Gene Tunney vs Primo Carnera

Carnera decked Sharkey skywards.

https://streamable.com/mjlm3

Scary

 

Yeah sure.

 

Anyone have Carnera anywhere near the top 30 heavyweights? Top 40?

 

Top 50?lol

 

Tunney gives him a painful boxing lesson. The pounding takes its toll and primo is finally pulled out in the 14 th

 

Especially disciplined...

 

I just saw in there that Carnera did something interesting with his left hand...using it to position Sharkey's head for the incoming right...something that I know Carlos Monzon did in the 6th round vs Jose Napoles. At least it looked to me that Primo did that

 

One thing about that film clip of Carnera KO'ing Sharkey. Sharkey would have had to have been the greatest actor in the world if this wasn't a legit KO. His face has that blank look of a man who is completely unconscious. I really don't think he could fake that.

 

On Tunney vs Carnera--If I had to bet, my money would be on Tunney. But I would be skittish about the whole thing. Tunney simply had his career largely against middles and light-heavies and to some extent pocket heavies. Looking over his record, he never appears to have fought a man who was both 6' tall and at least 195 lbs. Most of the time he had reach on his opponents. Carnera is certainly a different kettle of fish here. To put it in perspective, if we assume Carnera at 260 lbs. and Tunney at his peak weight of 192 lbs., it would be the equivalent of a 200 lb. man fighting a 146 lb. man.

Even Larry Gains, who has been mentioned, was bigger than Tunney and also bigger than anyone Tunney fought, being over 6' tall and consistently weighing above 200 lbs. Also, and this could turn out to be important, Gains was used to fighting really big men such as Godfrey. So was Sharkey. Tunney was not.

Still, as I have said on other threads, a lack of evidence for something is not a strong argument for its opposite, and I assume Tunney would overcome the odds. Still, I think this would be an interesting match-up and we might learn something about Tunney if he were put against someone with these sorts of reach and height and weight advantages.

 

I don't think Gains was consistently over 200lbs. He was 200lbs even when he beat both Carnera and McCorkindale.
To put it in perspective for me Tunney was a top20 heavyweight and Carnera doesn't make my top 50.

 

Well, Gains' height is given by boxrec as 6' 2 1/2"

His weights from 1931 to 1933 from fightsrec in fights against

Phil Scott--206
Jack Renault--202
Soren Peterson--202
Maurice Griselle--213
Don McCorkindale--200
Primo Carnera--200
Walter Neusel--199

later in his career

Claudio Vallar--211
Len Harvey--202
Tommy Farr--205

I will stand by that at his maturity Gains was comfortable at 200 or more. And that if he had fought Tunney he would have been in height and weight the biggest man Tunney would have ever fought.

 

And the way his legs fold it looked like he almost fractured his ankle. No person would fall like that voluntarily.

I think at this point we're all still hedging our bets as a pity courtesy to McVey.

 

Can't get the weights on Box Rec at the mo, but I'm happy to accept what you say.Gains was certainly tall I spoke to himin London when he was an old man he still towered over me, but then I'm a short a*se.

 

There are plenty who think it was a tank job,those who were there ,and those who have watched it since,so I'm in good company!
He was knocked down to the sky.lol

It's a novel experience for an old man, having a stalker,will I be getting photo requests?

 

James Cagney and Spencer Tracy did actually consider Jack Sharkey the best American actor of their generation, so that's something to consider.