Life — July 19, 1928 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Battle of the Century Dictionary" This satirical article concerns the 1926 heavyweight boxing match between **Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey**. The text humorously documents how Tunney, an intellectually refined boxer who frequented public libraries, prepared for fighting Dempsey by studying in Speculators' clubs and training camps. The main cartoon depicts a waiter serving a diner who declares feeling "like a cave man," requesting a club sandwich—a visual pun playing on Tunney's sophisticated reputation versus the brutish expectations of boxing. The satire mocks the contrast between Tunney's cultured image (he borrowed armor from the British Museum for a costume) and the sport's rough reputation. It captures 1920s fascination with this high-profile match between seemingly mismatched fighters.