Sam is rated above Gene as being regarded as the greater fighter due to his career...But given their styles and physical attributes...is Langford the better fighter? Heavyweights. 15 rounds.
Langford for me but there really isn't a lot in it. I just think Dempsey was able to drop Tunney and in his prime wuld have stopped him. Langford for me is on that same level and would have caught Tunney who was there to be hit.
A lot depends upon what Tunney turns up to the party. If he employs his usual style as seen against Carpintier and Heeney, then little Tham is going to can him. If he fears Langford enough to fight as he did against Dempsey, ten he has a good chance, but might still get caught by the wily little maestro.
Great match up! Such solid cases can be made for each of them, I see a close match with Gene being caught and dropped then surviving, he trained moving backwards in case hurt badly. Sam could move forward quickly and with both hands when he was on fire, Gene could navigate and place his jab and straight right where he wanted also. I think Gene would be stunned several times but never really hurting Sam and that would be the difference, Sam by a hair.
This. Too many people think he was a safety first fighter, he wasn't. He was an in fighter who possessed an excellent jab and excellent footwork.
All those aspects plus Tunney had a tremendous boxing brain,found a way to win in the heat of battle by in ring adjustments.
Tunney's career is based on him beating 160 pound Greb 5 times and beating a overrated washed up Dempsey. Langford's career is based off people who don't know boxing listening to old people talk about how great he was. As I stated his style was primitive beyond belief. Tunney was a little big more polished than Langford and was naturally the bigger man. He would probably win a boring decision.
Tunney gets dropped early, rises, survives and then solves the problem like the tactician he was. Gene by decision.