Should Gene Tunney be in the all-time pound-for-pound top 10?

I think we're all pretty close on the circa #15 assessment. The other question is... How many HW champs rate higher in a P4P sense? Now **** gets tricky.

 

I would say that Greb undoubtedly has a better record against great light heavy's than Tunney does. Those named above, plus Dillon, Levinsky, Miske. The only great LWH he didn't beat that Tunney did was Carpentier. Of course, I could be forgetting a few names. Actually, aside from the Dempsey wins, Greb might have a better record against heavyweights, too.

 

In Langfords time in particular there was strong segregation of white & coloured fighters, to the extent where there was a World Coloured heavyweight title in existance.

Langford did fight and beat white fighters but he largely fought coloured fighters. For example he fought Harry (the black panther) Wills 23 times, Sam McVea 15 times, Joe Jeannette 14 times, Jim Jam Barry 12 times, Jeff Clarke 11 times.....and they are just the most frequent ones.

 

Just to put the record straight on Willis vs Dempsey. Willis had to put up a deposit for the fight with Dempsey. Dempsey took the check to the bank and it was not covered. It bounced.... Therfore no fight.

 

I obviously havent seen enough of Tunney but 2 victories over Dempsey & losing only once to a smaller but by all accounts phenomenal fighter in Greb & avenging that loss numerous times, it certainly sounds as if he was possibly a top 10 p4per.

In fact it sounds as if you would badly struggle to find a LHWT or CWT throughout boxings history tht could better this man in his prime.

As most probably know, I dont rank fighters that I havent seen enough of on my lists so Tunney is not on my list but I wish there was decent footage of him because on paper he certainly should never be outside the top 20, at least IMO.

 

He could concievably be put near the tail end of a top 10 list. A strong case could certainly be made for such a placement.

He doesn't quite make mine, however I do have him in the next clutch of 10 at #15.

 

He is in your top 5 p4p of all time? That seems really high who is in your top ten?

 

and Charles of course.

 

I have Ali and Louis in the same Tier, Charles and Fitz higher. No other hw in my top25 - and I don´t go further than that - not even Tunney, don´t know who I should kick out for him and where he fits really fits in, there´s still some work to do.