Gene Tunney with Ali’s physical attributes vs. Foreman, Frazier, Liston, Norton, etc

So Gene Tunney, who really should have lost to a Jack Dempsey who just came out of retirement has such unearthly skills that he would make these ATGs look like journeymen.No....simply no.

 

I’m “obsessive” but your compulsive inverse in the majority here is? 70s HW guys are talked about daily, I don’t think they’re as good as most so I comment my opinion on a thread / discussion it’s what this forum is for, if you prefer an echo chamber just put me and anyone else who disagrees with you on ignore. INB4 the same 6 or so posters liking everything you say “against” me, the cheer squad is always in full swing lol.

 

Wills didn't have needed Tunney to deserve a shot. It was the other way round.

 

Whoa,steady on mate.I may think some fighters regularly discussed here are a bit overrated but I try to accord them some respect.
If you think men like Ali,Foreman,Frazier and Liston are overrated then of course you
entitled to your opinion.However using words such as '' dummies'' ? Come on man,that's out of order.

 

Fact Wills ducked Tunney

 

It’s pretty obviously an exaggeration… I’m calling them “cattle” FFS lol.

 

You duck someone who is your greatest challenge to the title that you hold (a la Dempsey ducking Wills) or who is in the way between you and the title. Tunney was behind Wills by all measures of merit. Thus, that is not a duck.

 

Boxing is a business, Wills turned down the biggest money of his entire career whilst the writing was on the wall about his shot at the title, Wills ducked Mr Gene MFing Tunney and if he’d beaten Tunney maybe things would’ve worked out better… if he’d lost they’d have STILL worked out better lol what did Harry do instead Seamus?

 

Wills had already beat Luis Firpo, Charlie Weinert, Tut Jackson, Sam Langford many times, Kid Norfolk, Ed Martin, Gunboat Smith, Fred Fulton, Jeff Clark many times, Sam McVea multiple times, Jim Johnson, Bill Tate... but he needed to beat Tunney to prove he deserved a shot at the title? This is the hill you're going to die on?

 

Tunney is great but he went 2-1-1 with a 5’8 Greb.
Give him an extra 3 inches in height it’s not going to turn Foreman in to some punching bag.

 

I didn’t say he needed Tunney to “prove” anything Harry ducked Tunney though that’s a cold hearted fact. It would’ve been a beneficial win or lose to fight GT. What was the alternative? What happened? It was the biggest payday of his career (also remember how you said Tunney avoided tough fights?) Harry wasn’t getting the Dempsey fight anyway he SHOULD have taken it because he A was bad business at the gate after stinking the joint out with Firpo B failed to bring the money in that Dempseys team had requested after signing C boxing isn’t fair, it’s just business and the chips were already stacked against him as a black man in the 1920s in the fresh shadow of Jack Johnson he 100% DESERVED it in the sports sense to fight Dempsey but there’s much more then that this is a business first.

 

The NYAC was demanding that Dempsey face Wills late into 1926. Dempsey was insisting in August 1926 that he would meet Wills early in 1927. So hope was not lost. Wills was reaching the end of the road, a full 8 years older than Gene and having faced more and sterner opposition. Throwing an additional hurdle in front of him and him refusing when hope for title shot still existed is not a duck. It's playing your odds and a bit of holding your ground on what you have achieved.

 

My original argument stands on its two feet Gene sort out tough (but lucrative) competition BUT guys like Wills refused to meet him in the ring.

 

Why should a 38 year guy who was arguably the best contender for 7 years and was put on ice by various parties suddenly have to fight a guy who bounced a few hasbeens over the past months? This makes zero sense. And it made no sense to Wills.