Tunney instead of Dempsey challenge Jess for the HW title. The fight is over these two distances.. How does it go 1. 15 rounds 2. 25 Rounds.
Tunney might get it in the 15 round fight on points, but I don't like his chances over 25. He doesn't get a knockout in either scenario.
the longer the fight the more chance for willard to wear him out/ let his own qualities show, but i don't think tunney would have to be fighting at 100% effort to win rounds. with his speed advantage, jab, and situational smarts, as well as his own good conditioning, i think tunney is a fair pick. maybe 25 rds is the point where willard becomes the favorite? certainly in the ballpark imo, if you thought over 15 it's a fair view, tho i was thinking about 25-30. i pick willard in a 40 rd - finish fight for sure
no, both fighters are very different, particularly byrd and tunney, so no straight comparison can be made between the two matchups. bear in mind the thread is pitting prime tunney vs a decidedly past prime version of willard, 25 rounds at their respective peaks is a very different fight, that i'd pick willard in(either by tunney fading late or not holding enough workrate throughout).
The Willard from the Dempsey fight is not the willard from the Jack Johnson fight as most seem to be thinking. Tunney could go all day fitness wise, and unlike Jack he was much more comfortable going on the offence, imo. Arguably, i think he probably took a better punch than the old Jack Johnson. The longer the fight, the more Tunney lands on Willard. And the harder it is for Willard to drag his giant carcass around the ring. I think Willard's best chance is to land hard and early, stay relatively stationery and use his reach advantage to keep tunney at Bay and land at long range while smothering in close. Much like The Klitchskos try to do nowadays. It is definitely a winnable fight for him, but i think that Tunney lands too often and wears him down before Jess can land the big haymaker clean enough. A prime Willard might be a different story.
Tunney takes a decision over both distances .Over a longer fight I think Tunney would brutalise the old Willard. Gene hit a lot harder than is generally supposed. Prime Willard might give Tunney some problems with his reach and power.