:deal the number of rounds would be key. Tunney was accustomed to fighting just the 10 rounds at heavyweight. Jeffries may well break him down over 20 or more rounds, whereas I'd expect Tunney to comfortably out box him over 10 or 12 rounds. 15 is a tough call, but I'd favour Tunney, but a late surge from Jeffries could earn him a late stoppage.
Ofcourse he could, a Prime Tunney is light years better than a past it Corbett who stood Jeffries on his head for 15rounds or so. As a puncher, Tunney maybe the best Jeffries faced and I wouldn't be surprised if he stopped Jeffries on accumulation under any ruleset
Oh please! Tunney is under rated as a puncher, but he would not even be close to being the best puncher Jeffries had faced.
He has about 20lbs on the 39yo Fitz he fought who was supposedly out on the **** the night before their fight I suppose Johnson may have been a better puncher, he was bigger stronger, an underrated puncher too, but ofcourse conservative in his attack. He stopped Jeffries anyway
PP, you know that the Jim Jeffries who you cite as being stopped by Jack Johnson in Reno 1910, HADN't fought in SIX Years and at the age of 35 was a SHELL of the boilermaker in his prime...THIS Jeffries is not relevant to the thread "Could Tunney beat Jeffries " at all ?...The amazing part is that THIS Jeffries was able to last 15 rounds in the blazing Reno sun... He was one tough dude JJ....
Yes, Tunney would have won...and decisively. Accurate boxing, modern day style and sophistication coupled with surprisingly hard punching. Tunney would have punished the much slower Jeffries.
We have a template for this match in the first Jeffries /Corbett fight. A 33 years old Corbett who had been retired for 2 years, and had not won a fight in 6 years, came out of retirement to box the 25 years old Champion Jeffries ears off for the best part of 20rds. Jim Brady, Jeffries manager told Jeffries to go in for the ko or he would lose the fight and his title, in the 23rd round Jeffries closed the show and stopped Corbett. Jeffries weighed 218 and Corbett 188 for the fight. Over 20 rounds I would go with Tunney by rather wide decision. I think Tunney was better than Corbett, more durable, stronger, hit harder,and was bigger framed. Corbett,at 6foot one was an inch taller , but Tunney had 3 inches on him in reach. In his title defences Tunney scaled 189.5lbs and 192lbs,so call it 190lbs ,more than Corbett ever scaled. At his best, Corbett went from174/184lbs. If a past prime Corbett could be leading on points after 22rds against a 25years old prime Jeffries,I have to pick a prime Tunney, whom I consider better than Corbett to beat Jeffries over 20rds. Past that distance, if Jeffries could avoid shipping the punishment he was famous for absorbing? If he could avoid that rapier left jab, and punishing right cross enough to not sustain the facial damage that would force a referee to pulll him out? If he could drag Tunney into the kind of trenchwarfare he often did with others? If he could take Tunney into the 23rd,24th 25th rds then Jeffries may have a chance? Those are very big ifs,and I find it almost impossible to believe Jeffries could accomplish it. If Jeffries is still there after 20 rds. I think he would look like a gargoyle. Chuck Wepner in spades. Stylistically Tunney is murder for Jeffries imo.
I think Tunney would beat him. I suspect Gene Tunney was a stronger, more powerful version of Corbett in many ways. But IF it was 25 rounds, I'd be less sure in picking Tunney.
