How great was Gene Tunney really?

I am not a Dempsey guy at all. Wills, Godfrey, Siki, Greb, Langford...even a Johnson match was not out of the realm of possibility.

 

Siki was discussed. I read an article in which a reporter called for Godfrey based on their sparring,

 

“Monolithic” Maske

 

I'm pretty sure none of Dempsey's actual defenses ever beat Wills to get their shot, and Greb beat many of those same opponents Dempsey defended against.

I'll cut Dempsey some slack for not fighting Wills, due to trying to make the fight in 1926. But his ducking of Greb was damn blatant.

He even fought the loser of the Greb-Gibbons fight, billed as a title eliminator!

I was in Dempsey’s training camp when Jack Kearns ran in Greb as a sparring partner. It was murder. Greb was too fast and hit from too many angles. We had to chase him out.” —Tommy Walsh

 

I can tell you that both were discussed, and Siki was considered. But hey, as you like.

 

The trial transcripts for Tim Mara's lawsuit against Gene Tunney.

 

The people who continually buy into the horse**** that Dempsey tried to fight Wills but was prevented from it need to either research those two situations or sit down and shut up before speaking out of ignorance. Even Dempsey himself admitted the first "contract" he signed to fight Wills was a complete sham. He admits this in his autobiography. It was designed specifically to keep the New York State Athletic Commission off his back for not fighting Wills. The second time, in 1925, was exactly the same situation. He was about to be barred by the commission, he was trying to break his contract with Kearns who as revenge signed for him to face Wills and in order to get everyone off his back he enlisted his buddy Floyd Fitzsimmons to help him by promoting a fake fight that he could walk away from when he wasnt paid for it. Meanwhile he was already negotiating with Rickard for a Tunney fight which was already being scheduled for the same time frame as the supposed to Wills fight. Then when the Wills fight falls through, as it was always intended to, Dempsey could say "see, I was trying but it wouldnt work" and morons then and now lap it up. Dempsey never wanted any part of Wills or anyone else who posed a threat to his reign. He admitted that he was talked into facing Tunney by Rickard with the argument that Tunney would be the easier fight. Thats all in the public record. But dont expect to hear it from the sycophants who keep Dempsey's legend alive.

 

He sure looks great on film, but his lack of fighting top black fighters (Godfrey?) is a stain. I mean, having any kind of color line is a stain, but not fighting black men at LHW and HW? Sort of a big stain. Like being a LW and not fighting latinos.

And yes, I understand Tunney's era. Just saying it hurts his modern ranking some. But as I said, he sure does look great on film.

 

Unfortunately, I haven't got the hundreds of boxing magazines that I had in my youth, but they were both in the RING. I am sure you could find that info yourself, if interested.

 

Thanks. You wouldn't have a link or know where I can find them, would you?

 

LeBron ranks way higher than Tunney in their respective sports though. It would be like Tunney totally dominating the 1920s and 1930s and beating Dempsey, Wills, Schmelling, Sharkey, Baer, and Louis.

 

True, Greb might be more of a LeBron if anything.

Well, aside from having children in sweatshops mass produce your merchandise.