25/05/2026
Former undefeated world heavyweight champion Gene Tunney was born in New York in 1897.
He is best known for twice defeating Jack Dempsey for the richest prize in sports. The second of which being the infamous battle of 'The Long Count' which was witnessed by a crowd of 104,943 and produced a gate of $2,858,660. An astronomical sum in those days.
Intelligent (Tunney, who once lectured on Shakespeare at Yale University and was friends with playwright George Bernard Shaw) and a skilful boxer, Tunney served as a US Marine in World War I before concentrating on boxing.
He only ever lost once, to the great Harry Greb at light-heavyweight, but beat Greb three times before moving up to heavyweight, where he shocked the world by outboxing Dempsey not once but twice (even if Dempsey nearly knocked him out second time around). And Gene was smart enough to retire undefeated as the world heavyweight champion.