A Gene Tunney question...?

I am reading "Tunney" right now, and am about 150 pages in. So far he started as an amatuer, entered the Marines and found that WW I had ended and the boxing carear he thought was a part of his past became a focal point of his life. I just finnished a chapter about Battling Levinsky, and about this time Dempsey wins the world championship. So far no mention of avoiding black fighters...If I come across anything I will post back, but since it is called "Tunney" it may be biased enough to ignore those points to paint a more positive light of him???

I also like Tunney, and think he gets forgotten and underrated on here at times. But to answer you question I have not come across anything to suggest he avoided anyone for personal reasons or management suggestions and scheduling yet.

 

Not only did Tunney never fight a black opponent but acording to Schmelling he never even had a black sparring partner.

You hear the ocasional rumour that Tunney was racist/elitist but the evidence is ambiguouus.

 

I do know that he wanted to fight Harry Wills but Wills only wanted Dempsey at that point.

Never come across any audio of his voice but I'm sure some probably exists.

 

Tunney makes a case why he feels he is entitled to a title shot before Harry Wills:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...AJ&dq=gene tunney harry wills&pg=6828,1885133

 

Interesting line of argument.

 

there was so many more white boxers around then that world class black boxers were the minority. Nobody was grooming the black talent when irish, italian and jewish fans were paying to whatch their own people - or so they thought they were - so many italian and eastern europeans took irish or anglo sounding names to get "cross over" appeal from "mainstream" white ethnic groups. Black boxers who wanted to earn had to be "the opponent" since it was not an equal sociaty then. They never could pass for irish.
It was outrageous. all talented guys should have been afforded the grooming process required to break through but that was not so then. All champions have to be the house fighter to develop, without that it is unlikly to make a name or a fan base.
Theres an argument Tunney did not need to fight black guys since there was 5-15 times as many rated white guys en route to the title. Its strange he did not get at least one black opponent, even dempsey and corbet managed more...

 

Wills had been waiting a long time though.

He had been presented with "one last fight to decide who would fight the champion" a few times before, and it hadn't happenend

 

That's not an excuse, it's a fact.

 

I think Loughran didn't fight any black fighters either, takes some swallowing that two of the top l/h and hw of the 1920-35 year period never fought a black opponent in what...a couple of hundred fights-some coincident?

 

laughran fought godoy as a heavyweight. ..

 

It's a pretty good read....giving some details from how he started boxing, life outside the ring and life influences...then moving into the evolution of the man and the boxer. Early on it seems he was considered a puncher more than a boxer, but seemed to understand that he would not attain what he desired untill he learned to master it. An early quote from when he met Dempsey prior to Dempsey winning the championship...was that it would take a great boxer not a puncher to beat him..but someday he was going to!