What if Tunney hadn't retired at 31

I think he would have beat Sharkey, Schemuling 'SPELLING" ?? And could have stayed on top until Louis matured, Tunney was in my opinion one of the most under-rated boxers in Heavyweight history...

He retired in the late 20's a Millionaire, an insane amount of money at the time, so who could blame him for not wanting to fight anymore, i think he went into politics...

 

I also believe that had he chosen to fight on, had stayed in shape, and kept active, fighting the top contender once a year or so he could have remained champion until the late 1930s with the rise of Joe Louis. Of the champions who came along between Tunney and Louis, probably Sharkey and Schmeling would have given him his hardest fights. Someone once wrote that after Tunney defended against Tom Heeney he was still about two or three fights away from his personal best - in other words, he was still improving when he retired. Tunney himself said that his best fight was against Heeney. Being a thinking man's fighter, Tunney made a thorough study of his opponents and developed strategies that played to his strengths and his opponents' weaknesses. He entered the ring physically and mentally prepared, and one never had to wonder which Tunney would show up for the fight, as would happen with Sharkey and Baer. Of course it would always be possible for someone to upset an aging Tunney, but I believe Tunney's conditioning and preparation would see him triumph over his successors, most likely all via 15-round decisions. As mentioned before, I believe Joe Louis would be the one to ultimately dethrone him, but a Tunney in his late 30s could still be a tough foe for the young Louis.

But in real life, Gene Tunney did exactly as he set out to do. He made a million dollars, retired from boxing with his faculties and fortune intact, married a wealthy socialite, and became a very successful businessman. He was on the board of directors of several major corporations in his later years. He read Jack London's The Game, a story about a man who stayed around too long and 'the game' ultimately destroyed him. He vowed that he would never let that happen to him in boxing, and made good on that. As far as I know he never entertained any thoughts of a comeback.

 

Tunney went on several company boards as a director , but not into politics, his son did however , he became a U S Senator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_V._Tunney

Good post:good
ps See Mendoza's posts on Joe Louis, for alternatives for " spellin smellin".

 

Tunney was one of the smartest fighters of all time...he probably could have kept the title for as long as he wanted...VERY under-rated as a fighter...

 

He would have had some interesting battles with Sharkey and Schmeling I think Max may be some trouble but Tunney should prevail. He had the light Heavyweight experience and brought up the speed of hand and good leg movement not really shown in the Heavyweight division at that time, Corbett had a bit but not at the level of Tunney who was more of a modern fighter. I think Gene would have been successful until Louis

 

Everything I was thinking but ya did it for me

 

None of the posters seem to think Tunney would grow old. Tunney would be 38 by the time Louis arrived on the scene. While this was a very uninspired era of top heavyweights, I think Tunney would lose along the line a long time before Louis, possibly even to Carnera. I sense the sneering, but don't forget it would be a 36 year old Tunney who faced Carnera in 1933. I can see him getting worn out fighting such a big man, like the slightly smaller but much younger Loughran did.

Tunney is somewhat of an enigma at heavyweight. Other than an aging Dempsey, whom did he fight? Risko was green and losing to everyone. Heeney was mediocre. Spalla? Madden? Journeymen really. The best of the lot might have been Weinert, who went out in two to an aged Wills in 1925. None of his non-Dempsey heavyweight victims had much of a punch at all. Schmeling and Baer are going to be a different kettle of fish on that score.

I think age catches up with Tunney against Schmeling, Sharkey, or Carnera sometime between 1930 or 1933 (when he would be 33 to 36). It certainly is a legitimate question if a mid-thirties Tunney would have enough left to last against a prime Baer over 15 rounds.

All these champions would be as physically big, or bigger by far, than anyone Tunney actually faced. And all of them, plus contenders like Uzcudun, Godfrey (whom Tunney would probably not fight), Stribling, and Loughran would be much better than anyone Tunney met at heavy (over 180 lbs) other than Dempsey.

 

You know its funny because think of the potential opponents leading up to Louis I thought of Primo and Tunney did not have the kind of power to really hurt Primo and Primo had a good jab and was strong, I was also thinking Primo would be trouble for him

 

Shocking as some Tunney fans might find this, that might just have been his downfall!

He would have got Sharkey, at his own absolute peak.

He would have got Schmeling, while he was still green.

Carnera would have come along when he was slowing down, would have had the right style, and might not have been treated seriously enough.

It is almost the perfect storm!

 

Gene retired at the absolute top of his game in 28 .. at only the age of thirty with a style that did not allow him to take much punishment plus an extreme commitment to fitness I could see him reigning for another three to four years .. I see him as simply better than Schmeling, Sharkey, Carnera , Baer and Braddock but by 1933 or so age would become a factor ..

 

Can you please be serious ? Sharkey decked Carnera. Tunney would have had more than enough power to hurt him .. Tunney would have to have been shot to lose to Carnera on Primo's best day ..

 

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To give the matter proper perspective, this would likely be his age when he met certain key opponents:

Max Schemeling and Jack Sharkey at 33 to 35, depending on how the cards fall.

Primo Carnera at 36.

Max Baer at 37.

Jimmy Braddock at 38.

Max Schmeling again and Joe Louis at 40.