Gene Tunney Park

Gene Tunney enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps from high school and served in France during World War I, where he boxed in military tournaments for the entertainment of American troops. After the war he returned to New York City, turned professional, and built a string of victories that led to a fight against world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey. Tunney's friend Bill Osborne, a fellow marine in France and owner of an inn in Speculator, New York, persuaded him to establish his training camp there for his championship fights with Dempsey. In Philadelphia on September 23, 1926, in a bout billed as "The Fighting Marine" versus "The Manassa Mauler," Tunney defeated Dempsey. In a return match in Chicago on September 22, 1927, before 120,000 fans, Tunney again won and successfully defended his new title. Speculator then became known as a training camp for would-be champions, including Max Schmeling in 1931 and Max Baer in 1934. Beyond boxing, Tunney was an avid reader, and George Bernard Shaw became a close friend; Gene's son Jay later portrayed the private and human sides of Tunney and Bernard Shaw in The Prizefighter and The Playwright.

Speculator, New York · United States