Billy Conn, no disrespect intended towards him, was Gene Tunney -1. Half as good. Half as quick. Half as effective. And HALF AS SMART! Would Gene have traded with Louis to get a knockout? No way. Gene was a scientist - he did what worked - not what he wanted or what looked the best or would shape his legacy. The last thing Tunney would do is trade with Louis; he would use his footwork, circling, speed, balance and accuracy to land long straight punches from as safer position as possible.
I see no way that Louis can outpoint Tunney - Gene's style is far more suited to a points victory.
Could Louis KO Gene? Sure.... If he landed.
But seeing how he struggled in his lethal prime to "land" against Conn until Conn basically held his chin out for him and fought Louis' fight, I doubt Louis would be able to find his target against Gene Tunney.
W15 Gene Tunney UD
I doubt Gene hurts Louis in this one. Maybe a counter-right or two Schemling-esque from Gene wobble the Bomber, and no doubt Tunney finds himself in hot water now and again as Louis stalks and feints, but a decisive win for Tunney IMO.
This could happen either way. It could happen just like the Conn fight with Gene ahead on the score card and Joe caught him with something big and stop him late. Another scenario would be like the second Dempsey fight where Gene was knock down but the referee will do his job and there will be no "long count" and he got count out. Joe Louis is such a great puncher that he will have a puncher chance against anyone he fight. However, with all that said, I will take a chance and say Gene Tunney by unanimous decision. Gene Tunney has all the skills of a prime Billy Conn but he is smarter. He is not hot temper and cocky like Conn. When he is ahead on the score card, he won't go in for the kill like Conn did against Joe, Gene will keep his distance and box and win a close unanimous decision.
I think this would be a tricky fight for Louis, he always struggled with boxers who had good footwork, also Tunney had a pretty solid jaw and could tough it out in the trenches when need be.
In 1941 as we know Louis was outboxed for twelve rounds against Billy Conn before knocking him out in round 13. Tunney was a bigger, more powerful version of Conn and I don't see him getting reckless and trading toe to toe with Louis as Conn did.
I can envisage a Tunney points win but two things stop me. Number one Tunney's resume at heavyweight wasn't that great, a faded light heavyweight Tommy Gibbons, Jack Dempsey who although great in his prime hadn't fought for three years prior to the first Tunney fight and Tom Heeney who was good but limited. Joe Louis is an all time great, an almost perfect textbook boxer with great power. There is a reason he had 25 successful defenses over 12 years as world heavyweight champion.
Number two Tunney hitting the canvas in the second Dempsey fight shows that he could be hurt, if a faded Dempsey could do it Louis certainly could.
I would say that Tunney outboxes Louis in the early rounds by eventually gets caught and put down in the later rounds. Louis goes to a neutral corner and as Tunney rises, still groggy, Louis rushes in and finishes it. Before Tunney has a chance to regain his composure and dance away Louis floors him again and the referee steps in.
Louis TKO14.
Gene Tunney would have boxed his way to a hard fought close decision win after climbing back from a couple of hard knockdowns and bucking Louis's strong KO threats from the opening through the middle rounds. Tunney's highly cerebral and tactical style of fighting to mention his speed and better mobility and more accurate boxing and counter-punching would have been too much problems for Louis.
But considering that Tunney still belongs to the era of stand-up fighters, many of whom Louis kayoed or stopped in the course of his early career, including the likes of Max Baer and Jim Braddock beacuse of that stance, Tunney's camp would have to make adjustments especially in his defense posture and movements. Still I think Joe would have caught Gene with some of his bombs but Gene's stronger whiskers and noted stamina would have saved him and pulled him through to that hard fought and earned points win, more likely by split decision
Either 2 scenarios: Louis, behind on points, catches up to Tunney anywhere from 12-14 rounds, or he loses to Tunney by a unanimous decison.I'm going with the former scenario, as Louis was closer to his prime than Dempsey was.
Luois would run into similar problems against Tunney as he did with Conn....
tunney would be alot more mobile and quick than most anyone Louis fought....but in the end, i think Louis would catch up to Tunney and put him to sleep around the 12th round
15 rounds
