So yeah....Louis versus Tunney?

[McGoorty]

Good matchup but it's Joe all the way, tunney might frustrate Joe for a few rounds but Joe gets him sooner or later

[McGoorty]

I believe it was round 13. I don't have time to look that up but that's the round I recall reading.

You are right, round 13... hell if that fight was today Conn wins by decision in round 12... imagine no 13th round in that fight... or Marciano v Walcott for that matter

[McGoorty]

My friend, what a great match up and question.
I always have Tunney high on my ATG heavys list and I appreciate his talent and mostly his resumé, the guy fought arguably the greatest fighter of all time 5 times!
But with that said I have to go with Joe Louis, Joe's feet were slow and tbh pretty awful compared to today's standard but he was the hardest hitting heavyweight of all time and I also think the most accurate and I believe he catches Gene and knocks him out, 7 times out of 10 with gene out boxing Joe and surviving the championship rounds 3 times out of 10.

Both guys are nailed on top 10 heavyweights ever.
Guys like Tyson and Dempsey don't make the cut due to underrated heavies like Tunney!

I always have Tunney high on my ATG heavys list and I appreciate his talent and mostly his resumé, the guy fought arguably the greatest fighter of all time 5 times!

That is something I will never get, if Greb only beat Tunney once in 5 fights, calling Greb the greatest of all time is akin to calling Jake LaMotta the greatest of all time despite losing all those other fights to SRR. Yeah Greb has a fabulous resume but clearly Tunney was better than Harry... clearly.... I repeat,........ clearly.... Tunney was a genius I can say that much. He was also clearly a smarter man than Harry, fighting 299 times before realizing you should be retired isn't smart, he died young, he died blind in one eye, Gene however did very well inside and outside the ring. Tunney was bigger than Harry but that ain't Gene's fault, the fact he mastered Greb means that he should be rated much higher in lists of p4p than he usually is. personally I don't think either is the greatest ever, I actually doubt there really is a GOAT in boxing, SRR is usually rated that but really, you just can't compare flyweights to Featherweights and Feathers to middle weights, unless I am missing something. Young Griffo's record after 160 odd fights is better than Rays at that stage was.... think about this guys. Griffo at 167 bouts had yet to lose a single fight and he has some huge names there by then.

[Scott9945]

You are right, round 13... hell if that fight was today Conn wins by decision in round 12... imagine no 13th round in that fight... or Marciano v Walcott for that matter

It doesn't always work that way because of the pacing is faster for shorter fights. And obviously Louis and Marciano would have known to step on the gas earlier if it were 12 rounds.

[The Old LefHook]

Louis would be confused in there with Tunney. What Conn did not have the punch to do Gene might get finished. Tunney was probably a stronger puncher than given credit for. We almost saw him against Harry Wills. That could have told us much.

[ShoulderRoll]

That is something I will never get, if Greb only beat Tunney once in 5 fights, calling Greb the greatest of all time is akin to calling Jake LaMotta the greatest of all time despite losing all those other fights to SRR. Yeah Greb has a fabulous resume but clearly Tunney was better than Harry... clearly.... I repeat,........ clearly....

Greb was naturally smaller than Tunney yet still gave him hell in their fights and even scored a win. It takes great skill and a hell of a fighter to be able to punch above your weight like that, which is why Harry is ranked higher p4p.

[billeau2]

Louis' problem is that he has to come to Tunney. Tunney was an atg light heavy who could do it all, but as a heavy he was more of a counter puncher. I see him as a better version of Schmelling in this situation, he makes Louis pay for anything that doesn't land and beats a hasty retreat.