Ranking Gene Tunney over Ezzard Charles at light-heavyweight: Can it be justified?

[Kid McCoy]

Who were these contemporaries?

Norfolk, Berlenbach, Delaney, Stribling, Flowers etc, plus I find it strange that he only had one fight with Loughran, which was actually pretty close (for comparison, Greb fought Loughran six times).

[DarkTerror88]

Saad Muhammad in your list but no Harold Johnson?

Explanation!!

I don't enough about him, so I try not to "open my pie hole" about things I don't know. You seem like you could inform me though .

[GJC]

I'd go with Charles but got to say Marshall beat the daylights out of him when Marshall was prime, he avenged the loss but IMO Marshall was past his best by then. Burley was a welter/middle but at LHW Charles did have the Indian sign over Moore and Bivins is a great fighter. That said Loughran and Greb are great great LHWs and the Gibbons fight would be LHW these days.

[GJC]

I don't enough about him, so I try not to "open my pie hole" about things I don't know. You seem like you could inform me though .

Oh he will don't worry
Basically he was always Archie Moore tune up of choice

[Rockin']

Bill Miller would strongly disagree with Tunney being better than Charles..........Rockin'

[Terry A]

Me three....

I have Charles at #1 but it's close enough that I wouldn't make a big deal over someone ranking Tunney higher.

Poet

It can be justified but personally I wouldn't. Charles' resume is much deeper than Tunney's.

Since I couldn't have said it better, I won't try.

[IronDanHamza]

Oh he will don't worry
Basically he was always Archie Moore tune up of choice

If you want to talk about tune-ups then your beloved Ezzard Charles made one hell of a tune up of your favourite, one Archie Moore.

No but seriously, you know as well as I know on paper it may look like Moore had Johnson's number and yeah he certainly got the better of him in their series but they certainly brought the best out of each other win or lose. And, that 5th fight was a classic and Johnson was so so unlucky in that but this is another discussion.

[IronDanHamza]

I don't enough about him, so I try not to "open my pie hole" about things I don't know. You seem like you could inform me though .

I personally consider Johnson to be a Top 5 ATG Light Heavyweight but that gets me into a lot of arguments I feel it can just about be justified, along with my personal bias. But I mean, I feel he has an argument.

I just cannot see how him not being in the Top 10 can be justified. I know you didn't include him because you don't know much about him and that's cool but he ticks every box to be minimum Top 10.

Johnson beat an incredible amount of Top ranked opposition at LHW, all the way into double figures. Plenty of excellent 'forgotten' fighters such as Paul Andrews, Sonny Ray, Gustav Scholz, Henry Hank etc etc etc.

Ontop of wins over Archie Moore, HOF'er Willie Pastrano (He was robbed) and a fighter I feel should be a HOF'er Bert Lytell.

I also personally give him some credit at LHW for his win over Ezzard Charles although it was offically a HW fight, they both weighed in at like 180, or around there.

His win over Jimmy Bivins applies to this logic also.

To me, is one hell of a resume.

And without a question a Top 10 calibur one.

[GJC]

If you want to talk about tune-ups then your beloved Ezzard Charles made one hell of a tune up of your favourite, one Archie Moore.

No but seriously, you know as well as I know on paper it may look like Moore had Johnson's number and yeah he certainly got the better of him in their series but they certainly brought the best out of each other win or lose. And, that 5th fight was a classic and Johnson was so so unlucky in that but this is another discussion.

Couldn't resist it

No arguments from me Johnson is top 10 for sure.

Ironic re Indian signs Charles had Moore's number which I think cements him as number one in most people's mind. Johnson suffers big time with his record against Moore but Loughran generally ranks above Greb despite their h2h record.

[DarkTerror88]

I personally consider Johnson to be a Top 5 ATG Light Heavyweight but that gets me into a lot of arguments I feel it can just about be justified, along with my personal bias. But I mean, I feel he has an argument.

I just cannot see how him not being in the Top 10 can be justified. I know you didn't include him because you don't know much about him and that's cool but he ticks every box to be minimum Top 10.

Johnson beat an incredible amount of Top ranked opposition at LHW, all the way into double figures. Plenty of excellent 'forgotten' fighters such as Paul Andrews, Sonny Ray, Gustav Scholz, Henry Hank etc etc etc.

Ontop of wins over Archie Moore, HOF'er Willie Pastrano (He was robbed) and a fighter I feel should be a HOF'er Bert Lytell.

I also personally give him some credit at LHW for his win over Ezzard Charles although it was offically a HW fight, they both weighed in at like 180, or around there.

His win over Jimmy Bivins applies to this logic also.

To me, is one hell of a resume.

And without a question a Top 10 calibur one.

Upon further investigation and study, i have seen your reason. I went and totally redid my lsit from scrathc. it looks ab it differetn now

1.) Charles
2.) Tunney
3.) Moore
4.) Foster
5.) Conn
6.) Spinks
7.) Loughran
8.) Saad Muhammad
9.) Rosenbloom
10.) Greb


now its
1.) Charles
2.) Tunney
3.) Moore
4.) Foster
5.) Conn
6.) Spinks
7.) Johnson
8.) Rosenbloom
9.) Loughran
10.) Saad Muhammad