Boxers you met in real life

One day in Osaka I see Kosei Tanaka in bicycle, I'm pretty sure it was him.

And my brother's friend is Mathieu Bauderlique.

 

As far as world level fighters go, Anthony Joshua & James DeGale.

I've met Johnny Fisher & a couple other fighters but not many others worth mentioning.

 

Mike Tyson, John H Stracey. Paul McCloskey. Bernard Dunne. Martin Rogan. Dave McAuley. Mike Perez,

 

Only mile high Mike

 

How was he?

 

I've met Tyson. He was cool. Got his autograph.

 

Had a five minute conversation with Ray Mancini at some trade show in Chicago. He was an absolute sweetheart, couldn't have been nicer!

 

RJJ at the airport on a layover back to Pensacola, right before the Trinidad fight

Gotta admit, really, really nice guy

He was approached by an older couple for a photograph and he was on the phone, he told the person on the phone he’d call them back so he could take a photo with them, he was really gracious, talked to another man and his young son, also saw me observing when we boarded and he said what’s up, I was a little star struck but managed to to reply, “I’m doing good, champ”

Considering how some are when famous and approached in public and can be rude, he was anything but

 

Ricky Hatton I met him at a train station several years ago, we were both having a **** and I clocked him.

Kell Brook in Sheffield, he was close to where he lives and I stopped and said hi - it was prior to the Khan fight and we spoke about that.

Ryan Rhodes was my trainer for a few years at his gym - good trainer pushed me pretty hard.

 

I was locked up in prison with Joon Hur, he has challenged for the WBC super bantamweight title in 1991.

He was undefeated, HUGE for his weightclass (5 ft 11/180cm) He was being heralded as the next big Korean boxer but his gym caught on fire.

The gym was on the 4th floor, there was 6 people total in the gym. he rescued 4 and when it was just him and another student, the fire was getting too severe so him and another student had to jump from the 4th floor; there was only 1 mattress on the ground floor ready to go (this was in the 80s in korea, no fancy equipment)
he shattered his legs.

He was 28-1 off of a 5th title defense of his OPBF title along with a 5 KO streak.

He came back 3 years later after his rehab but his legs were gone, failed to capture the WBC title in 1991.

He got scouted as a bodyguard for a mafia boss in the northern seoul area. got yakuza tattoos similar to what you see on margarito.

he got locked up for selling and consuming shabs (meth) his son has became a mafia member, NO ONE in the korean streets fuks with him and his son (this was in 2011)

edit - he is extremely intimidating, packed on some weight. his son is straight up a killer, full body sleeved and is called around all the time by all the big hitters in the Seoul area as an enforcer when the OGs need to collect / get business done. I was locked up with Joon hur in 2011~ 2012 and never met his son, but I was got locked up again in 2016 with other mafia members and a lot of the OGs had a lot of stories about his son. Hur Joon is quite famous in the underworld in Korea. said to be one of the best street fighters in that era. I seen him check people that were 'named' members like it was nothing in prison lol

 

He was cool we didn't talk much

 

None.

Only celeb I’ve ever met was The Rock when he got in line next to me at a chicken place in South Florida, like some regular dude. I finally got the courage to ask him “dude, are you the rock?” He laughed, shook my hand, said “Dwayne”. Got a pic with him.

 

If I COULD meet some, I’d pick Wardley, Hrgovic, and Bam. Odd list, but such normal dudes when you hear them interviewed.

 

Walked past Ricky Hatton, Campbell Hatton, Matthew Hatton, went to John Murray’s gym a few times, Shinebayar Sukhbaatar’s gym many times too, I’ve seen and sparred other pros that are more low level, some with losing records etc, but I’ll just mention the ones people may have heard of that I’ve seen.

 

Larry Holmes twice, once at his bar in Easton and again at Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA

Larry was nice, joked around a little and talked to us longer than I expected.

I met Gerry Cooney randomly getting off at a train station in NJ he walked out and I thought I recognized him. I walked up to him and started talking to him, pretty cool guy told him I also met Larry and said it was cool to meet them both.