Langford or Tunney?

[JAB5239]

Who is the better p4p fighter in your opinion, Sam Langford, or Gene Tunney? Tunney ranks 14 at heavyweight while Langford gets check at 15 by the IBRO. Pound for pound, Langford ranks number 4 while Tunney is number 20. Both were great fighters, but Langford was kept from fighting for a world title while Tunney never took on a black Challenger. Vote and discuss, civilly please.

[The Old LefHook]

If you can whip Dempsey twice you can whip the tiny tar baby. Too much leg on Tunney.

[JAB5239]

If you can whip Dempsey twice you can whip the tiny tar baby. Too much leg on Tunney.

How do you figure that when he wouldn't face a black fighter? Langford fought everyone from lightweight to heavyweight. Even Jack Johnson was afraid to fight him again after he filled out and matured.

[Rusty Tromboni]

What's next, comparing Kimbo to Willie Pep?

We have footage of both.

We have their records.

We have generations of succeeding fighters who've answered this for us.


Let's ask it this way. If it were your boy missing his career as a fighter, which of these men would you wish him to fight like?

If you guys want an old time fighter to idolize, pick McFarland. Corbett, McGovern, Fitz and even Wilde are good choices, too. But pre-Greb Packey was the greatest P4P.

[Rusty Tromboni]

If you can whip Dempsey twice you can whip the tiny tar baby. Too much leg on Tunney.

His jab would be a nightmare for Langford, too, if we're talking H2H.

lesser punchers than Tunney also got the better of Sam.

Really, it is not fair to say too much about Leonard with only so much footage to evaluate him from. But I really wonder if Gene wasn't becoming the fighter the press used to describe Leonard as.

[JAB5239]

What's next, comparing Kimbo to Willie Pep?

We have footage of both.

We have their records.

We have generations of succeeding fighters who've answered this for us.


Let's ask it this way. If it were your boy missing his career as a fighter, which of these men would you wish him to fight like?

If you guys want an old time fighter to idolize, pick McFarland. Corbett, McGovern, Fitz and even Wilde are good choices, too. But pre-Greb Packey was the greatest P4P.

Yes, we have their records. With people duck and avoiding Langford or getting knocked out from lightweight to heavyweight. Tunney was an excellent fighter, but did he avoid many of the best fighters because of the color on line? The answer is a resounding yes.

[Rusty Tromboni]

And i do respect JAB very much for staying this thread.

We won't squash the myths if we dint confront them head on.

But really, anyone can access footage of both men, and their records.

[Rusty Tromboni]

Yes, we have their records. With people duck and avoiding Langford or getting knocked out from lightweight to heavyweight. Tunney was an excellent fighter, but did he avoid many of the best fighters because of the color on line? The answer is a resounding yes.

Who of note did Langford KO?

What Black fighters did Gene avoid?

Tunney beat Loughran, Gibbons, Greb and Dempsey. Even if none of them were in their prime when he beat them, they're all still better than Langford and anyone he fought.

[ShoulderRoll]

That's a tough one.

Langford fought from lightweight to heavyweight and has wins over the likes of Joe Gans, Jack Blackburn, Stanley Ketchel, and Tiger Flowers. But he was never a world champion (in large part due to being avoided.)

Tunney fought at light heavyweight and heavyweight and beat the likes of Georges Carpentier, Tommy Gibbons, Harry Greb and Jack Dempsey.

Maybe Langford edges it in a P4P sense because he was successful in more weight divisions?

[Rusty Tromboni]

How do you figure that when he wouldn't face a black fighter? Langford fought everyone from lightweight to heavyweight. Even Jack Johnson was afraid to fight him again after he filled out and matured.

1) What Black fighters didn't he fight?

2) Why does it matter?

3) Jack Johnson was a terrible fighter, so why is his name even surfacing in this conversation?