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kenyan_cheena · 01-03-2005, 09:20 PM

#1 SEED GENE TUNNEY TO MAKE
HBF DEBUT TONIGHT

story and interview by James Reynolds of the New York Age

Saturday 12 January 2002

With all the nonsense and hype that has been dedicated to Elmer Ray during the past couple of days, it may have been easy to forget that the number one seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament will be making his professional debut tonight.

22 year-old Gene Tunney of Greenwich Village, New York will be the main attraction at a sold-out Aladdin Resort and Casino, Las Vegas. The fight card will bring a close to an exciting, controversial first week of boxing for the HBF. The public has been exposed to a number of impressive performances, in particular from Rocky Marciano, Sam Langford, Tony Tucker, Sam McVey and Floyd Patterson.

Gene Tunney is hoping that he'll be able to add his name to that list tonight. I sat down and spoke to him in his room at the Resort, where, for the past week, all of the twelve competitors featured on the fight card have been staying, courtesy of the HBF.

Reynolds: This is a very impressive room!

Tunney: (laughing) Well, we all have the HBF to thank for it! I can't speak highly enough of the way in which they have looked after all of the twelve guys who'll be fighting here tonight.

Reynolds: And you have been staying here for a week?

Tunney: (nodding) Yes, we have. The HBF flew my entire training team out here from New York.

Reynolds: I have to say, there must be a lot of distractions here for a man preparing for his professional boxing debut?

Tunney: You could say that, yeah. But ever since the October auditions, I've been of a mindset where nothing has been able to overshadow my dedication to training for this bout. If anything, the only real distraction has occured since arriving here in Vegas. The publicity appearances that we've all had to make this week, especially Earnie Shavers and myself, have reduced the amount of time that we could devote to preparing for tonight. But that's not really a big deal, because the really hard training is already behind me. I don't know about the other guys, but I took on the belief that if I wasn't ready, physically, emotionally or spiritually for this fight before arriving in Vegas, I was going to be in trouble.

Reynolds: Your opponent tonight is Jose Urtain, a Spaniard. He is the bottom seed in the tournament, number 128. Does that put any extra pressure on you, knowing that if you lose, it will be to the man that the HBF believes has less of a chance to win this tournament than anyone else taking part in it?

Tunney: (laughing) Well, when you put it that way, of course, there is some added pressure. I'm sure that he's going to be as determined as I am to win. He has less to lose than I do, because he is at the bottom of the list and I am at the top. The expectations on him are much less. But the thing about that which is funny, is that we are both 0-0. I am expected to win, but there is no ... there's nothing that anyone can really look at to help them say, "Gene Tunney is the best Heavyweight boxer in the world". How can anyone say that? What have I done to make that the truth? The answer is, I've done nothing. So at the moment, it's not true. It may never come true. That's for the future to decide. The only thing I can do - and it's what I've been doing since October - is train as hard as I can. Being as well prepared as I can possibly be is the one thing that will maximise my chances of being successful tonight, and for the rest of the tournament. I believe that I am prepared for the fight.

(Part Two of Interview follows)

01-03-2005, 09:20 PM	#34 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 7,600 Thanks: 83 Thanked 143x in 125 posts	#1 SEED GENE TUNNEY TO MAKE HBF DEBUT TONIGHT story and interview by James Reynolds of the New York Age Saturday 12 January 2002 With all the nonsense and hype that has been dedicated to Elmer Ray during the past couple of days, it may have been easy to forget that the number one seed in the Heavyweight Boxing Federation's World Championship tournament will be making his professional debut tonight. 22 year-old Gene Tunney of Greenwich Village, New York will be the main attraction at a sold-out Aladdin Resort and Casino, Las Vegas. The fight card will bring a close to an exciting, controversial first week of boxing for the HBF. The public has been exposed to a number of impressive performances, in particular from Rocky Marciano, Sam Langford, Tony Tucker, Sam McVey and Floyd Patterson. Gene Tunney is hoping that he'll be able to add his name to that list tonight. I sat down and spoke to him in his room at the Resort, where, for the past week, all of the twelve competitors featured on the fight card have been staying, courtesy of the HBF. Reynolds: This is a very impressive room! Tunney: (laughing) Well, we all have the HBF to thank for it! I can't speak highly enough of the way in which they have looked after all of the twelve guys who'll be fighting here tonight. Reynolds: And you have been staying here for a week? Tunney: (nodding) Yes, we have. The HBF flew my entire training team out here from New York. Reynolds: I have to say, there must be a lot of distractions here for a man preparing for his professional boxing debut? Tunney: You could say that, yeah. But ever since the October auditions, I've been of a mindset where nothing has been able to overshadow my dedication to training for this bout. If anything, the only real distraction has occured since arriving here in Vegas. The publicity appearances that we've all had to make this week, especially Earnie Shavers and myself, have reduced the amount of time that we could devote to preparing for tonight. But that's not really a big deal, because the really hard training is already behind me. I don't know about the other guys, but I took on the belief that if I wasn't ready, physically, emotionally or spiritually for this fight before arriving in Vegas, I was going to be in trouble. Reynolds: Your opponent tonight is Jose Urtain, a Spaniard. He is the bottom seed in the tournament, number 128. Does that put any extra pressure on you, knowing that if you lose, it will be to the man that the HBF believes has less of a chance to win this tournament than anyone else taking part in it? Tunney: (laughing) Well, when you put it that way, of course, there is some added pressure. I'm sure that he's going to be as determined as I am to win. He has less to lose than I do, because he is at the bottom of the list and I am at the top. The expectations on him are much less. But the thing about that which is funny, is that we are both 0-0. I am expected to win, but there is no ... there's nothing that anyone can really look at to help them say, "Gene Tunney is the best Heavyweight boxer in the world". How can anyone say that? What have I done to make that the truth? The answer is, I've done nothing. So at the moment, it's not true. It may never come true. That's for the future to decide. The only thing I can do - and it's what I've been doing since October - is train as hard as I can. Being as well prepared as I can possibly be is the one thing that will maximise my chances of being successful tonight, and for the rest of the tournament. I believe that I am prepared for the fight. (Part Two of Interview follows) Last edited by kenyan_cheena; 03-14-2006 at 07:56 PM.