Could Tunney have defeated a Prime Dempsey?

Stylistically Tunney is Dempsey's worst night mare ,but he had been out the ring for 3 years and was no longer the mauler when he met the Marine ,a prime Dempsey catches Tunney I think. Dempsey's legs were gone by the time he met Gene.Dempsey by ko or dec.

 

Dempsey by stoppage, if we're discussing the Dempsey of Toledo against the Tunney of the Heeney fight. Gene could have pulled off a decision win, but Jack dropped him as a result of the one time he connected solidly to Tunney's head. In complete fairness to Gene, he matured late as a fighter, and left the sport before reaching what would have been his peak. In Toledo, we saw what Dempsey could be like at his most potent. Like Ali, we never discovered how good Tunney might have become.

 

Dempsey takes this one. Not only had he lost most of his fire by the time of the Tunney fight, he made the mistake of completely changing his style. Trying to be a boxer and being much more susceptible to right hands like the one that dropped him.

 

No, Jack only nailed him solidly twice during that sequence; with the first right hand counter over Gene's jab, then with that left hook he caught Tunney with as Gene rebounded off the ropes. Everything else in that particular barrage only grazed Tunney. The Dempsey of the Willard matchup would have landed every single one of those punches flush.

Gene failed to do this to a post prime Dempsey with a bum hip from the shove through the ropes which Firpo gave him, even when Jack was coming off a three year layoff. He's not going to stop the well conditioned and razor sharp Dempsey of Toledo over 15.

Over and over, I see Tunney jabbing, and Jack coming back over the top with his counter right, wobbling Gene repeatedly. Eventually, there would be no choice but to call a halt to the action. (Again though, we do not know how good Tunney might have become by the time of Schmeling/Sharkey I.)

So would I. With his lateral mobility, speed and elusiveness, he might have given George some major nightmares.

 

Although Tunneys style was all wrong for DEMPSEY i believe a prime Dempsey would have caught tunney much,much easier and would have won both fights by ko within 7 rounds but prob. less

 

Thanks. Perfectly said.

It is not merely excuses to say Dempsey was not the fighter he was 8 years removed from reaching the top. He was embraced by the calimari set as few champions were and, considering his hobo beginnings, that is enough to melt anyone's desire. Coast was what the champ did. Sure it stinks if you look for legacy, but I doubt Dempsey had 21st-century Internet posters' opinions in mind.

And I believe it was generally accepted by that generation that a prime Dempsey would defeat Gene, that their pair of bouts was not the final word regarding their all-time rankings, and I agree. Toledo Dempsey was like a world-class Olympian breaking a world record: he did it; he didn't need to do it again.

 

Well said.

I think of Dempsey in the same way I think of Liston -less than other greats in terms of legacy and championship reign, but vicious head-to-head. 1919 Dempsey and 1959 Liston are vicious with a capital "v". I have both beating several objectively "greater" HW champs. Especially Liston, who's w/l record in imaginary H2Hs would be the best of them all, in my opinion.

 

I score it for Dempsey, Dempsey stagger and had Tunney hurt, also almost drop Tunney, but Tunney grab onto the ropes before he went down, and went back to boxing and running after the cobwebs clear. That was a clear round for Dempsey imo.

 

Then you are assuming he does better against Tunney than he did against Gibbons or Miske. I don't think that is all that logical.

 

Both in their absolute primes I'd vote Dempsey, by late round KO.

 

It rather depends on how both parties choose to play the fight.

Gibbons was able to last the distance but he rather did it by fighting to survive rather than ratchet up points.

Tunney had a prety close call against Dempsey second time round as it was. I dont think it is at all ilogical to suggest that he could have closed the deal in his prime.

Without the neutral corner rule he would probably have closed it as it was.

 

Gibbons lasted by not wanting to even fight,by the later rounds he was hoping just to stay awake and walk out on his feet

 

Its a shame tunney wasted his last fight on tom heeney instead of sharkey or godfrey.