Griffin was a total ****. Baroni was very cool. Jardine was quiet. I asked to take a picture with him, he shook my hand said hello and that was it. Didn't speak much the whole time to anyone.
Paul Williams Dorin Spivey Anthony Bonsontae Pernell Whitaker Buster Douglas two weeks ago I walked right past Zab Judah at the palms, he was leaving I was coming out, didn't say anything to him though. Also I've talked to many others on the phone when I used to do a lot of interviews Evander Holyfield, David Diaz, Shannon Briggs, among the bigger names for both lists I think I'm forgetting some
we had him in camp. he was very cocky and hard to talk to, but maybe thats what helped him in camp:good
I used to see Winky at the park all the time jogging and working out on the way to school in the morning. But this was before I got into boxing so I didnt know who he was. He was very down to earth and was nice to all the kids so I assumed he was just some amateur fighter. Then a few years later I seen him on HBO fighting Vargas. I wish I would have talked to him at the park
Duke Mckenzie (top bloke, one of the nicest guys one could wish to meet) Herol Graham, my favorite british fighter of all time, i was so star struck i could hardly speak, i thought it was never a good idea to meet your heroes in case they disappoint you, but Herol was brillient, shook my hand and gave me his autograph and photo. i've met others but those two left the biggest impression on me
To name a few...I've met, and shook the hands of just about every fighter in the game from Mike Spinks, Bob Foster, Muhammad Ali, DLH, Cotto, AM, Duran, Leonard, John Meekins, Shane, and well, I can go on for days and days. Roberto Duran is arrogant when he is drunk or sober. He is a very funny guy when he gets drinks in him. Duran cracks little jokes, and has this bugged out fat man laugh. Tyson is a funny guy when he drinks. Aaron Davis is a funny guy. He talks tough non stop all day long. Man, I could go on fo rdays and days lol...
Back in 1995 I met George Foreman while he was still HW Champ. When I shook his hand I was thinking "This is the hand that destroyed Joe Frazier!". I told him he was a great inspiration for me and he said "Thanks I appreciate that". He was a class act all the way :good 4 months ago while visiting NYC I took my 10 year old son in for a boxing lesson at Trinity Gym in lower Manhattan. For $30 he got a one on one hour training session with undefeated Pete "Kid Chocolate" Quillin currently ranked #9 IBF Middleweight 20 wins 0 losses. He had the swagger of an undefeated fighter but was super cool with my son. We hope he becomes middleweight Champ someday :good
More than I can list or really even recall. Here were my favorites, with some stories attached.: George Foreman-Beast in sparring, but a great guy, a loving father and a wicked BBQ chef. After camp for the Morrison fight, and with how George was sorely disappointed to lose, we thought the mood on the ride home was gonna be somber and morose. George however was in excellent spirits and led us in songs, joked around, and all in all, acted like he hadnt just lost a fight. I've never seen a man take a loss better, and I have alot of respect for George. I havent talked to him in 6 years, this would be the guy I want to talk to again. Evander Holyfield-Nice guy, very spiritual. More technical in the ring than I imagined. I actually still call Evander on his birthday, and he calls me on mine. Good man, we spent alot of years together. He always wanted to go out dancing. I can't dance, neither could any of us, really, but Evander could, and he would drag us out on the floor just to put us to shame. I met both Oscar De La Hoya's. We were staying at the same hotel when he fought Bredahl, and he was absolutely amazing. Hospitable, kind, funny, and classy. We talked in his hotel room with some of his entourage for two hours. I met up with him again after he fought Castillejo, and he couldnt have been more of a dick. Blew me right off, along with all the other fans who wanted an autograph. I severely dislike Floyd Mayweather as a person. He was another guy that started off cool, but he had habits that grated on everybody. For one, the dude yammered in sparring CONSTANTLY. The man would not shut up in the gym. "I'm the greatest." "Whose the man?" "You see that punch? You know you didn't see that punch." He'd even talk when he hit the heavy bag. "Whose the champ?" "Gotta make that money" Also, he never addressed me by my first name. Thats more of a personal pet peeve of mine, but he knew it was an made a point to call me something else. When he found out my father used to lay brick he started calling me "brick boy". Childish, I know, but in 2 weeks at Top Rank gym, he had me thoroughly rubbed the wrong way. Brilliant fighter, though. Wladimir Klitschko is an absolute class act. Nice, friendly, and not at all like the Terminator I had imagined before meeting him. Wicked smart guy too. We sparred quite a bit, and he became the 2nd man ever to put me down. He then offered me his glove to help me up. Dude is a monster and is not getting beat for along time.