Tunney Hunsaker
Tunney Morgan Hunsaker (September 1, 1930 – April 27, 2005) was a mid-20th century American professional boxer, who also served as the Police Chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia.
| Tunney Hunsaker | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Born | September 1, 1930 Princeton, Caldwell County, Kentucky, USA |
| Died | April 27, 2005 (aged 74) |
Early life
He was born in the Western Kentucky town of Princeton, in Caldwell County. In his youth he served in the United States Air Force, stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Boxing career
In 1960, Hunsaker was Cassius Clay's (later Muhammad Ali) first opponent in a professional boxing bout. After the fight Hunsaker said, "Clay was as fast as lightning ... I tried every trick I knew to throw at him off balance but he was just too good". In a thumbnail profile of the fight the following January, young Cassius was reported as having remarked that Hunsaker's style was far different from what Clay had been exposed to as an amateur and Olympian; the young fighter admitted to nervousness going in, and that Hunsaker's aforementioned pro style, had given him trouble.[1] This respect appears genuine, as it was lasting—in his autobiography, Ali said Hunsaker dealt him one of the hardest body blows he ever took in his career. Ali and Hunsaker became good friends and stayed in touch over the years. Hunsaker said he did not agree with Ali's decision to refuse military service, but praised him as a great humanitarian and athlete.[2]
In the fight game, Hunsaker was a small heavyweight, perhaps better suited for light-heavy classification (175 lbs. limit); today, he would most likely compete as a cruiserweight (190 lbs. limit). He fought as a boxer-puncher, by his own telling. Hunsaker once appeared on the undercard at Madison Square Garden. Hunsaker ended up with a record of 17 wins with 15 defeats with 8 wins by knockout.[3] His career ended after a boxing-related head injury suffered on April 6, 1962, in Beckley, West Virginia. Rushed to a Beckley hospital, Hunsaker was in a coma for 9 days during which he underwent two brain operations.[4]
Law enforcement career
Hunsaker served as Fayetteville police chief for 38 years, and was later inducted into the Law Enforcement Hall Of Fame.
Death
Hunsaker suffered the physical effects of his last match for the rest of his life. He was 74 when he died on 27 April 2005, having been afflicted with Alzheimer's disease in his last years. His body was buried in Huse Memorial Park cemetery, Fayetteville, West Virginia.[5]
Personal life
Hunsaker was active in the Oak Hill Church of the Nazarene for many years, teaching a Sunday School class for fifth and sixth grade boys. He was three times named Sunday School Teacher of the Year. At the time of his death in 2005 he had been married to wife Patricia for over thirty years. The Fayette Station Bridge carrying County Route 82 over the New River at the bottom of New River Gorge was named after him.
Professional boxing record
| 17 Wins (8 knockouts, 9 decisions), 15 Losses (7 knockouts, 8 decisions), 1 Draw [3] | |||||||
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 17–15–1 |  |
KO | 10 | April 6, 1962 | |
Hunsaker knocked out at 2:43 of the tenth round. Hunsaker was in a coma for nine days following the fight. |
| Win | 17–14–1 | |
KO | 1 | February 24, 1962 | |
|
| Loss | 16–14–1 | |
KO | 2 | October 16, 1961 | |
|
| Loss | 16–13–1 | |
TKO | 8 | September 28, 1961 | |
Referee stopped the bout at 2:10 of the eighth round. |
| Win | 16–12–1 | |
TKO | 6 | August 22, 1961 | |
|
| Loss | 15–12–1 | |
UD | 10 | April 25, 1961 | |
|
| Loss | 15–11–1 |  |
KO | 5 | March 21, 1961 | |
Hunsaker knocked out at 2:31 of the fifth round. |
| Loss | 15–10–1 | |
UD | 6 | October 29, 1960 | |
Ali's first pro fight. 19–30, 24–30, 23–30 |
| Loss | 15–9–1 | |
TKO | 9 | April 12, 1960 | |
Referee stopped the bout at 1:30 of the ninth round. |
| Loss | 15–8–1 | |
SD | 6 | February 5, 1960 | |
|
| Loss | 15–7–1 | |
PTS | 10 | January 16, 1960 | |
|
| Loss | 15–6–1 | |
UD | 12 | November 14, 1959 | |
West Virginia Heavyweight Title. |
| Loss | 15–5–1 | |
TKO | 10 | September 30, 1959 | |
|
| Loss | 15–4–1 | |
PTS | 8 | July 24, 1959 | |
|
| Win | 15–3–1 | |
PTS | 8 | July 1, 1959 | |
|
| Draw | 14–3–1 | |
SD | 12 | June 20, 1959 | |
West Virginia Heavyweight Title. 54–54, 54–55, 58–55 |
| Win | 14–3 | |
KO | 1 | May 2, 1959 | |
|
| Win | 13–3 | |
UD | 6 | March 28, 1959 | |
|
| Win | 12–3 | Tiny Gibson | KO | 3 | September 30, 1958 | |
|
| Win | 11–3 | |
KO | 2 | August 16, 1958 | |
|
| Loss | 10–3 | |
KO | 2 | June 23, 1958 | |
Hunsaker knocked out at 1:58 of the second round. |
| Win | 10–2 | |
SD | 6 | June 9, 1953 | |
|
| Win | 9–2 | |
TKO | 4 | June 2, 1953 | |
|
| Win | 8–2 | |
KO | 1 | April 20, 1953 | |
Griffin knocked out at 1:11 of the first round. |
| Win | 7–2 | |
SD | 10 | March 10, 1953 | |
|
| Win | 6–2 | |
PTS | 8 | February 10, 1953 | |
|
| Loss | 5–2 | |
PTS | 6 | December 30, 1952 | |
|
| Loss | 5–1 | |
PTS | 10 | November 5, 1952 | |
|
| Win | 5–0 | |
UD | 6 | October 20, 1952 | |
|
| Win | 4–0 | |
KO | 3 | October 7, 1952 | |
|
| Win | 3–0 | |
PTS | 6 | September 23, 1952 | |
|
| Win | 2–0 | |
PTS | 6 | July 31, 1952 | |
|
| Win | 1–0 | |
UD | 4 | July 22, 1952 | |
|
References
- uncredited (January 1961). "Glove Action". The Ring. XXXIX (12): 66.
- Brunt, Stephen (2002). Facing Ali. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press. p. 301. ISBN 1-58574-829-3.
- "Tunney Hunsaker". BoxRec.
- "CONDITION OF BOXER SHOWS IMPROVEMENT (April 12, 1962)". Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- Entry for Hunsaker's grave in Findagrave website (2019). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14470333/tunney-morgan-hunsaker
Further reading
- Facing Ali (book) by Stephen Brunt (2002). Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press.
- Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser (1991). New York: Simon & Schuster.