Fighters who were or r scarey as hell outside the ring.

LOADS

in more romantic Gangster times, a lot of fighters were associated with the underworld and got Jobs as Minders/Body Guards, Enforcers and Doormen at Mob Clubs and such...

the Street Tough Connected fighters if they didn't work direct were always around such activity and were No Angels.

I remember reading about Ted Kid Lewis being sent to 'collect' some money or whatever it was for Solomons or Levene or whomever the hell it was... even British Referee Moe Moss was asked to show his Imposing presence for one of these guys while in America over some disruption with fight people, can't remember IF it was for McAvoy's fight with Risko or Harvey while he was there just remember reading it, perhaps in Solomons bio.

Anyway Loads of them, Britain was rife with such associations in Boxing's hayday.

 

Is that Junkie Joe Joyce? The fighting Walrus?

 

When Duran was a young teenager he used to challenge drunk American sailors to fight for cash, if they said no he beat them up anyway and stole their money.
Duran once kicked off at a sparring partner who was goading him about the De Jesus loss. He took his gloves off and went for him. The sparring partner ran out the ring but his father and team came in the ring. Duran ko'd his father and hit multiple people untill he was restrained by his own team. He managed to break free and in a total rage attacked them again, hitting anything that moved. His trainer said it was a scary thing to see.
Duran often wrecked his room when he didn't want to train.


I've read stories from Manny Steward talking about big Lennox Lewis. He said he was a scary man. Hagler had the same cold aura.

 

Jock McAvoy The Rochdale Thunderbolt.

A seething mass of bad intentions who had a hair trigger temper, a punch that was dynamite, and a willingness to fight at anytime, any place and anywhere

After retiring from boxing McAvoy contracted polio, it is reported that when McAvoy entered a public house using sticks to aid his walking, a local 'tough guy' badmouthed Jock calling him amongst other things a cripple, in a instant the sticks were dropped and so was the tough guy, introduced to Jocks right fist and a little sleep in quick succession.

McAvoy was not the nicest of guys but by god i would want him on my side if a brawl occurred.

 

Rocky Graziano.

He was a true headbanger from the Eastside. I read his book and this was a guy who had no fear and flauned it in one to toughest neighborhoods in American history. He thought boxing was soft because he had to wear gloves.

 

wasn't he a little pampered, middle class mummys boy?

 

He may not have been the poorest guy and maybe you'd call him a momma's boy because of his good relationship with his mother but Toney was and still is a badass to the core. Watch some of his fights seldom have I ever seen a fighter who seems to be as comfortable and to enjoy combat the way he does. That demeanor seemed to stick with him outside the ring he strikes me as the kinda guy who wouldn't mind a fight anytime anyplace against anyone.

 

duran

 

Nah his son

 

Nicolay Valuev, at 7 foot, 325 lbs, he looks like half ape, half monster, and could kill 99% of the men on this earth with his bare hands...

Runner up Vitaly Klitchko, he has those cold serial killer eyes, and Lennox Lewis was hitting him so hard in their fight, the way his head was snapping all over the place was scary to think.a human being can take that kind of punishment and keep on.coming...

 

My understanding is that for Rocky Graziano's tough guy past he was actually a super super nice guy. Very funny, fun loving, and personable.

Tony Zale was supposed to be really nice too which I found surprising because he always came off as a conceited egomaniac in interviews and the articles he used to write for Boxing Illustrated.

 

I forgot about Rocky he was a funny guy and disarmed you with his humor but he was a very rugged guy and grew up tough

 

Not a pro boxer per se but Roy Shaw was by far the most intimidating man i have ever met, more so than Lenny Mclean.

Don't get me wrong, Roy was a gentlemen and a fair man but those eyes pierced straight through your soul.

Roy was the kind of man who was prepared to go as far as it took.

He was also a friend and watched my back a couple of times.

R.I.P. old fella.

 

I'm chocked LaMotta haven't been mentioned yet.

Seems to haven't been too far from this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEbpXnJGEq4

 

I saw at different times years ago prime David Tua and a prime Ray Mercer and both guys radiated a brutal physical presence .. I'm currently reading the pretty good "Strong Boy" and man does it reinforce what an insane badass John L. was in his day .. we laugh as if it's almost cute but he'd get **** faced in the roughest bars in a very rough country daily and challenge anyone to fight .. the guy likely had hundreds of bar fights .. we can say what we want but he was one guy that was flattening anyone he ever touched ..