How would we view Tunney if Dempsey had retired after fighting Firpo?

As sombody who was verry lucky that Dempsey retired?

 

Personally I dont see his victory over Dempsey as anything great, he beat a man way over the hill, out for three years. big deal. Tunney in my opinon wasnt even a nice guy in real life, but he probably wouldnt get the the respet he does today had he not fought Dempsey. Then again he fought and beat Greb, so he might have got recognition there.

 

Depends who he fought instead of Dempsey

 

Good question. Because of how his hip was injured when Firpo shoved him out of the ring, I believe Jack probably should have retired at this point. (In 1977, he admitted that his hip hurt him for the rest of his life. I suspect this was a far more serious injury than he ever let on, and could account in part for his inactivity and drastic deterioration between Firpo and Tunney I.) Gene made a million bucks for the Dempsey rematch, huge money for 1927. Without Jack's drawing power, he'd have had to extend his career for a considerably longer time to compensate (especially after Rickard's death and the 1929 crash). I've always expressed the opinion that Tunney was capable of retaining the title until Louis was ready to succeed him, and that he'd force Joe to go the distance to wrest it away if Gene eventually did lose it in the ring.

Tunney would get a lot of grief for drawing the color line prior to Louis, where Dempsey at least did fight some such opposition on his way up the ladder. I think Gene would probably be perceived the way many regarded Charles and Holmes, as a great transitional champion, but nonetheless secondary to Dempsey, Louis and Ali respectively. Even without Dempsey on his resume, Gene would still become a charter inductee of the IBHOF (as I believe Charles would still have been without Louis).

As for Harry Wills, Willard was the champion he should have defeated to win the title. I maintain that it was Wills, and not Willard, who Dempsey should have dethroned to reach the pinnacle. (The blame for Harry never getting the shot he deserved should rest with Jack Johnson. Had Langford, Jeanette or McVey gotten to Burns first, then maybe it wouldn't have taken a couple of decades for a Louis to get his chance.)