20 seconds after being floored by Oscar Gardner
; McGovern knocked Gardner out in the next round. In 1915 Bombardier Billy Wells received a long count in his fight with Dick Smith; when Wells was knocked down, referee Tom Dunning, officiating from outside the ring, did not begin the count until he had climbed into the ring, which gave Wells an extra six seconds to recover.
The term is now often associated with Jack Dempsey
's 1927 heavyweight championship fight against Gene Tunney
. In the seventh round Dempsey knocked Tunney down, but did not go to a neutral corner as a new rule required him to. Referee Dave Barry
did not start counting over Tunney until he had ushered Dempsey to a neutral corner, wasting several seconds. Tunney rose to his feet having been on the canvas for around 17 seconds and went on to win a decision, thus retaining his title. The controversy over the long count ensured the fight went down in history as The Battle of the Long Count
.
Since then there have been many other fights which have had a long count controversy. Referee Billy Conn
was accused of giving Carlos Ortiz
a long count against Sugar Ramos
, which led to a rematch being ordered. Archie Moore
maintained that Rocky Marciano
had received extra time to recover when the referee erroneously gave Marciano a standing eight count
after being knocked down by Moore in their 1955 fight. In their 1965 rematch, Sonny Liston
was knocked down by Muhammad Ali
but in the confusion which followed Liston was down for more than 10 seconds, before getting up and resuming the fight. At Nat Fleischer
's prompting, referee Jersey Joe Walcott
then stopped the fight 17 seconds after the knockdown.
In February 1990, following James 'Buster' Douglas' upset victory
over Mike Tyson
, Tyson's camp led by Don King
tried to overturn the result, arguing that Douglas had spent between 13 and 14 seconds on the canvas after being knocked down by Tyson in an earlier round, and had therefore been knocked out first. Manny Pacquiao
's camp alleged Juan Manuel Marquez
received a slow count from Joe Cortez
in their 2004 featherweight title bout. Lucian Bute
's 2008 fight with Librado Andrade
had a long count controversy which drew comparisons with Dempsey-Tunney. Bute, ahead on points, was knocked down in the final seconds of the bout, rose at the count of six, and then the referee interrupted the count in order to send Andrade back to a neutral corner. By the time the count had finished, twenty seconds had elapsed.
stipulating that a fighter has ten seconds to rise from a knockdown, studies of knockouts have shown that a referee's ten count does not typically last ten seconds. When Billy Conn
was counted out against Joe Louis
, the count lasted 12.4 seconds. Several previous Mike Tyson opponents were shown to have had a ten count which lasted over ten seconds. In his fight with Douglas, Tyson received a ten count which lasted 14 seconds. Ingemar Johansson
was thought to have got a short count after being knocked down by Floyd Patterson
in their 1961 rubbermatch, having been counted out despite rising a split second before the referee reached ten. Film footage showed Johansson had actually been down for between 11 and 12 seconds. Ultimately a referee's ten count is rarely a precise ten seconds; rather it is simply a human's count to ten.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. When a boxer is knocked down in a fight, the referee will count over them and the boxer must be on their feet by the count of ten or else is deemed to have been knocked out
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
. A long count occurs when a boxer is given more than the alloted time (a notional ten seconds) to rise to his or her feet.
History
There have always been controversial counts in boxing. In 1900 Terry McGovernTerry McGovern
Terry McGovern is the name of:*Terry McGovern , boxer who held the world bantamweight and featherweight titles*Terry McGovern , American film actor, television broadcaster, radio personality, voice-over specialist, and acting instructor*Teresa McGovern , daughter of U.S. political figure George...
was reputedly down for up to 20 seconds after being floored by Oscar Gardner
Oscar Gardner
Oscar Gardner was a famous American fighter and boxer known as "the Omaha Kid". He was known for his solid blows and it was noted that Gardner killed a man in the ring. "The Omaha Kid" was a top contender for the Featherweight Championship of the World and the Featherweight Champion of...
; McGovern knocked Gardner out in the next round. In 1915 Bombardier Billy Wells received a long count in his fight with Dick Smith; when Wells was knocked down, referee Tom Dunning, officiating from outside the ring, did not begin the count until he had climbed into the ring, which gave Wells an extra six seconds to recover.
The term is now often associated with Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
's 1927 heavyweight championship fight against Gene Tunney
Gene Tunney
James Joseph "Gene" Tunney was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1926-1928 who defeated Jack Dempsey twice, first in 1926 and then in 1927. Tunney's successful title defense against Dempsey is one of the most famous bouts in boxing history and is known as The Long Count Fight...
. In the seventh round Dempsey knocked Tunney down, but did not go to a neutral corner as a new rule required him to. Referee Dave Barry
Dave Barry
David "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...
did not start counting over Tunney until he had ushered Dempsey to a neutral corner, wasting several seconds. Tunney rose to his feet having been on the canvas for around 17 seconds and went on to win a decision, thus retaining his title. The controversy over the long count ensured the fight went down in history as The Battle of the Long Count
The Long Count Fight
The Battle Of The Long Count was the boxing rematch between world Heavyweight champion Gene Tunney and former champion Jack Dempsey, held on September 22, 1927, at Soldier Field in Chicago...
.
Since then there have been many other fights which have had a long count controversy. Referee Billy Conn
Billy Conn
William David Conn , better known as Billy Conn, was an American Light-Heavyweight boxing champion famed for his fights with Joe Louis. He had a professional boxing record of 63 wins, 11 losses and 1 draw, with 14 wins by knockout...
was accused of giving Carlos Ortiz
Carlos Ortiz
For the Cuban wrestler with the same name see Carlos Julian OrtízCarlos Ortiz is a Puerto Rican who was a three time world boxing champion, twice in the lightweight division and once in the Jr. Welterweights....
a long count against Sugar Ramos
Sugar Ramos
Ultiminio Ramos is a Cuban-Mexican boxer who is better known as Sugar Ramos. Ramos fought out of Mexico where he was adopted as a national hero...
, which led to a rematch being ordered. Archie Moore
Archie Moore
Archie Moore, born Archibald Lee Wright , was light heavyweight world boxing champion who had one of the longest professional careers in the history of that sport....
maintained that Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...
had received extra time to recover when the referee erroneously gave Marciano a standing eight count
Standing eight count
A standing eight count, also known as a protection count, is a boxing judgment call made by a referee during a bout. When invoked, the referee stops the action and counts to eight. Typically, a boxer can take 3 standing eight counts in a round...
after being knocked down by Moore in their 1955 fight. In their 1965 rematch, Sonny Liston
Sonny Liston
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...
was knocked down by Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
but in the confusion which followed Liston was down for more than 10 seconds, before getting up and resuming the fight. At Nat Fleischer
Nat Fleischer
Nathaniel Stanley Fleischer was a noted American boxing writer and collector. Fleischer inaugurated in 1922, encouraged by Tex Rickard, the Ring Magazine publication...
's prompting, referee Jersey Joe Walcott
Jersey Joe Walcott
Arnold Raymond Cream , better known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was a world heavyweight boxing champion. He broke the world's record for the oldest man to win the world's Heavyweight title when he earned it at the age of , a record that would be broken on November 5, 1994, by George Foreman, who...
then stopped the fight 17 seconds after the knockdown.
In February 1990, following James 'Buster' Douglas' upset victory
Tyson vs. Douglas
Tyson vs. Douglas was a historic boxing match that occurred at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on February 11, 1990, in which then undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson lost via knockout to the 42–1 underdog Buster Douglas...
over Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
, Tyson's camp led by Don King
Don King
Donald "Don" King is an American boxing promoter particularly known for his hairstyle and flamboyant personality. His career highlights include promoting "The Rumble in the Jungle" and the "Thrilla in Manila". He also had a long association with Mike Tyson...
tried to overturn the result, arguing that Douglas had spent between 13 and 14 seconds on the canvas after being knocked down by Tyson in an earlier round, and had therefore been knocked out first. Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
's camp alleged Juan Manuel Marquez
Juan Manuel Márquez
Juan Manuel Márquez Méndez , is a Mexican professional boxer. He is the fourth Mexican-born boxer to become a three-division world champion, where he won eight world titles in three different boxing weight classes.Currently, Marquez is the WBA Super, WBO and The Ring lightweight champion...
received a slow count from Joe Cortez
Joe Cortez
Joe Cortez is a Puerto Rican boxing referee who has worked many important world title bouts.-Biography:Cortez moved to Puerto Rico during his childhood. Living there, he became fluent in Spanish. Cortez had a good amateur boxing career, winning various Golden Gloves tournaments from 1960 to 1962...
in their 2004 featherweight title bout. Lucian Bute
Lucian Bute
Lucian Bute is a Romanian-Canadian professional boxer, currently based in Montreal, Canada. Bute is the current IBF Super Middleweight champion...
's 2008 fight with Librado Andrade
Librado Andrade
Librado Andrade Ornelas is a Mexican boxer in the super middleweight division. His brother is fellow boxer Enrique Ornelas.-Personal:...
had a long count controversy which drew comparisons with Dempsey-Tunney. Bute, ahead on points, was knocked down in the final seconds of the bout, rose at the count of six, and then the referee interrupted the count in order to send Andrade back to a neutral corner. By the time the count had finished, twenty seconds had elapsed.
Timing
Despite the Marquess of Queensberry RulesMarquess of Queensberry rules
The Marquess of Queensberry rules is a code of generally accepted rules in the sport of boxing. They were named so because John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry publicly endorsed the code, although they were written by a sportsman named John Graham Chambers. The code of rules on which modern...
stipulating that a fighter has ten seconds to rise from a knockdown, studies of knockouts have shown that a referee's ten count does not typically last ten seconds. When Billy Conn
Billy Conn
William David Conn , better known as Billy Conn, was an American Light-Heavyweight boxing champion famed for his fights with Joe Louis. He had a professional boxing record of 63 wins, 11 losses and 1 draw, with 14 wins by knockout...
was counted out against Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
, the count lasted 12.4 seconds. Several previous Mike Tyson opponents were shown to have had a ten count which lasted over ten seconds. In his fight with Douglas, Tyson received a ten count which lasted 14 seconds. Ingemar Johansson
Ingemar Johansson
Jens Ingemar Johansson was a Swedish boxer and former heavyweight champion of the world. Johansson was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside the United States. In 1959 he defeated Floyd Patterson by TKO in the third round, after flooring Patterson seven times in that round, to win the World...
was thought to have got a short count after being knocked down by Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson was an American heavyweight boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to regain the title. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by...
in their 1961 rubbermatch, having been counted out despite rising a split second before the referee reached ten. Film footage showed Johansson had actually been down for between 11 and 12 seconds. Ultimately a referee's ten count is rarely a precise ten seconds; rather it is simply a human's count to ten.