Gene Tunney v Joe Louis

Thoroughly intriguing fight. Gene on points... Maybe!

 

I am surprised at how well Tunney is doing here. Granted he could well win.

Though when it was close in or near the Louis prime, his hand was damaged against Farr, & he was dehydrated vs. Conn-impressive that he could salvage it at all in the late rounds, & yes, Joe's pressure was maybe more of a factor than Conn being "stupid", he was forced to fight more.

I think Joe's body shots & combinations do it unless there is an injury or dumb move by Joe. Though his missteps were uncommon, & we are talking peaks.

 

I would pick Louis by decision over the 15 round championship distance. He may have to come from behind to win though. A late stoppage is certainly not out of the question.

 

Tunney gets knocked stiff. He's never faced a puncher who was even remotely like the prime, killing machine version of Louis (and please don't even bring up the has-been Dempsey, please). He wasn't all that hard to hit and his chin was never proven against a deadly puncher. Once Louis tagged him he'd hurt him. Once he hurt Tunney he'd FINISH him.

Tunney is overrated, making his rep by mostly beating past-prime middleweights, washed-up light-heavies and well past-it heavies. Don't take my word for it, look it up.

:smoke

 

Do you think that Tunney would be smart enough to bide his time until Joe wasnt in the best of condition?

 

Louis a better body puncher than Dempsey?

I don't see that.

Tunney was bigger than Conn ,and hit harder he would not lose his head and engage in a tear up with Louis.
I give him an excellent chance of taking a decision. In fact I would not be surprised if he dropped Louis with a straight right at some point.
Tunney's power is underated.

If Louis can slow him down enough to tag him then he could win by ko but good fast boxers did well against him. .

 

I think Louis somehow finds a way to win by late stoppage. Tunney will outbox him for countless rounds only to make one simple mistake and get finished. There is no margin of error against Louis. If Tunney somehow pulls off the first match, he'll lose the rematch.

 

This is a fight where Louis may actually struggle similarly to the way he did against Conn. But in the end he finds a way to get to Gene.

 

I wanted to answer before reading any other posts.

I think Louis' great right hand would decide this fight. Dempsey crossed his right over Tunney's jab in 1927 and got Tunney in trouble. I think Louis would do the same, and I think he would eventually be able to finish him.

 

I imagine Louis getting the KO late. Tunney never faced anyone with power any where near that of Joe's

 

I think Dempsey's power was comparable to Louis's.. But Jack didn't have the lightening fast hands or combinations that Louis had, or certainly not when Tunny fought him, which would be the real problem.

 

While I don't think Tunney is overrated, I can't help but agree that Louis would sooner or later catch up to him. And the closest Tunney ever ran into Louis type combo was the combo an old ass Dempsey landed on him. A prime version of Louis does this more often and with more efficiency.

Regarding Tunney, I don't think he is overrated. He was a great fighter. I think he is incorrectly rated. Guys like Bert Sugar putting him in an all time top 10 heavy list is just ridiculous and transparent Dempsey apologism. It overshadows Tunney's greatness as a light heavy. His heavy campaign was merely a cherry on top of the sundae, a well engineered game of capture the flag.

 

Tunney wins a decision here, if the same Tunney shows up that beat Dempsey 2x, sorry I just don't see Louis winning here..

 

Tunney by clear decision for me.

 

Except Joe Louis was more skilled, talented and disciplined than Dempsey of any vintage let alone the one of 1926.