Tunney vs Langford

[The Old LefHook]

Here I think we have a matchup with real intrigue which is hard to call. This cannot be an easy fight for either man. Both are slippery and both hit hard. Tunney mastered Greb and Langford was able to give Johnson a hard, tough fight. I think there will be blood in this fight, though it may resemble a chess match, too.

[rightsideup]

even though i am a lang-ford fan I think maybe his performance against Johnson is maybe exaggerated to build up his legend. I think it would be an interesting fight prime for prime sam vs gene.

[billeau2]

Here I think we have a matchup with real intrigue which is hard to call. This cannot be an easy fight for either man. Both are slippery and both hit hard. Tunney mastered Greb and Langford was able to give Johnson a hard, tough fight. I think there will be blood in this fight, though it may resemble a chess match, too.

Chess match indeed.

[joeandthebums]

even though i am a lang-ford fan I think maybe his performance against Johnson is maybe exaggerated to build up his legend. I think it would be an interesting fight prime for prime sam vs gene.

Many years later Joe Woodman, Langford's manager confessed to fabricating Langford knocking down Johnson in the contest.

They were was chasing Johnson for a fight and thought that when he heard the historical revisionism, his pride would force him into a rematch.

[PitbullParsons]

Fabricated or not, Johnson wouldn't give him a rematch and Dempsey said he would have been KOed by him. Tunney only beat Dempsey by decision after 3 years off and he himself said he wouldn't have made it through the 7th round were it not for the long count. I have Langford winning it in a brutal fashion.

[RED REP]

Also, Tunney could of easily been 3-2 with Greb, that's not mastering anything, some of those news paper decisions were bull. Tunney went to the body and nearly knocked Greb out in one of their last bouts so i do still understand your point.

[Barn]

Fabricated or not, Johnson wouldn't give him a rematch and Dempsey said he would have been KOed by him. Tunney only beat Dempsey by decision after 3 years off and he himself said he wouldn't have made it through the 7th round were it not for the long count. I have Langford winning it in a brutal fashion.

When did Tunney say he needed the Long Count to win the fight? I remember coming to the conclusion he would've been fine.

As for the original question, I've got Tunney by decision if it takes place at LHW. He just looks quite a bit more polished on film to me and seems to have enough gusto and smarts to survive a rough spot he might find himself in.

[BKM-]

Fabricated or not, Johnson wouldn't give him a rematch and Dempsey said he would have been KOed by him. Tunney only beat Dempsey by decision after 3 years off and he himself said he wouldn't have made it through the 7th round were it not for the long count. I have Langford winning it in a brutal fashion.

"But this guy said this about Langford, and he said this about him" that's not what I'll go by.

I've seen footage of both and Tunney is a much better boxer, way ahead of his time actually. There's few fighters that came before Tunney that i'd pick to beat him and Langford isn't one of them no matter how much historians try to romanticize his legacy.

[ShoulderRoll]

Langford hit like a mule kick. I could see him losing to Tunney on points but I could also see him settings traps, hurting the Fighting Marine, and knocking him out.

[Rspen46]

I agree with you and seeing the comment no matter how much anyone tries to romanticize Sam's legacy is point on, one of the best comments on him I've seen.
I did not know Sam personally, and I love boxing and great fighters, yes Sam probably was a great fighter in his time, but every argument I see for him to be even greater, people have to say what if, or maybe if this or that, to me if you have to come up with things and excuses continuously for a Fighter, then he does not deserve the ranking someone is trying to hand to him.
He was great in his time against some of the good black fighters of his time, but we have to leave it there and leave him outside the top 20 Hw's of all time, move him down some to LHW or even MW, stop placing a 5 foot 7 inch fighter as a great all time HW yes he beat and had a draw with will's when both were pretty near or in their prime before the dozen of or so fights when Sam went downhill, but that's 1 guy, many fighters have a nemesis, maybe sam was that for Harry Wills,