For the few that care, or even know who Mark Holmes is, I sparred him today. He might be 50 years old, and not had a fight in over 20 years, but his reflexes are still insane and he is very, very, very, very, very hard to hit. He was picking off shots that I started from 2 inches away from his face. He made 4 (possibly 5) us look like fools for 2 rounds a piece in the ring. I learned a ton in those 2 rounds of sparring him. Truly amazing how good you have to be to compete even at the level he fought at.
What is Mark Holmes doing these days? I was surprised that he quit boxing after being kayoed by Collins back in the mid-'80s. One bad loss shouldn't have ended his dreams. Holmes was worth one more run at the big time before calling it quits.
Well, I know at one point he was a major drug dealer in Easton, but went to jail. Now he goes to the gym and will spar anyone who is willing to get in the ring. It is amazing at how easily he handles even the pros. He is 50 years old, not a grey hair on him, maybe around 210lbs, and still extremely fast. Not your average 50 year old, even for a fighter.
That's cool Bill. No matter how much grey hair a veteran has, chances are there is a good lesson to be learned from each one of those grey hairs.. So how did the lesson go, and how is the amateur career coming along? On a side note, I feel like I haven't spoken to you in ages son. How has life been treating you?
I learned a ton from those 2 sparring sessions. Mark is extremely hard to hit, and he does the same thing Larry did with his left arm and stick it out. It is more than a measuring stick, it takes a lot of effort to even push it down or away. Ducking under it is useless as he will just take his other arm and push down on you. Mark looks pretty much the same as he did back in the 80's, just heavier and his hair is a little longer. And to answer your question, I am planning on doing Golden Gloves again this year.
Mark Holmes weighs 210 lbs. these days? That's 50 lbs. heavier than in his prime. He must be built like a bulldozer.
Well, best of luck to you in your endeavors.. Take care of yourself and keep learning. You're very fortunate to have access to some of the experts that you learn from every day.
