Just to provide some kind of reference. ------- I started out [professional] with the Ingles. I used to do a lot of body sparring with the likes of Bomber Graham, Johnny Nelson and Naseem Hamed. Nelson never had any bottle: he used to nick fights running away. But Naz was ****ing brilliant - so elusive and he hit really hard. Even when he were just 15, he told my uncle to get his autograph 'cos he were going to be a superstar. Nigel Benn used me seven times over in Tenerife, including for the Gerald McClellan fight. I had a big bet, three figures, on McClellan to win in the first round at about 10-1. And he would've if the ref hadn't kept interrupting. Nigel and me would spar half-an-hour a day, then both go out on the ****. We always had a headguard and 16 oz gloves and often I'd outjab him. Nigel weren't a liberty-taker. But the best I've been inside the ring with was Joe Calzaghe in sparring. Beforehand, I thought he were quite boring to watch and looked as if he slapped but, **** me, he punches hard. If he slapped, Bernard Hopkins This content is protected would've stood toe-to-toe with Joe, but he [Hopkins] got on his bike, didn't he?If Joe and Nigel had fought, I think Joe would have been able to take the pain and would've ended up hurting Nigel, bit like Michael Watson did. ----------------
thats a great interview, interesting on the calzaghe part, which in the UK if you talk to his sparring/trainers etc they tell u he is THAT good, but pity people never give him the credit he deserves as he is a great boxer who didn't lose for a reason!
