Everyone's probably heard this story.. but..

I was just listening to this lecture thing, and the guy told a story about Gene Tunney, former heavyweight champ back in the day..

Anyway, they said that a big factor of Gene Tunney becoming champion, was that he had very weak hands, and actually broke both of them very early in his training.
When he broke his first hand, he had to take a lot more care. But after he broke his other hand and had them examined, he was told that they were very weak and would not stand up to the punishment that boxing required.
Everyone told him that his boxing career was done and that he should find another career.
Tunney having the champion's mindset, did not think about giving up for a second.
Because he had very weak hands, he knew that he would have be a "smart" boxer, over a strong one... He mastered the "art" of boxing to a higher standard that any other fighters around him.. He became an expert at footwork, ringsmanship, defence, offence.. He made himself into the most intelligent fighter of the time...
At the time, their wasn't a man in the world that could stand there and go toe to toe with Jack Dempsey, including Gene Tunney... But because his hands were broken early in his carreer, and he had sought to be so intelligent in the ring, he was able to beat Jack Dempsey by being a superior boxer, and not a superior slugger.....
If he did not have weak hands, he would have gone in there and tried to go toe to toe with Jack, and lost like all before him.....

But he prevailed.

Anyway, thought that was very interesting as I have heard Gene Tunney many times, but never knew anything of that story and why/how he became champion

Gene was a gent.
He was accused of being a snob because of his connections, his interests and even his boxing style!

In one of his more famous interviewed he was quoted to have said "I hear a lot of people talking about a forthcoming fight between myself and Jack Dempsey. I know nothing of such a fight, I've come here to prepare for a boxing contest."

Great Guy, Great boxer.

Great post. That's a good story if its true.