Mike Tyson '' I don't recognise the man i was. I was insane. I had this rage but that's what made me a great fighter. I want people who got in the ring with me to think that they were dealing with savage. I wanted them to show me respect. I was a pig then , a pig . " This content is protected
A very informative Boxing Training blog especially the posts on Tyson and Mayweather. This content is protected
British Journal of Sports Medicine Professional Fighters ' Brain Health Study. This content is protected
This will be a two part series on Cairn's Boxing Trainer Ken Dalton on training with John Mugabi and being a confidante for the Beast. Part one will be sparring with the Beast and what has power was like. Part two how the Beast was a hitman for Idi Amin and what happened when the Beast got a job as a Bouncer for a local Pub and was confronted by a Bikie Gang and took them on. " I used to travel to Brisbane to prepare for my big fights and get quality sparring for lead ups. I'll stay at Bernie McFadden gym in Cleveland. His gym was probably the best gym in Brisbane in da 90's. I was down there in my early days i would have been around 19 i reckon. Bernie had the Beast living in his gym. The Beast any normal man would take one look him and you know not to **** with him . He was a hardman. He had scars above his eyes. I thought they were boxing scars but he got them from a car crash he told me. I was sparring one day and Bernie said Dalton you in with da Beast next. I **** !! I was thinking he was going to kill me. Bernie had 20 Boxing Bags mounted on the RSJ section on the Roof of the gym. No one dared touch the last bag in the row because that was John's. All the AM 's would hit da bags and pitter padder during the rounds. John would hit the bag and i kid you not rattle the whole RSJ and the Gym Roof. It was unbelievable to witness , the power he could generate was incredible. So i touched gloves with the Beast. All i remember thinking OMG. It was a Olympic sized ring so i could run a marathon. John would chuck bombs at yah with bad intentions with noises and grunt that would scare three shades of **** outta yah and would have dropped a horse if they landed. I did 4 x 3 in our first spar . With about 30 to go in da last he cut me in half with right rip. Took the wind right outta me. His power was nothing like i ever been hit with no one in my career and no one in my career has ever hit me like that , no man has ever dropped me with a body shot. John i feel i was privileged to have gained the experience truely. John and i used to drink tea together after and before our sessions and we started a friendship. He told me his story. " TBC
'' John was born in Uganda he was in da army under the dictatorship of Idi Amin. He told me that he was assigned to the dictators special hit squad. He told me that he sick of killing people by shooting them. So he joined the Sports devision of the Uganda army and he took up Boxing just to get out of killing people. He won da African boxing championship. Made the Olympic team and win da only medal for Uganda in 1980. He defected after the Olympics to turn Pro in Britain. Idi Amin put a hit out upon him for defecting so he could not go back to Uganda or endanger his family. John couldn't read or write as he never went to school. Don King ripped him blind when he went to America he told me he could read the contracts. The most valuable lesson that he taught me was that you as a boxer have to inflict pain on your opponent within the first 15 seconds of the first round to gain respect. From the day one focused upon this rule teach it too my lads now as a coach. Its straight from the beasts mouth. Bernie got John a job as a bouncer at local Cleveland pub. I heard he iced 7 bikie's one night at da door. Did they even know who they were ****ing with ? I felt privileged to have my time with Bernie and John. Money couldn't have brought my experience. I will cherish the experience for my day. " Thank you Ken Dalton for writing and sharing you memories with the Beast.
