Joe Louis vs Gene Tunney

Tunney was better than Conn (who I think Louis underestimated) but I do think that Louis catches up to him.
Late KO.

 

Gene gives a decent account of himself early on, Joe knows he’s been in a fight, but Tunney winds up horizontal.

 

Louis W via Mid-to-Late KO. Tunney starts off well, bit Louis figures him out down the stretch.

 

Tunney is underrated at here in the forum, but yeah Louis probably gets him sooner or later....

I always found Tunney´s handspeed bad for the style of his.

 

Dempsey was something a superstar in a hyped era but NOT a great fighter compared to the great black fighters. I love the guy exciting macho rugged handsome = charisma. Tunney wipped him. People say oh he was old. Dempsey was 31. Guys fight till 35 36 and they re still good. So Tunney was good but maybe not as great as they make him. A lot of Dempsey fight Tunney actually slugged with him and beat him. But against Louis that would mean eventual disaster. Louis would catch him with one of his pin point power shots. Once he hurt you it was pretty much over. Conn Louis similarity maybe but let’s face it Conn had some luck to last that long he was doomed eventually. So would Tunney be.

 

The kind of fight where I’d back Louis but probably put a sneaky bet on Tunney if the odds were even moderately juicy. Tunney is my pick for the most under-rated HW champion ever. Elusive, fairly quick, defensively sound & offensively more capable than people realise, unshakeable composure, genius level ring IQ, iron chin.

I do think Louis catches him & puts him away, but there is every chance, as underdogs go, Tunney can win this.

 

Tunney probably gets knocked out late, but he'd probably be ahead or at least put up a game performance.

 

Primo Carnera, Max Baer, Jack Sharkey, Jim Braddock, Max Schmeling, Jersey Joe Walcott...
I have no argument why Gene Tunney wouldn't join the list on Joe Louis' resume

 

If you could design an opponent who would give Louis trouble, it would look something like Tunney. Stiff right hand puncher with an educated left jab, a good mover and ring general, smart, tough and battle-tested. Tunney by split decision.

 

If Louis & Blackburn came in with this attitude they’d leave the arena with an L.

 

Not to downplay Tunney, but doesn't Louis' relatively comfortable victory over Tommy Farr show he could handle smart guys with good jabs?

Of course Tunney was better than Farr but that's not the main argument here, just saying that Louis wasn't necessarily weak to that type of fighter.

 

Louis should win but I can see Tunney troubling him in probably a similar fashion to the way Billy Conn did.

 

Good timing and countering ability for Gene (and of course the same can be said for Louis ). Anyways, how hard a punch a fellow throws is generally important, how hard a punch lands is particularly significant. A guy who can catch an opponent coming in adds their contribution to his own and, in a sense, 'lands harder than they throw' in a way that doesn't always get acknowledged.

I'd softly favor Louis, but almost every comment and prediction on this thread, thus far, has had a substantial argument in its favor.

 

Many people seem to be assuming that Tunney would use the same strategy that he used against Dempsey.

This is perhaps not an unreasonable assumption, given how dangerous Louis was as a puncher, but the point should be made that this was not Tunney's normal style.

The Carpintier and Heaney fights provide a much better example of his usual MO.

 

He was also pretty stationary against Tommy Gibbons as well, compared to the Dempsey fights. Gene looked like taller version of Mike Gibbons in that one. He didn’t need to use excessive lateral movement to maintain his very solid defense.