Tunney to quick and adept in the Sweet Science to allow a Boxer such as Jeffries who fought out of a crouching shell to catch up with him.
This fight would be the equivalent of Ali-Chuvalo...Tunney would win a unanimous decision..Easily outboxing jeffries and landing light but clean shots on Jeff's noggin throughout..Tunney would find a home for that unremitting right hand. i think he would deal well with JJ..having a slightly different type of challenge than with the faster, more explosive, more mercurical Dempsey.
Tunney was no faster than Corbett and liked to mix it a bit more. He could not keep an athletic Jeffries at bay for the full 15 rounds. Jeffries UD or late TKO.
Over the championship distance, Gene repeats the job a past prime Corbett did with Jeff over the first 15 rounds at Coney Island.
Corbett was old... And Tunney, when his hands were correct, hit harder. I like Tunney in this one in much the way described above. I think he could hurt Jeffries if the big lug came out of his crouch long enough. However, I think Gene would be content to land combos on him and use his great footwork to avoid most of the responses.
Tunney was 2 polished for Jeffries.. Though I give Jeffries a chance because he was a very tough man but still the style of Tunney should equal a decision win for him
Corbett was the creator of the classic boxing style perhaps but Tunney truly perfected it..and he was far more rugged..tougher..I believe he would have outclassed big Jeff.
Decision for Tunney here. Might be a differant story if it were a longer fight but the thread says 15 rounds.
Watching Jeffries against Ruhlin ,he appears open to the right hand over the top .I see Tunney spearing him with that accurate jab,and catching him with quick right hands ,and one - twos , before gliding out of range.If a past it Corbett could outpoint him for 23 rds ,Tunney who was better than Corbett , hit harder,and was more durable,should be able to outbox him. Jeffries best opponents were coming out of retirement veterans. Tunney was an ice cool, calculating ,fast polished boxer ,with an underated right cross, he wouldn't stop Jeffries ,but he would turn his face into raw steak, for an emphatic decision win.imo.
Prime for prime, it would probably be a close fight. I couldn't say which way it would go. If I say one name, I'll think maybe I should have said the other. That's how close I have it.
You really have to go w Tunney by decision .. however since Jeffries never fought a 15 round scheduled bout who knows if he could extend himself at a faster pace .. I doubt Tunney can seriously hurt him ... still, just see him as too slow on his feet to catch Gene ..
I'd pick Tunney by decision. Jeffries wasn't noted for huge KO power, and Tunney has an excellent chin, proven against Dempsey and others, so the size/weight disadvantage is not critical. And apart from that, Tunney is just the better boxer and ring general.