Hello everyone, i came across this little gem while surfing the net - heres the link (as I'm not sure how to post bits of film yet) http://orphanfilmsymposium.blogspot.com/2008/05/pathex-95-mm-fight-picture.html It has on it a rare peice of film of the great Gene Tunney enjoying a friendly mock spar with the equally great Jim Corbett - hadn't seen this before and didn't know it was even film but there it is - for those of you who'd never seen it before - enjoy. There also some sparring footage of Jack Dempsey too which I'd not seen before - BONUS! Have a look classic fans and give me thoughts - always interested to get peoples thoughts.
Fascinating! One thing this footage proves is that Boxing science had evolved from the time of Corbett to the time of Tunney and on. Corbett was a master in his time but he still employed the "swings" and "thrusts" which were commonplace in his day and were leftover from the bareknuckle days of Boxing (Which incidentally got many of it's techniques from Fencing). You can see the evoloution of technique in men like Tunney and later Joe Louis. More snap to the punch and less swinging. Less holding the head way up and more tucking in of the chin (To certain degree anyway). Elbows closer to the body etc..not to mention improved equipment and rule changes. But the film was a special treat to watch to say the least and I hope more footage of it's kind is out there to enjoy. Imagine if we could see some footage of Harry Greb actually fighting!
I have seen this one before. If you want to get a good feel of how quick Corbett was, I recommend him sparring with Kid McCoy for W.W.I bonds. While Corbett is likely 40+ for that film, he's got amazingly quick reflexes, great head and body feints, and fast hands. This is a glimpse of what he must have been like in his prime. The film is up close and clear. Watch it. PS: Yes, where is the Greb footage!
see also http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148674&highlight=corbett+tunney&page=5 post #61 This content is protected especially posts 15-17
Agreed. You could see the differences between when Corbett would throw his uppercuts, body shots, and right hands as opposed to when Tunney threw them. Tunney turned his punches over properly and parried very well, putting himself into perfect position to land the left hook if he wanted. Corbett's methods weren't out of date, but his techniques, particularly on his punches, were.
