I'll share this b/c it's my impression at least a few guys would be interested (and b/c I have time being recently retired). Back in '95 I was cued Rubin Carter was to be keynote speaker at an annual conference for crim defense lawyers in Northern California (not finding specifics online now). I was living out there then and wrote Rubin in advance (pre-email) about my interest in him and also referred to boxing particulars such as his having done heavy sparring with a prime early 60s Liston (in Philly) in spite of being a smallish middleweight. I intro'd at the conference and he wagged his finger at me and said "You the one...YOU the one!" He was 58 and very robust and looked to be about 160 so I said he sure looked like he was working out but he responded he hadn't in long time and when I asked why he said "I guess because I did it SO much for SO long." A that point the hosts told him it was book signing time (he thoroughly inscribed my copy of the 16th Round) but he gave me his # in Toronto (his initiative as I wouldn't have asked) and even advised when he'd be back there (he was mid-stream in a multi-city tour). When I called he was home and thereafter we talked about a dozen times over the next couple of years. Of note for our purposes here, I of course brought up James Scott. They had sparred in prison and Rubin mentored him earlier on. So to my very great surprise Rubin dissed James i.e., "He wasn't even the best fighter in that prison!" To get clear I asked if he could possibly be referring to Rahway during James's world class run and he said yes. Not recalling further details of the discussion I suppose because my mind was boggled he actually said that and also I wasn't otherwise inclined to start arguing his statement sounded insane.
