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Like Riddick Bowe, Muhammad always had the potential to rule his division. He once beat Matthew Saad Muhammad (when both were Franklin and Gregory respectly). He also had the style to trouble Michael Spinks and there was never a doubt that he would beat Dwight Braxton (later Muhammad Qawi).
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The other similarity between Muhammad and Bowe is that both were lazy trainers. I can't think of a lazier fighter than Bowe but Eddie is certainly up there. By contrast, one of the main reasons that Gene Tunney did enough to garner enough comparison to other greats at both light-heavy and heavyweight is because of his ironclad discipline.
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With that regard, there is little doubt in my mind that Tunney would, not only find a way to prevail but do so rather easily. I think it would be no less than 10-5 in rounds. I could also see Eddie making a trip to the canvas in the late rounds, as stamina would prove to be another problem.
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There is another factor that leads me to believe that Tunney would take this fight easily. Eddie M Muhammad's personality and attitude has long been such that I could see him looking at Tunney the same way that Jeff Lacey viewed Joe Calzaghe. Lacey felt that Calzaghe, being European, would be a cake walk. Boy did he learn the folly of his ways.
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Though Tunney is not European, I could see EM Muhammad taking Tunney lightly. I could see him thinking or even saying something like "no blonde haired pretty boy will beat me in the ring". I could be wrong but I've followed Gregory's career and something like that, from him, wouldn't surprise me.
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In any case, I see Tunney taking a clear points win or stopping Muhammad via late TKO.
Tunney had way superior skills. Eddie was tough, but that was it. He'd give Tunney headaches in the early goings, but Gene would stop him in the middle rounds or plain cruise to a UD win.
I cannot top our friends answer Z so I'm just going to say that Tunney is the overall better fighter in every aspect and would have dominated this fight by either decision or late rounds TKO.
Only one winner there
Tunney
tunney by wide ud.
