WHY TUNNEY QUIT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 537, 14 December 1928, Page 11

WHY TUNNEY QUIT

LACK OF COMPETITION POSSIBLE “COME-BACK” Robert Edgren, the most entertaining of American boxing writers, makes some interesting observations on the retirement of Gene Tunney as the heavy-weight boxing champion of the world. The following excerpts from a long article in “Topical Times” are worthy of reproduction: Gene Tunney is officially “retired heavy-weight champion.” Whether the retirement is permanent or not depends on circumstances. There are two reasons for tine retirement of an undefeated champion. One is that th» champion has gone back so far, or some new fighter has come up so far, that the champ, is sure he’ll take a beautiful trimming next time out. The other is that there’s, no demand for another championship fight, and consequently no money is going on lighting. Tunney hasn’t gone back. He was at his best when he whipped Tom Tleeney, Tunney showed more workmanlike ability in that bout than in any other he has fought. Tleeney had neither speed nor punch, and Tunney went around him, as the old-timers used to say, “like a cooper around a barrel.” Perhaps the simile isn’t so good now. The old-time cooper and the old-time barrel have both disappeared. The reason for Tunney’s retirement was the entire lack of competition, and the lack of public interest in any other fight that might have been arranged for him. Rickard couldn’t drag Dempsey out again, because Dempsey had announced flatly that he was through, and had given his reason for deciding never to fight again. Dempsey said he didn’t need any more money, couldn’t go back to the months of rough training necessary to reach fighting condition, and that he was beginning to feel tlie effect of punches and had no inclination to walk into any more of them. As fo,r the Sharkeys, and all the rest of the shopworn “contenders,” not one of the lot would carry any public confidence, and you can’t draw a gate with a championship fight in which the public knows the “contender” is merely a dub with no chance. Rickard tried that once, and it cost him a lot of money. Tunney would have been quite willing to fight again in September if there had been a demand for another match. He said so himself. With Tunney retired and out of it, there may be more interest in a lot of bouts between the best heavyweights than can be found around the country. If some new heavy-weight should come along in sensational stylo and whip a few of the others—knock out Risko and Sharkey, for instance, there’d immediately be a clamour for Tunney to come back and fight again. The public would be willing to pay to see whether the newcomer could stop Tunney, or Tunney rise to new heights and show himself even more a fi.rst-class fighting champion. Of course, there’s a chance that Tunney will stay in retirement. He said himself: “I can’t wait two or three years for another match.” It may take more than a year, o,r more than two years- to develop a man who would have a reasonably good chance to give Gene a battle. Very few champions have leaped to the front the way Jim Jeffries did. Tunney jnay not be interested in going on fighting after a couple of years, although he will be in perfect health and condition, because he knows how to live. In that case Tunney will really be “through with the ring.” And in that case there will not be another genuine world’s champion for many years, for it takes time to prove that any one man is the best in the world. Boxing commissions havo “presented” titles to winners of local tournaments, but the public doesn’t always take these gifts seriously. If Tupney does stay on the retired list the heavy-weight class will go through another hiatus such as followed the retirement of Jeffries. It was five years later that Tommy Burns knocked out Bill Squires, of Australia, and started a campaign of knock-outs in Ireland, England and Australia to back his claim to the championship.