Heavyweight Gene Tunney in the 1970's

I see him performing against the following:

Frazier - Frazier mid round KO

Ali - Wide UD or cuts stoppage, Ali is faster, much bigger reach, stronger, a counter puncher doesn't do well

Foreman - does better, he may be able to outbox Foreman based on the Ali and Young fights. But Foreman was not at his best against Young and the Foreman who fought Frazier/Norton/Ali puts Tunney away before 3 rounds have elapsed, Tunney wouldn't be able to evade all the shots Foreman would throw

Holmes - Holmes wide UD

Norton - Norton UD, Norton went 50-50 with the best 2 boxers in HW history, against the lesser Tunney he wins around 10-5 or 9-6

Quarrey - this would go the distance in a closely fought contest that could go either way

Young - hard to pick, similar sized fighters, Young was faster very elusive and

Lyle - Tunney probably gets a UD but Lyle certainly may stop Tunney

Shavers - Tunney late TKO or Shavers early KO. Shavers liked catching up to smaller fighters and throwing the kitchen sink at them when they had less chance to hurt him

 

I dont think Fraizer stops Tunney in the mid rounds, Tunney has a great chin, not unless Fraizer catchs Tunney cold, he is not stopping Tunney imo. He may out swarm him for a points win. Outside of Ali, Holmes, and Fraizer, I belive Tunney could beat evey one else. Yes even Foreman imo. Tunney defense would insure he gets into the later rounds to stop Big George inbout the 11th round.

 

I largely agree with this. Foreman might go the distance with Tunney, which would make it look an awful lot like Loughran-Baer. The spindly Foster had limited mobility, as Jack Palance observed at the beginning of his match with Mike Quarry. (Palance, a former boxer himself, makes note of how Foster planted his trailing right foot like a home run slugger, compromising Bob's ability to fluidly move left or backwards. I assume Palance's comment is readily available on youtube.) Unlike Foster, Tunney had the footspeed, moving back and laterally, necessary to contend with Frazier.

 

Defense and chin get trumped by pressure and power. Past prime Dempsey lacked the same pressure of prime Frazier and Foreman

 

I like his chances vs anyone in the 70's and I think he would hold his own vs Ali

 

Making someone chase you around the ring only works if you are significantly faster then your opponent and you are more skilled.

70s Ali was still fast enough to catch up to Tunney.

 

Tunney had pretty good power, a fight with him and Ali would be a close one, Tunney had a long amatuer carreer and credentials as well as a rising star moving up in weight

 

Yes,Tunney had better hand and footspeed than Foster was much more mobile and very durable,only Dempsey floored him,and ,while no power hitter,he hit hard enough to get your respect.

 

He would have fit right in and held his own with any of them.

 

:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl
atsch foreman in his prime 70-74 would absolutely smash,destroy,murder,kill gentleman tunney

 

:good

 

One of the smartest fighters of all time...

 

He would do very well, better than against the 90's behemoths, a point at which the size differential would start to tell. At 6 foot 190, 77 inch reach he can cope with 70's era heavyweight, especially with his preternatural speed, sense of distance and footwork. I think he would do well against the big swingers, Foreman, Lyle, Shavers, Mac Foster. He would be beat at his own game against Ali. I think he'd take Norton in a dreadful affair. However, I think Frazier's pressure would be his undoing.

 

Yeah right, I see Foreman struggle to ko the likes of Peralta, and I cant help but think Tunney's speed and movement would have trouble Foreman.

This is not a come forward Joe Frazier here, Foreman is going to have to chase Tunney to get that ko.