Undefeated middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and the late World Heavyweight Champion Gene Tunney’s son, writer Jay Tunney, will be special guest speakers at Ring 8’s next monthly meeting this coming Tuesday evening (7:00 PM / ET, June 19), at the historic Waterfront Crabhouse in Long Island City, New York.
Quillin (27-0, 20 KOs) recently won an impressive 10-round decision over four-time world champion Ronald “Winky” Wright, which solidified Quillin’s reputation as America’s No. 1 middleweight as well as one of the top 160-pound boxers in the world.
Born in Michigan, Quillin lives in Manhattan, where he also is a boxing instructor at the Trinity Boxing Club. Sending Wright into retirement helped him crack The Ring Magazine (#10) and ESPN (#9) rankings for the first time. The talented Cuban-American is rated No. 5 by the World Boxing Association (“WBA”), No. 8 by the World Boxing Organization (“WBO”) and No. 12 by the World Boxing Council (“WBC”).
In 1928, Gene “The Fighting Marine” Tunney retired from boxing as the first undefeated world heavyweight champion in modern times, as well as one of the most famous athletes of that era, largely due to his two victories over Jack Dempsey. Tunney retired with a 65-5-1 (48 KOs) pro record with his only loss coming as a light heavyweight to another great, Harry Greb.
In retirement, Tunney befriended writers and scholars including Ernest Hemingway, Thornton Wilder and George Bernard Shaw. Tunney’s son, Jay, documented his father’s friendship with Shaw, writing the acclaimed book, The Prizefighter And The Playwright.
“We’re excited to have two guest speakers from such diverse backgrounds,” Ring 8 president Bob Duffy said. “Quillin’s father left Cuba 32 years ago to find freedom in America. Peter has gone from sleeping on floors into one of the best middleweights in the world and a future world champion. Jay is the son of a famous boxer who is a literary giant with extensive knowledge of boxing. I got to know him at the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame induction dinner when he accepted on behalf of his father going into the inaugural class. Jay will be selling his book and showing exclusive footage from the Tunney-Dempsey fights. I’m sure that, together, Jay and Peter will give our members a memorable evening.”
