MAY DENT HIS CHIN BUT NOT HIS PHILOSOPHY.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 September 1927, Page 2

MAY DENT HIS CHIN BUT NOT HIS PHILOSOPHY.

CiISMS TUNNEY TALKS ABOUT

FIGHTING,

In about three hours of conversation with me the well-read Gene Tunney threw no five or six syllable words around and seemingly had not changed in any way from the Tunney 1 knew on the outer rim of the challengers, writes Grantland Rice, a well-known American critic, for an English paper.

"You have now been heavy-weight champion for nine months," I said. "That means nine months of praise and lionising How have you liked it? How does it feel?" Tunney grinned.

"It feels all right now," he said. "But I'll admit it had me in a whirl for the first few weeks. After that I reasoned things out. T knew I would have to defend my title before long. I knew also that the main thing I had to protect was my physical condition, and I knew that the quickest way to bring about a physical smash-up was through worry.

"Many people think that worry is only a mental trouble. But it also affects the digestion and the nerves, and in that way the entire physical system. So I decided that hereafter I was going to lead my own life, in my own way, as [ had done before. Uet the Liawyer 3o it. "Take my last vaudeville trip from New York to Seattle," he said. "Right at the start I was involved in a lawsuit. I turned it over to my lawyer and let the othpr fellow worry, because I knew I was right. I saw that trying to do my vaudeville turn four and five times a day, with a lot of banquets thrown in, was more than I could stand.

"I had a contract for my vaudeville turn, but had no contract for any banquets. So T passed them by. I saw- my personal friends at evary chance, but kept away from the crowds. I have never put on airs in my life, but I could see no reason for wearing myself out to please crowds who were merely curious.

"There are certain sporting writers who have never liked me, and I have never made any pretence of liking them. I may be a lot of things, but lam not a hypocrite. L - et it go at that.

"I have always been serious about keeping in good condition. I know there has been a lot of nonsense talked to the effect that champions never break training, but its quite true in my case. I not only don't smoke or drink, but I have honestly made a serious study of diet, training, and physical conditioning. "T have been out of the ring nine months, and yet I weigh only 192 pounds. That is only five or six pounds above my fighting weight. "I mix up the right amount of vegetables with the right amount of meat. I don't over-eat and I don't under-eat. ft is almost as bad to overeat as it is to over-drink.

"Temperance isn't entirely a matter of alcohol. An out-and-out prohibitionist who never drinks might be a hundred miles away from temperance. It's a sham e more people don't know what a groat thing- it is to be healthy through sane living-. '•Exercise, fresh air, enough sleep, the right food, and refusing to Avorry

over all the little things that are always coming up can usually turn the trick. Anyone who has lived a little while must understand that life has us many rough spots as it has soft spots, and you've got to take them as tlvy come.

"I'm interested, but not excited, about the elimination contests. I'd like to see the best drawing card win his way through. Naturally, after all the things that have been said about the Dempsey fight I'd like to give Jack another crack at the title. "I'd like to meet Dempsey again and prove the first meeting was no fluke, no fake, but a square test. The trouble is that many had made a superman out of a hard hitter who never was any- good against a boxer who knew how to block, duck, and protect himself.

"How many times did Dempsey knock Tom Gibbons down at Shelby V I know that Dempsey would have cut my heart out in Philadelphia if he could hav e done it. I know also that Dempsey was in good shape or he couldn't have taken the punishment he took for ten rounds and still remained on his feet. And I believe that Dempsey is still in good physical condition." Tunney expects to win at his next start, no matter who his opponent may be. Expects To Win. "I've had to wait too long and go through too much," he said, "to give up my title without giving everything T have. Tt hasn't been an easy road for me. I still recall my first fight with Harry Greb. He hit me that night with everything but the waterbunket. At the end of the third round T had lost enough blood to float a yacht. "I knew then that If I were knocked out my career would be about over. I was so weak and dizzy from loss of blood that I could hardly stand up. 1 managed to take it, however, for twelve more rounds, when every round seemed longer than a week,

"But that was the last time Greta ever beat me. He was one of tha gam est men the Ring ever knew. In. our last fight I 'caught him coming in with a full hook to the body. His mouth flow open and his eyes rolled around in his head. I thought I had a knock-out, but in a few seconds he came at mc again like a wounded tiger.. "There was a big difference between by first and my last Greb fight but many people remember only first impressions." Quite Enough Fights. "Do you think you have fought often enough in the Itist few years, or thi! last two years ?". I asked. .-,, "Yes," Tunney answered. "In the first place, I think it is a mistake to have two long training grinds and two heavy-weight championship fighta in one year. "It was different in the old days when the champion got five thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars for a tight. Now he gets better than halt a million—a tremendous stake and therefore a tremendous nerve strain.

" Because of the greater publicity and the increase in publie interest I believe all champions are taking their titles onore seriously. I was talking Avith a young golf star —a man who kept himself in fine condition—who told ! mo that by the third or fourth match ho was often unable to retain any food because the killing nerve strain, the i big crowds rushing back and forth, and the general excitement had worn l"him doAvn.

" After the last heavy weight light 1 felt completely fagged out for Aveeks. Ir. wasn't the ten rounds of physical action which caused the slump. It was tho long, nerve-racking grind before the fight and the nervous excitement of the big night with over 120,000 on hand.

" You can stand only so much of that sort of thing. It is for this reason that fighters who are great A\ r hen they're young are rarely much good around thirty. They have been burned out. Light Training. '' I started my first light training in May with a fishing trip. From that point on it has been a matter of gradual conditioning, road Avork, and boxing. I build up my timing sloavlv but as surely as I can. I work for more speed and for more accuracy and for more power. I can get all that in my training camp. I know that, in my case at least ,this is better preparation for a fight than taking on some opponent in an actual contest. " A heavy-Aveight title is now worth from one million to three million dollars. You are training for tAA'o months before daily crowds, some friendly, some unfriendly—all curious. " The papers are full of it. You have a chance to talk of little else, week after week. It is bound to get on anyone's nerves. Then finally comes the fight itself, with a million or more ax stake. Watch the neryous, strained expression on the face of a man who has bet two thousand dollars on a horse race. Figure the difference with a million at stake that you have to defend yourself."

Tunney repeated his statement that if ho were knocked down his oppeaoat would hare to leave him unconscious to keep him on tho floor, and that if he saw he was being outpointed he would put oven-thing he had into a final n Uncle, risking a knock-out to put one over to keep his million dollar or two million dollar crown.

Someone may dent his ehia, but he says no one is going to dent bia philWhatever happens, there will be no need of any benefits or going r«und with the hat.