Gene Tunney
Gene Tunney
James Joseph "Gene" Tunneywas an American professional boxer and the world heavyweight champion from 1926–28, he was also a two-time American light heavyweight champion. A highly technical boxer, Tunney had a five fight rivalry with Harry Greb in which he went 3-1-1, knocked out Georges Carpentier and defeated Jack Dempsey twice; first in 1926 and again in 1927. Tunney's successful title defense against Dempsey remains one of the most famous bouts in boxing history and is known as The Long...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBoxer
Date of Birth25 May 1897
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
To stay relaxed and avoid tiring mentally and physically, it is necessary to get plenty of sleep and frequent rests during the day.
No matter how skilled a boxer may be, he cannot stand up in the ring and give a good account of himself unless he is in perfect physical condition.
One half-conscious thought was burned in my mind: stay on your feet.
Actually, I started my ring career as a terrific hitter; then my hands cracked up and I had to resort to boxing and tricks to win.
My own ambition in the ring had always been skillful boxing, speed and defense - on the order of Mike Gibbons.
Being in top shape can make you a winner, while entering the ring in poor shape, not only cuts your chances of winning, but can be very dangerous.
But in the ring Jack Dempsey was an instinctive fighter. I doubt if he ever planned anything in the ring, or thought about it much.
Many complain of a chronic weariness that sleep will not banish. Their trouble is that too little blood is pumped through the body per minute; this sluggishness, permitting poisonous waste matter to accumulate in every cell, clogs the channels of energy.
But I do say that, if you will regularly devote 15 minutes a day, preferably before breakfast, for 60 days to the simple set of exercises that I devised for conditioning men in the navy, I guarantee that you will enjoy increased physical buoyancy and mental vigor.
Never eat less than four hours before boxing. Then eat only lightly.
A boxer must exercise and develop every part of his body.
As a West Side kid fooling around with boxing gloves, I had been, for some reason of temperament, more interested in dodging a blow than in striking one.
Ever since boyhood I've made a religion of keeping in shape by regular, conscientious exercise.
Handball, swimming, running, jumping, basketball, and boxing were as much a part of me as breathing.