So anyone who weighs 200 lbs will always be faster, have better stamina and be more difficult to hit than someone who weighs 220. Is that it?
I never heard that ,why would he?Tunney dropped Madden with a left jab right cross that put him down for 9,When he got up a left hook put him down for 10.Tunney ,and his management had an impeccable reputation ,I find it very hard to beleive they would be party to a dive.
It's strange that 160lbs Ray Robinson and 212 lbs Ali were measured for their handspeed in frames per second Ali was the fastest.There are fast big men and slow small men,this generalization is unsubstantiated and without scientific foundation,rather like the arguments of it's author CM.
An impeccable reputation? Are you kidding me? Tunney was a mob connected fighter. His manager, Billy Gibson was hired strictly to give Tunney an edge in judging in New York. For the record Gibson was a front man for Max Boo Boo Hoff a notorious Philly gangster. There have been all sorts of stories about behind the scenes deals helping Tunney navigate to a championship. Why would they have Madden take a dive? To make Tunney look more impressive than his lukewarm press had been in the past. Madden was one of the most famously tough guys in that era. He took a hellacious beating from Wills without going down (you should see his face after that fight its disgusting, I have the film) he took the best Fred Fulton had and came back to beat the hell out of him only to get robbed, he took Heeneys best (I have that fight one film), He took a hellacious beating from Gibbons and didnt go down when Gibbons was knocking everyone out, Bill Brennan etc. You cant tell me that Gene Tunney with bad hands, who wasnt a big puncher anyway was knocking Bartley Madden out and especially not in the 3rd round. It takes him fifteen to knock Carpentier out, after he had dropped him a few times before and had him basically helpless but he KOs Bartley Madden in three... O... K....
I have a longer version of highlights of this fight. I like the way Tunney goes to the body in this fight, and his strength is evident throughout. Tunney was growing physically still at this time, and improving technically. Gibbons was probably some way past his best but he's giving his all in there still.