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Gene Tunney was born James Joseph Tunney in New York City in May 1897 to Irish immigrants who had fled the aftermath of the Great Famine. A sickly child, he built himself up following Theodore Roosevelt’s strenuous life. He joined the Marine Corps’ 11th Regiment in World War I, served in France and Germany without front-line combat, and became boxing champion of the American Expeditionary Forces. Modeling himself on James J. Corbett’s scientific boxing, he relied on footwork, jabs and defense in an era that prized sluggers like Jack Dempsey; Muhammad Ali later praised his movement. In the winter of 1921 he worked anonymously as a lumberjack in northern Ontario to harden his body and mind.

In 1922 Harry Greb, the Human Windmill, broke Tunney’s nose in the first round and handed him the only loss of his professional career. On Benny Leonard’s advice Tunney ignored Greb’s head and attacked his body, finishing their five fights with three wins, a draw and that loss. He took the heavyweight title from Dempsey in 1926, and in the 1927 rematch before more than 100,000 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Dempsey floored him in the seventh round. Because Dempsey was slow to reach a neutral corner, Tunney stayed down about 14 seconds, rose at nine and won a unanimous decision. He retired in 1928 after beating Tom Heeney and married the socialite Polly Lauder.

• The knockdown in the Dempsey rematch was the only time Tunney was ever floored as a professional.
• He retired undefeated as a heavyweight, holding a win over every opponent he faced.
• Ring Magazine named him its first Fighter of the Year.
• In World War II he ran the Navy’s physical fitness program, rising from lieutenant commander to captain.
• His son John served as a U.S. senator from California, and Tunney died in 1978 at age 81.