Gene Tunney????

where do you start?

 

Well, he was the father of former U.S. Senator from California. He was also a fine writer.

 

Great boxer, awesome jab. I believe he decisioned Jack Dempsey twice.

 

Tough guy. He threw punches for a living.

Maybe you should read more, perhaps [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Tunney-Boxings-Brainiest-Champ-Dempsey/dp/0812967836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260461983&sr=8-1"]this book[/ame].

 

Tunney was a great boxer..a very modern looking fighter actually (according to Muhammad Ali) and if it were not for the abbreviated 10 round championship distance in those two Dempsey fights, he would more than likely have stopped Dempsey on both occasions..and probablt would have enhanced his legacy.

 

His only loss was to Harry Greb when fighting as a Light Heavyweight. He beat him in the rematch. I think he is generally underrated as a Heavyweight.

 

edit

 

You can find some footage of Tunney on youtube, though it is not super quality. Ali did a show once where he talked about all the past heavyweight fighters and how he would have fought them. It was interesting because you could see that (unlike Tyson) ali wasnt really too knowledgable about the old time fighters...when he saw Tunney he was really suprised and said "I didnt know anyone fought like me back then?" then Ali said "well i guess i fight like him since he was first" overall Ali said he would have won because they would have been doing the same things, but he (ali) would have been bigger, anyhow, Tunney was a damn good fighter...many would make him a favorit over say marciano. Of course his wins over dempsey where a bit clouded by the long count in one..and just the fact that dempsey was no longer in his prime in both fights.

 

Argubaly the greatest pure boxer that ever lived. His resume of wins is outstanding wins include Dempsey x2, Greb, Tommy Gibbons, and Georges Carpentier.

Only ever defeated by the legendary Harry Greb a lost which he avenegd numerous times.

Retired Heavyweight Champion, as well as being one of the greatest Light Heavyweights of all time.

I rate Gene very very highly.............

 

I saw that show on WWof S..Ali was more complimentary of Tunney than he was of any of them..with Marciano in second.

 

IMO, he ranks among the very best light-heavies and cruiserweights of all time. He beat both an ATG MW/LHW in Greb and an ATG cruiser in Dempsey.

 

I didn't know his estate still exerted that much influence. What do you know of his latter day decline? He certainly lived a long life.

 

He was a lot better head to head than he was in terms of resume.

This is a guy who would have been seriously bad news for anybody under 200 lbs.