Gene Tunney
(James Joseph Tunney)
BORN May 25 1897; New York, New York DIED November 7 1978, Greenwich, Connecticut HEIGHT 6-0 1/2 WEIGHT 155-192 lbs MANAGERS Billy Jacob (1915-1918), Billy Roche and Sammy Kelly (1919-1920), Frank "Doc" Bagley (1920-1922) and Billy Gibson (1923-1928) Tunney was an intelligent, dedicated, determined, self-made fighter; He studied each opponent in detail and was prepared and well-trained for every fight; He was quick, had boxing "savvy," possessed a sharp jab, a stiff right hand punch and used good footwork
Charley Rose ranked Tunney as the #6 All-Time Heavyweight; Nat Fleischer ranked him as the #8 All-Time Heavyweight; Herb Goldman ranked him as the #1 All-Time Light Heavyweight; Tunney was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1955 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990
Tunney-Carpentier 1924 Fight Video Clip Tunney-Gibbons 1925 Fight Video Clip Tunney-Dempsey 1926 Fight Video Clip Tunney-Dempsey 1927 Fight Video Clip (Press thebutton at the top of the screen to return)
1915 Jul 2 Bobby Dawson New York, NY TK 8 -Some sources report "TK 6" on 7/03/15 Aug 7 Battling Genrimo New York, NY KO 3 Aug 28 George Lahey New York, NY KO 2 Oct Ruben "K.O." Jaffe New York, NY ND 6 Dec 11 Billy Rohe New York, NY ND 6 1916 Jul 21 Ruben "K.O." Jaffe New York, NY ND 10 Dec 8 Young Guarini New York, NY TK 8 Dec 15 Young Sharkey New York, NY KO 6 Dec 22 George Lahey New York, NY ND 6 -Some sources report "W 6" Dec 29 Sailor Wolfe New York, NY KO 2 1917 Feb 2 Victor Dahl New York, NY ND 10 Oct 2 K.O. Sullivan New York, NY ND 10 -Some sources report "K.O." Jaffe Dec 21 "Young" Joe Borrell New York, NY KO 2 -Some sources report 12/28/16 1918 Jan 15 Hughey Weir New York, NY KO 2 -Some sources report "KO 3" May 2 -Tunney enlisted in the United States Marines Corp Jul 8 Young Guarini Jersey City, NJ KO 1 Hank Wuerhl Romarantin, Fr KO 3 -Some sources report "KO 6" Johnny Newton Romarantin, Fr KO 6 Dec 5 Victor "K.O." Marchand Paris, Fr KO 2 Dec Howard Morrow Romarantin, Fr KO 6 Dec Tommy Gavigan Romarantin, Fr D 12 -Some sources report "D 10" 1919 Jan 31 "Fighting" Bob Martin Paris, Fr W 4 -Martin was the Heavyweight Champion of the American Expediciary Forces in France; Tunney won a special match between the two men -Tunney defeated 20 opponents in France in a Light-Heavyweight elimination series throughout France Mar 24 Indian Lewis Tours, Fr KO 1 Mar 31 Dare Davis Tours, Fr KO 3 Apr 14 K.O. Sullivan Paris, Fr W 10 Apr 26 Ted Jamieson Paris, Fr W 10 -Tunney won the Light-Heavyweight Championship of the American Expediciary Forces in France by beating the previous 2 men in the final bouts Dec 16 Dan O'Dowd Bayonne, NJ ND 8 -Some sources report 12/17/19 Dec 29 Bob Pearce Newark, NJ TK 2 1920 Jan 1 Whitey Allen Bayonne, NJ KO 2 Jan 20 Bud Nelson Bayonne, NJ KO 1 Jan 26 Jim Monahan Jersey City, NJ TK 1 -Some sources report "Newark, NJ" Feb 2 Al Roberts Newark, NJ KO 8 Mar 4 Ed Kinley Jersey City, NJ KO 5 Apr 5 K.O. Sullivan Newark, NJ KO 1 Apr 9 Jack Clifford Binghamton, NY KO 3 -Some sources report "Johnson City, NY" Jun 7 Jeff Madden Jersey City, NJ TK 2 Jun 28 Ole Anderson Jersey City, NJ TK 3 Oct 22 "Sergeant" Ray Smith Camden, NJ TK 2 Oct 25 Paul Samson-Koerner Paterson, NJ ND 10 Nov 25 Leo Houck Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Dec 7 Leo Houck Jersey City, NJ ND 8 Leo Gates EX 5 1921 Jun 28 Johnny "Young" Ambrose New York, NY KO 1 Jul 2 Horace "Soldier" Jones Jersey City, NJ TK 7 Aug 4 Martin Burke New York, NY W 10 Aug 18 Eddie Josephs Staten Island, NY W 12 -Some sources report 8/29/21 at "New York, NY" Sep 26 Herbert Crossley Brooklyn, NY W 7 Oct 14 Jack Burke New York, NY TK 3 Oct 25 Magnus "Wolf" Larsen New York, NY TK 7 Dec 22 Eddie O'Hare New York, NY KO 6 -O'Hare was a promising, skillful, young light heavyweight, who subsequently met sudden death in doing a somersault into a pile of snow; He landed on a tree stump and broke his back 1922 Jan 13 Battling Levinsky New York, NY W 12 -Light Heavyweight Championship of North America Feb 11 Jack Clifford Brooklyn, NY TK 6 Feb 14 Whitey Wenzel Philadelphia, Pa TK 4 Mar 3 Fay Keiser Grand Rapids, Mi ND 10 Apr 10 Jack Burke Pittsburgh, Pa TK 9 May 23 Harry Greb New York, NY L 15 -Light Heavyweight Championship of North America Jul 6 Fay Keiser Rockaway Beach, NY W 12 -Some sources report 7/07/22 Aug 4 Ray Thompson Long Branch, NJ KO 3 Aug 17 Charley Weinert Newark, NJ ND 12 Aug 24 Tommy Loughran Philadelphia, Pa ND 8 Oct 27 Chuck Wiggins Boston, Ma W 10 Nov 3 Jack Hanlon Brooklyn, NY KO 1 Nov 29 Charley Weinert New York, NY KO 4 1923 Jan 29 Jack Renault Philadelphia, Pa NC 4 Feb 3 Chucks Wiggins New York, NY W 12 Feb 23 Harry Greb New York, NY W 15 -Light Heavyweight Championship of North America May 7 Jack Clifford Detroit, Mi TK 8 May 16 Jimmy Delaney Chicago, Il ND 10 -Some sources report 5/17/23 Jul 31 Dan O'Dowd Long Island City, NY W 12 Dec 10 Harry Greb New York, NY W 15 -Light Heavyweight Championship of North America 1924 Jan 15 Harry Foley Grand Rapids, Mi ND 10 Jan 24 Ray Thompson West Palm Beach, Fl KO 2 Feb 15 Martin Burke New Orleans, La W 15 Mar 17 Jimmy Delaney St. Paul, Mn ND 10 Jun 26 Erminio Spalla Bronx, NY TK 7 Jul 24 Georges Carpentier New York, NY TK 15 Aug 18 Joe Lohman Columbus, Oh TK 8 Sep 17 Harry Greb Cleveland, Oh ND 10 Sep 27 Ray Neuman Ebensburg, Pa W 10 Oct 27 Harry Foley Memphis, Tn KO 1 Nov 10 Buddy McHale Memphis, Tn KO 2 Dec 8 Jeff Smith New Orleans, La ND 15 -Some sources report "W 15" 1925 Mar 27 Harry Greb St. Paul, Mn ND 10 Jun 5 Tommy Gibbons New York, NY KO 12 Jul 3 "Italian" Jack Herman Kansas City, Mo KO 2 Sep 25 Bartley Madden Minneapolis, Mn KO 3 Nov 18 Johnny Risko Cleveland, Oh ND 12 Dec 29 Dan O'Dowd St. Petersburg, Fl KO 2 Jim Corbett New York, NY EX 3 Paul Cavalier EX Paul Cavalier EX 1926 Harold Mays Stroudsburg, Pa EX 3 Harold Mays Youngstown, Oh EX 3 Sep 16 Jack Delaney Stroudsburg, Pa EX 2 Sep 17 Jack Delaney Stroudsburg, Pa EX Sep 23 Jack Dempsey Philadelphia, Pa W 10 -Heavyweight Championship of the World 1927 Apr 11 Eddie Eagan Denver, Co EX 4 Apr 11 Frank Muskie Denver, Co EX 4 Paul Cavalier Speculator, NY EX Chuck Wiggins EX Sep 6 Chuck Wiggins Lake Villa, Il EX 3 Sep 6 Billy Vidabeck Lake Villa, Il EX 3 -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date Sep Jimmy Slattery Lake Villa, Il EX Sep 16 Chuck Wiggins Lake Villa, Il EX 2 Sep 19 Jackie Williams Lake Villa, Il EX Sep 19 Billy Vidabeck Lake Villa, Il EX Sep 22 Jack Dempsey Chicago, Il W 10 -Heavyweight Championship of the World 1928 Jul 26 Tom Heeney Bronx, NY TK 12 -Heavyweight Championship of the World *** NCR ALL-TIME HEAVYWEIGHT COMPUTER TOURNAMENT ***1968 Rocky Marciano L 15
Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization
The Cyber Boxing Zone WAIL ! Article on Gene Tunney (April 2000)
Tracy Callis All-Time Rankings
