| Gene Tunney | |
 |
|
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | James Joseph Tunney |
| Nickname(s) | The Fighting Marine |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Nationality |  American |
| Birth date | May 25, 1897 |
| Birth place | New York City |
| Death date | November 7, 1978 (aged 81) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 86 |
| Wins | 81 |
| Wins by KO | 48 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 3 |
James Joseph "Gene" Tunney (May 25, 1897 – November 7, 1978) was the heavyweight boxing champion from 1926-1928 who defeated Jack Dempsey twice, first in 1926 and then in 1927. Heavyweight is a division or weight class, in Boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds (14 st 4 lb/91 kg are considered heavyweights by the major professional The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The City of New York Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) This is a chronological list of world heavyweight boxing champions since the introduction of the Marquess of Queensberry rules: Championship recognition Jack "Manassa Mauler" Dempsey ( June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983) was an American boxer who held the world Tunney's successful title defense against Dempsey is one of the most famous bouts in boxing history and is known as The Long Count Fight. The Battle Of The Long Count was the Boxing rematch between world Heavyweight champion Gene Tunney and former champion Jack Dempsey, held on September Tunney retired as a heavyweight after his victory over Tom Heeney in 1928. Thomas Heeney ( May 18, 1898 – June 15, 1984) commonly called Tom Heeney, was a professional Heavyweight boxer
Tunney, who in World War I served in the U. S. Marines, had only one loss in his entire professional career — a 10 round unanimous decision to Harry Greb for the American Light Heavyweight title, a defeat that he later avenged in four more fights against Greb. Harry Greb (born Edward Henry Greb on June 6, 1894 in Pittsburgh to Pius and Annie Greb died October 22, 1926) was He was regarded as an extremely skillful boxer who excelled in defense.
In addition to beating Dempsey, the most famous fighter of his era, Tunney defeated Tommy Loughran, Tommy Gibbons, Georges Carpentier, and many other fine boxers. Tommy Loughran (born November 29, 1902, Philadelphia PA &ndash died July 7, 1982, Altoona PA) was the Light Biography Thomas J Gibbons (born March 22, 1891 in Saint Paul Minnesota, died November 19, 1960) was a boxer who Georges Carpentier (pronouced car-pun-tee-eh)( January 12, 1894 – October 28, 1975) was a French boxer
Tunney also had a brief acting career, starring in the movie The Fighting Marine in 1926. Acting is the work of an Actor or Actress, which is a person in Theatre, Television, Film, or any other Storytelling The Fighting Marine is a 1926 drama Film serial directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet. Unfortunately, no prints of this film are known to exist.
He was elected as Ring Magazine's first-ever Fighter of the Year in 1928 and later elected to the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1980, the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. The Ring (often called Ring Magazine) is an American Boxing Magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing The modern World Boxing Hall of Fame (WBHF is located in Riverside, California, United States, in Southern California The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall
Tunney, who was of Irish descent, he married in 1928 a wealthy socialite, the former Mary "Polly" Lauder (1907- April 19, 2008) and fathered four children. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Among them is John V. Tunney (born 1934), who was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from California from 1965 until 1977. John Varick Tunney (born June 26 1934) was a Democratic Party United States Senator and Representative. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The others are Jonathan "Jay" Tunney of Stamford, Connecticut; Gene L. Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Tunney of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Joan Tunney Cook of Omaha in Boone County in northwestern Arkansas. Honolulu is the Capital and most populous Census-designated place (CDP in the U Omaha is a town in Boone County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census the population stood at 165 Boone County is a County located in the US state of Arkansas. Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States.
Mrs. Tunney's grandfather was George Lauder, a first cousin and business partner of industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, founder and head of Carnegie Steel Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. cousin in Kinship terminology is a relative with whom one shares a common Ancestor, but in modern usage the term is rarely used when referring to a A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, baron, or industrialist, is a person who has reached a prominent place in Philanthropy is the act of donating money goods services time and/or effort to support a socially beneficial cause with a defined objective and with no financial or material Andrew Carnegie (properly kɑrˈneɪgi but commonly /ˈkɑrnɨgi/ or /kɑrˈnɛgi/ (25 November 1835 – 11 August 1919 was a Scottish -born American Industrialist Carnegie Steel Company was a steel producing company created by Andrew Carnegie to manage business at his Steel mills in the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Her father, George Lauder, Jr. , was a philanthropist and yachtsman whose 136-foot (41 m) schooner once held the record for the fastest trans-Atlantic yacht passage ever made. A yacht is a recreational boat It designates two rather different classes of Watercraft, sailing and power yachts A schooner (ˈskuːnɚ is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts Schooners were first used by the According to a 2007 biography, Tunney promised Polly that he would quit boxing and defended his title only one more time against Tom Heeney of New Zealand. A biography (from the Greek words bíos (βίος meaning "life" and gráphein (γράφειν meaning "to write" is an account Thomas Heeney ( May 18, 1898 – June 15, 1984) commonly called Tom Heeney, was a professional Heavyweight boxer New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island [1]
Upon his death at the age of eighty-one, Tunney was interred in the Long Ridge Union Cemetery in Stamford. A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried.
Contents |
Fighting style
Tunney was a thinking fighter who preferred to make a boxing match into a game of chess which was not popular during the times when such sluggers like Jack Dempsey, Harry Greb and Mickey Walker were commanding center stage. Carl Van Vechten ( June 17, 1880 &ndash December 21, 1964) was an American Writer and Photographer who was a Jack "Manassa Mauler" Dempsey ( June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983) was an American boxer who held the world Harry Greb (born Edward Henry Greb on June 6, 1894 in Pittsburgh to Pius and Annie Greb died October 22, 1926) was Edward Patrick "Mickey" Walker (b July 13, 1903, some sources indicate 1901 - d Tunney's style was influenced by other noted boxing thinkers such as James J. Corbett and Benny Leonard. James John "Gentleman Jim" Corbett ( September 1, 1866 in San Francisco California – February 18, 1933 in Bayside Benny Leonard ( April 17, 1896 &mdash April 18, 1947) born Benjamin Leiner was an American boxer and one of the greatest Always moving and boxing behind a good solid left jab, Tunney would start reading and dissecting his opponent from the first bell, preferring to stay on the outside and nullify any attack his opponent has at him, he would use quick counters to keep them off balance. Not known as a big puncher, Tunney could hit with venom if need be, especially once he had figured his opponents out and they were exhausted or hurt.
In his fights against Jack Dempsey, today's viewer can see Tunney's style: hands held low for greater power, fast footwork that adjusts to every move his opponent makes, and quick and accurate one-two style counter-punches with the left and right. Interesting that versus Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali used the very same style.
Tunney, while not known for having one of the truly great chins in the history of boxing, did own a very solid chin. He was never knocked out and the only time he was ever knocked down was in the second fight with Dempsey; the infamous "Long Count".
Cultural references
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis had a comedy routine in which Lewis (in boxing shorts and gear) states he's fight'n Gene Tierney (the actress). Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7 1917 &ndash December 25 1995 was an American Singer, Film Actor, television personality Jerry Lewis (born March 16, 1926) is an American Comedian, award-winning actor producer writer and director best-known for his slapstick Gene Tierney ( November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Martin corrects Lewis and suggests that he must mean "Gene Tunney. " Lewis then quips, "You fight who you wanna fight, I'm fight'n who I wanna fight, I'm fight'n Gene Tierney. "
In the song She Twists the Knife Again from Richard Thompson's 1985 album Across a Crowded Room, describing the mismatched intensity in a strife-ladened relationship, Thompson writes: "I'm in a fist fight/She thinks she's Gene Tunney!"
He's also mentioned in Act 1 of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Richard John Thompson (born 3 April 1949 in Notting Hill Gate, West London) is a British songwriter Guitar player Across a Crowded Room is an Album by Richard Thompson released in 1985 Arthur Asher Miller (October 17 1915 &ndash February 10 2005 was an American Playwright and Essayist. Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play by American playwright Arthur Miller and is considered a classic of American theater Willy tells his sons he has a punching bag with Tunney's signature on it.
See also
- List of heavyweight boxing champions
- International Boxing Hall of Fame
- Ring Magazine fighters of the year
- List of undisputed boxing champions
- Boxing in the 1920s
- List of male boxers
External links
- Gene Tunney website
- Review of 2006 Gene Tunney biography
- Professional boxing record for Gene Tunney from Boxrec
- Gene Tunney's Find a Grave site
- Gene Tunney vs. Jack Dempsey (second match)
| Preceded by Jack Dempsey |
Heavyweight boxing champion 1926–1928 |
Succeeded by Max Schmeling Filled vacancy |
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