Boxing’s Forgotten Champions: Gene Tunney
Today, any fighter with a 65-1-1 professional record would be considered an absolute pound-for-pound legend, not to mention in the beloved Heavyweight division, yet if this record was achieved in the 1920s, as with American Gene Tunney, then you go down as a Forgotten Champion.
Born in 1897 in New York, Tunney, also known as 'The Fighting Marine', is a former Ring Magazine and National Boxing Association Heavyweight World Champion, as well as American Boxing Association Light Heavyweight Champion who fought between 1915 and 1928 when he retired as World Champion. In the same year that he hung up the gloves, Tunney became the recipient of the first-ever Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year.
Fighting with a clever thinking style, the American Heavyweight goes down as one of the very best of his generation, with victories over the likes of Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier, and just the one avenged defeat to Harry Greb at Light-Heavyweight. Tunney retired as one of only five heavyweight champions to never have been knocked out in their career, and one of only four to retire with a successful heavyweight title defence, alongside legendary names such as Rocky Marciano and Vitali Klitschko.
The Early Career
Tunney's journey in the professional ranks began in 1915 at the age of 18, with seven of his first ten bouts ending in a KO victory, the other three made up of a draw and a pair of victories via newspaper decision. Newspaper decisions were commonplace at the time, wherein both fighters were standing at the end of a fight, with no decision made, either due to state law or a pre-agreement from the fighters.
During the war period, Tunney joined the US Marine Corps, where he picked up his first silverware, a vast collection of military accolades but also the American Expeditionary Forces Light Heavyweight title, after a nine-fight tournament held in Paris. Coming out of the Marines Tunney continued his boxing career with his sights set on the big time.
The first big fight came for Tunney in 1921 against Soldier Jones as it came on the undercard of Jack Dempsey vs George Carpentier, two heavyweights he would eventually defeat in his career. It is noted that Tunney was "off form and unimpressive" in the bout, according to The New York Times.
The Titles and Harry Greb
One year on from his unimpressive performance, Tunney picked up his first and only loss of his professional career, against Harry Greb, the first of five encounters between the pair. In this sole loss for the far less experienced Tunney, it is understood he gave a better account of himself than most against Greb, but the pressure of the 'Pittsburgh Windmill' was just too much.
The pair met again in the early months of 1923, the fight that earned Tunney his American Light Heavyweight Title at the legendary Madison Square Garden. One more clash between the two took place in December 1923 at the same venue, another close encounter in which Tunney retained his title.
Two more Tunney vs Greb fights, a win and a no-contest, sandwiched a clash with the previously mentioned George Carpentier, a French European champion who also held the IBU World Title at Light Heavyweight. The clash had 30,000 in attendance once again in New York, with Tunney winning via a stoppage with just 14 seconds to go in the final round of 15.
World Title Fights and the 'Long Count Fight'
The heavyweight portion of Tunney's career spanned the final ten fights, and also arguably represents the most successful. With some impressive wins against top heavyweights such as Jeff Smith and Tommy Gibbons, Tunney earned himself a World Title fight against the great Jack Dempsey in 1926.
The fight took place at the horseshoe-shaped Sesquicentennial Stadium in Philadelphia with 120,000 fans in attendance. A unanimous decision victory came the way of Gene Tunney in the first of three world title fights in his career.
The rematch between the pair took place at the Soldier Field stadium in Chicago and has been dubbed the 'long count fight'. Tunney came out on top after ten rounds, thus defending his title, but the fight is famed even more for its unbelievable moment in the seventh round.
Dempsey was famed for standing over his opponents after knocking them down, but referee Dave Barry was enforcing a new rule where the count would not start until the fighter returned to a neutral corner. Despite this Dempsey continued to stand over Tunney for five seconds following his heavy knockdown in the seventh, allowing Tunney an additional five seconds of recovery before finding his way back on his feet on the ref's 9-second mark.
This totals the knockdown at fourteen seconds, which would have ended the fight, but thanks to Dempsey's antics the fight continued. All for Tunney to then survive the distance and win the decision, defeating his opponent for a second time.
Tunney then defended his Heavyweight Title one more time, this time against Tom Heeney, who he defeated by way of 11th-round knockout, thus cementing himself as the Heavyweight Champion of the World.
Tunney retired from the sport a few days after this World Title fight in 1928 at the Yankee Stadium. Ending his career with an impressive 65 wins, with 48 by way of stoppage.
The Legacy
With this retirement, Gene Tunney earns himself a place as one of the best fighters to ever grace the ring, an uninterrupted Heavyweight Title reign, with huge wins over some of the true greats of his generation. Not to mention a legendary fight with Jack Dempsey and a hard-fought pentology with Harry Greb.
Certainly the most decorated and well-known fighter this series has featured to date, but with the impact and stature he achieved in his relatively short career, the name Gene Tunney is certainly one more forgotten than it deserves to be.