Prime Tunney Replaces Corbett vs. Jeffries

Jeffries wasnt just some prehistoric version of George Chuvalo who won fights simply by outlasting his oponents and being bigger than them. That is something of a fable that has grown up since his time.

By 1903 he wasnt just outlasting Corbett or wearing him down. He was outboxing him as well.

 

Jeffries wasn't a plodder either. He had quick feet, and quick hands. Papers says he was a lively a a light weight. And his offensive and defensive skills are under rated. Joe Gans said Jeffries was one of the most accurate hitters in the business.

Tunney never fought a heavyweight like Jeffries. If Tunney replaced Corbett in 25 round fights, he is going to get knocked out.

 

Lets put it another way.

Tunney is going to have a lot more trouble with a prime Jeffries over 20 rounds than he had against a faded Dempsey over 10 rounds.

 

Tunney would outbox and beat the stuffing out of Jeffries easily, Tunney hits much harder than Corbett, is more skilled, far quicker and not drawing his old age pension

 

Is there any clear film of Corbett in action ?

 

By 1903 Corbett was finished, he was ,one month off 37, and had not won a kosher fight in over 7.1/2 years, the only one, [the McCoy fight is believed to be a fake], hadn't fought at all in 3 years, his legs were gone.If Jeffries had rematched him in 1901 , things might have been different.1903 was Ali v Berbick.

 

While Corbett had seen better days by 03 he was clearly better than the Ali of the Berbick fight.

Also, I do not think that the McCoy fight was a fake.

 

I think that the stylistic dynamic is more favourable to Jeffries than a lot of people think.

Jeffries did not aply the pressure of a Joe Frazier or a Tom Sharkey but he was the original body snatcher. He seldom threw a punch above the colar line and he was taking the body away throughout the fight. Many of his oponents suffered horible injuries from his body punches.

I think that 20 rounds would give Jeffries pleanty to play with.

 

Hard to say.

Jeffries was probably faster on his feet than a shot Dempsey, and 20 rounds is a long time to run for relative to 10 rounds.

I guess it turns on how long Tunney can run and how many body shots he takes. The one area where Corbett was uneoquivocaly better than Tunney is ability to last over distances of 15 rounds+

 

And you base this on?

Ali had fought a year earlier,and ,three years prior to facing Berbick he had gone 15 rds and won the Heavyweight title for the 3 rd time.

Corbett had not had a fight in three years and that is believed to be fake why do you think it was not? Both Box rec, and CZ believe it was.

Corbett had not won a fight in 7 and a half years, any resemblance to the man that went 23 rds with Jeffries and was in front at the time of the stoppage , with the man who faced Jeffries 3 years later, is entirely accidental.