37 Quotes by Gene Tunney

Never eat less than four hours before boxing. Then eat only lightly.

Handball, swimming, running, jumping, basketball, and boxing were as much a part of me as breathing.

Normally, I could hit hard enough, as anyone who studied my fights might have known. But the impression was that I was essentially defensive, the very reverse of a killer, the prize fighter who read books, even Shakespeare.

Upon awakening in the morning, I wondered if the proceedings of the night before had been a dream. It was hard to believe that I was the world's heavyweight champion.

Though I was not a belligerent kid, I do not think I ever passed up a good opportunity to fight.

One half-conscious thought was burned in my mind: stay on your feet.

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.

A boxer must exercise and develop every part of his body.

Ever since boyhood I've made a religion of keeping in shape by regular, conscientious exercise.