bowe was just a superior fighter imo. better jab, better power, better size, better strength. tunney was a boxer, a bit stiff in the waist who had to jab and move to be effective. but that wouldnt work against bowe, who would outjab him. bowe would slowly wear him down and stop him in around ten rounds.
I have to go for the Bowe that beat Holyfield in a trilogy. Big man that could fight inside or out and had many many assets. I've never been a fan but at his best Bowe is a hard man to beat.
Prime for prime Bowe might well win. If Holyfield could outbox him then Tunney should be in with a chance. In reality Tunney would arrange for the bout to take place when Bowe was being inconsistent and send him a giant bucket of fried chicken with compliments in the days leading up to the fight.
I go with Bowe only because he is so much bigger than Tunney. Tunney, really, is just a cruiserweight compared to Bowe. I can't see a cruiserweight beating Bowe, regardless of how good the cruiser is. My guess is that the fight would go the distance because Tunney's defensive acumen and footwork were so excellent. Gene would dance his way out of trouble all night. But Bowe would be in charge because of his size, dangerous long range punching, and because of his jab. Of course, I am presuming that Bowe fights up to his full potential.
Riddick Bowe beats Gene Tunney down and stops him before 7-8 rounds. I think highly of Tunney and truly appreciate his mental and technical abilities but he is simply too small for Bowe. Bowe wins this one 10/10 times.
I think Tunney would school Bowe, outpoint him clearly over the distance. Come on, Tony Tubbs arguably outpointed Bowe. Holyfield outboxed Bowe every time he had sense to move and jab. (Holyfield's problem was he wanted to beat Bowe on the inside, slug it out and knock him out - areas where Bowe proved superior) Tunney would not be so foolish.
Best guess is Bowe via a close, but clear UD. Tunney would give Bowe some trouble but in the end Bowe's power would tip the scales in his favor.
Tunney in a really boring fight. EDIT: If it was judged properly. This is the kind of thing where you could see a fighter win "on aggression" even though he got hit more.
