[1974] Tunney: Dempsey kos Ali in 1 round, Greb makes a fool out of Ali

Interesting interview.

Tunney: Foreman in 2, New York Daily News, October 27, 1974

“Gene Tunney, who has been the quiet man of boxing ever since he retired as world heavyweight champion in 1928, opened up on Muhammad Ali yesterday when someone asked him for a prediction on the Ali-Foreman title bout set for Tuesday.

‘Foreman will knock him out in two rounds,” said the 76-year-old former champ. “Dempsey would have done it in one round. A lot of the old champions could have beaten this fellow Ali.


“Harry Greb would have made a fool out of him. He was the best boxer-puncher of them all.’

How about a fellow named Gene Tunney?

“I believe I could have beaten Ali. I was smarter and I think I punched a little harder than Ali does.’

Tunney said his opinion was not personnal [sic]. He does not dislike Ali, nor is he enchanted with Foreman.

Not Dedicated Enough

“Foreman is a big, strong young man who hasn’t yet reached his potential,’ claims Tunney. ‘If he set his mind to boxing, he probably could be one of the greatest ever. He is not dedicated enough.’

Tunney gave his opinions after watching a preview of ‘The Heavyweight Championship,’ a special 45-minute film produced especially for showing at the Garden previous to the closed circuit screening of the Foreman Ali title fight.

‘I’m not saying all of the former champions were better than today’s modern champions, like Marciano and Louis and Joe Frazier. Boxing, like every other sport has progressed through the years.

‘The track stars we have today are better than those of Charley Paddock’s day, aren’t they? The baseball and football players are better, too. Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski might not make it if they were trying to football teams.

‘Sure, there aren’t as many fighters around today as there were in my day. But the ones who are around , for the most part, are better than most of the old timers.

‘Just watching this film proves all that. The fighters who were around from 1929 to 1945, fellows like Jack Sharkey, Max Schmeling, Dempsey, Louis and myself, would have had an easy time with the Sullivans and the Corbetts and the Johnsons. Dempsey proved that with Willard, didn’t he?

‘Athletes get better with each era, no matter what sport it is. Ali is now the last of the most recent era. Foreman is the beginning of a new era. His time will come, too. Some younger will come out of the woods somewhere and knock him out some day.”