If Gene Tunney spoke of the magnificence of Corbett…

Yeah, but, like, he wore a thong. So.

 

Sarcasm aside:

I've always thought that Corbett looks pretty impressively "textbook," but the textbook he's using is an older 19th century one. Just with a few modern-looking additions and doodads stuck on. He's a master at it, though, and he's a much bigger man than his film from, say, Courtney or Fitzsimmons make him appear. Watch his clinch tricks. He's an awkward, mobile, dirty fighter by modern standards.

His technique is slick by its own era's lights, which is to say that he mastered the system of that time, and applies his primitive voodoo in a thoughtful and intelligent way.

 

Whats Corbett's record and who is his best win? That should tell you all you need to know.

 

When you want to gauge a fighters abilities and there is virtually no footage of him what do you do?
I look up his record. Corbett's is;
11-4-3 All 3 losses by ko.
His best win being over a 34 years old alcoholic who hadn't fought for 4 and a half years
What is more relevant in the absence of decent film than a fighters resume?

Corbett was 60/.61when he sparred with Tunney Would you expect Gene to say he was old and slow ,or would you expect him to be kind to a fellow Irish American?

 

As to his quality, he always struck me as a contender who got lucky. But then, so were Patterson, Ingo, Walcott, and some others. Contenders -- even lucky ones -- can be skilled, impressive fighters. And Corbett was that.

 

Did Gene adopt that goofy straight arm hook? Guys were laughing at that in Corbett's own day.

 

I doubt Tunney ever had an opportunity to view the Corbett-Fitzsimmons film which some of us have probably watched a dozen or more times. Tunney was Irish and a stylish boxer, and he aspired to be a "gentleman boxer. The literature Gene read growing up portrayed Corbett as having all of those things. So Corbett was the person who best exemplified the qualities that Tunney was out to model himself after. It's a little bit late to burst Gene's bubble, and why should I want to do that anyway?

As to your question, why should any of this affect my opinion on boxing?

 

Perhaps for similar reasons we'd listen to boxing opinions from D'Amato, Moore, Steward, Roach, Mayweather, or somebody like that. It's helpful to know what professionals who know more than we do say about boxers.

 

He had an opportunity to see this... first person perspective.

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Allowing for Corbett's age,are you in any way impressed with his technique as shown in that spar?

 

Nice right hand. Stupid looking hook. Good reflexes for an old codger. I'm sure he could take care of himself even at that age.