Gene Tunney vs Archie Moore

HistoryZero26 · Apr 26, 2025

Tunney. Hes the final boss of the golden age of HW/LHW combo fighters and as a consequence of this he has very few wins over non combo fighters because thats who was dominating the HW division. He beat Dempsey, Gibbons and albeit at LHW Loughran and Carpentier.

Peak but not prime Moore could not defeat Floyd Patterson or even Rocky Marciano. Couldn't beat Ezzard Charles either though he came closer. Moore might have beat the best giants of his day in Valdes and Parker but Tunney did better against his actual peers.

Tunneys got other great wins at HW but he would have gotten great benefit from knowing the future. In 1928 there was no way to know wins over Schmeling and Sharkey were any more valuable then ones over Ermino Spalla and Weinart. Heeney won a tournament to get the last title shot at Tunney. Tunney had no clue people on the internet in 2025 wouldn't care about Heeney and would regard Schmeling and Sharkey as ATGs.

Journeyman92 · Apr 26, 2025

Scammell said: ↑

Interesting matchup. I’ve always thought this would be one of those fights where the outcome depends a lot on what weight class they meet at and under what rules. Tunney wasn’t a natural heavyweight by modern standards, today he’d probably be considered a cruiserweight, but he was definitely the bigger man compared to Moore, who was more of a career light heavyweight. Tunney carried the extra weight more comfortably and fought most of his major bouts above the light heavyweight limit. That alone makes it tricky to call straight up without taking context into account.

Stylistically, I think Tunney would be a real problem for Moore. He was incredibly disciplined, had great footwork and rarely made mistakes. The guy was basically a machine in the ring, very calculated, very methodical. Moore thrived against aggressive fighters he could counter or trick into mistakes, but Tunney wasn’t that type. He didn’t overcommit, didn’t get reckless and had the gas tank to go 15 hard rounds without falling apart.

But then again, Moore had more tricks than a magician. One of the most crafty, seasoned fighters to ever do it, he could adapt on the fly, he was dangerous with both hands and he carried real power even as he moved up in weight. He also had an underrated jab when he used it and that weird cross-arm defence could mess with people who weren’t used to it. If anyone could figure out a way to crack Tunney’s rhythm, it’d be someone like Moore.

That said, I think if they fought ten times, Tunney probably wins six or seven of them. Not because he was necessarily better in a pound-for-pound sense, but because his size, durability and style would match up well against Moore. Probably something like a 15-round decision, Tunney outboxes him, keeps him turning, doesn’t get drawn into traps and just accumulates points over the stretch. I doubt he stops Moore (the guy had a chin and serious survival instincts), but I could see Moore getting outmanoeuvred in a lot of those rounds.

Still, wouldn’t be a walk in the park. Moore would land something sneaky at some point and make it interesting. Just not sure it’d be enough to flip the outcome.

Curious what others think though, feels like one of those matchups where there’s a good argument on both sides depending on what version of each fighter you’re picturing.
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Nice “nickname” / account tag aha

InMemoryofJakeLamotta · Apr 26, 2025

HistoryZero26 said: ↑

Tunney. Hes the final boss of the golden age of HW/LHW combo fighters and as a consequence of this he has very few wins over non combo fighters because thats who was dominating the HW division. He beat Dempsey, Gibbons and albeit at LHW Loughran and Carpentier.

Peak but not prime Moore could not defeat Floyd Patterson or even Rocky Marciano. Couldn't beat Ezzard Charles either though he came closer. Moore might have beat the best giants of his day in Valdes and Parker but Tunney did better against his actual peers.

Tunneys got other great wins at HW but he would have gotten great benefit from knowing the future. In 1928 there was no way to know wins over Schmeling and Sharkey were any more valuable then ones over Ermino Spalla and Weinart. Heeney won a tournament to get the last title shot at Tunney. Tunney had no clue people on the internet in 2025 wouldn't care about Heeney and would regard Schmeling and Sharkey as ATGs.
Click to expand...

Tunney would likely not beat Marciano or Patterson or Charles. He has a decent chance though

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Gene Tunney vs Archie Moore

Who wins and how

Moore KO/TKO

Tunney KO/TKO

Moore Decision

Tunney Decision

Draw

HistoryZero26 Boxing Addict Full Member

Journeyman92 Mauling Mormon’s banned Full Member

InMemoryofJakeLamotta I have defeated the great Seamus Full Member