Give an example of never meet your heroes you'll only be disappointed

I saw Andre Ward at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything.

He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?”

I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.

The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.

When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.

 

It was actually a Swiper bag, since he tried shoplifting the Milky Ways.

 

Truly a tragedy. How will Boxing recover?

 

I am English. It was just a joke pasta in case you didn't realise.

 

I would go for Snickers.

 

Not a boxing hero, but met a past-prime and middle-aged but not yet geriatric (nor incapable of performing up to a decent level, although certainly nothing like you'd imagine he did in the sixties) Eric Burdon once after watching him play with his current band. I was maybe 16, a huge longtime Animals fan, and waited in his autograph line (and the pre-line queue before that) from mid-afternoon until dusk ...and when it came nearly my turn, just two people ahead of me, he abruptly got up and walked away from his table without a word. His entourage closed in to shoo everybody away from him, but I managed to wriggle my way through and between his bodyguards, and ran up to him gasping "sir, I just wanted to say that-" only for him to sweep his jacket around himself like it were a Gothic cloak and he a goddamn silent film era vampire, sticking his nose up in the air while spinning on a heel and flashing a glance to his bodyguards to box me out in a pincer motion and thrust me into the arms of my rather concerned mother.

I get that celebrity oughtn't make one an indentured service to paparazzi and the hoi polloi - but at the same time one mightn't have to be a rude diva when the mood to engage them has on a whim (and before the scheduled time) subsided.

Just got déjà vu and realized I recounted this same memory almost verbatim in the old lounge, probably a decade ago.

 

Most boxers I’ve met have been cool. I am a big fan of Lomachenko and Crawford and I would say Lomachenko without being “rude” certainly didn’t appear to have time for anyone who didn’t speak Russian. His whole demeanor changed it seemed. Crawford isn’t Mr. Personality but not rude though I’ve heard other say he’s not. He’s just a bit void of personality I think.

Roger Mayweather (RIP) was a miserable jerk, Andre Berto and Amir Khan seemed to think they were above others or at least that’s the vibe I got.

The nicest ones I’ve met: Felix Trinidad and Carlos Zarate are great guys. You couldn’t wish to meet nicer athletes. Very warm and treat everyone the same. Juan Manuel Marquez is a great dude too as is Nacho Beristain . Alfonso Gomez, Amber Mares, Rafael Marquez, Shane Mosley, Israel Vazquez, Gio Segura, Nonito Donaire, Daniel Zaragoza all super nice too.Diego Corrales was super nice as was Jeff Fenech. James Toney too.

Saw Bobby Chacon a few times and one time my friend recognized him shouted “Yo Bobby, what’s good?” And Chacon smiles and then flipped him off but he was of course suffering badly from brain damage. He was very nice when I had a chance to see him and talk to him up close.

 

Anthony Crolla, Ricky Hatton, Scott Quigg, Tyson Fury were all top blokes when I met them.

I bet Eubank Jr is an absolute bell whiff

 

I sat next to a guy from Manchester who’d came to town to watch Crolla fight Lomachenko. He was a personal friend of Crolla and said he’s about the nicest person you could meet.