Gene tunney

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.

Exercise should be regarded as tribute to the heart.

The man who has allowed his body to deteriorate cuts a pitiful figure - chest collapsed, stomach protruding.

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

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.

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...

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

Fat is one of the chief enemies of the heart because it has to be plentifully supplied with blood and thus needlessly increases the pumping load that the heart must sustain.

If all human lives depended upon their usefulness - as might be judged by certain standards - there would be a sudden and terrific mortality in the world.

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