The best guy you've shared a ring with.

Alberto Mercado.

 

I sparred a decent amount with one of the best amateurs in England while I was at Joe Gallagher's; a lad from Liverpool named Odel Kamara. I honestly can't remember if he's won eight or nine national championships, but he's won a lot. I think he was on six, at the time. Either way, he ****in whooped my arse

I also did some touch sparring and technique work with the Under 18 European Muay Thai champion, Lewis George while I was there.

 

Jack Black.My black cat not the famous actor of the same name.

 

I sparred a round with Pinklon Thomas once.

 

We have a winner.

 

Pink definitely won, haha.

It went pretty well and late in the round I hit him with a jab in his open eye and his face changed. I said ‘oh blank’ to myself and figured it was fight or flight so I loaded up my best southpaw left hand and threw it. He slipped outside it and hit me with a right to the body that basically knocked all the air out of me and then came over the top with a short right … and thankfully the bell rang.

I wanna be clear here — he was working light. I was about a 180 and this was during his comeback (which basically went nowhere, just a few wins over nobodies) and he’s probably 215 or so and way taller. If he wanted to take me out, he could have surely done so. I just did whatever I could to take away his jab and did a fairly good job with that … he never really hit me with a solid one.

For a couple weeks after, my jaw had a click in it from that last right hand. It didn’t hurt or swell up but if I opened or closed my mouth it was like a hinge wasn’t quite connected. I made up my mind I was going to go see a doctor in case it was a small fracture or something and then it, thankfully, went away.

 

When I lived in New Jersey, I trained, for a short time, in a boxing gym, in Vineland, in the early nineties. I was in the ring for a round against a retired Richie Kates. He cleaned my clock, but he paid me a nice compliment afterwards. Richie: "You take a good punch for a girl!" {{{HIGH FIVE!}}}

 

That's okay. He was a heavyweight champion. That's pretty awesome.

After all, the only other guy on this board who got in the ring with Pinklon Thomas (Spoon) didn't win, either.

 

Roger Pettersson, who I think has more Swedish National Championships (amateur) than anyone else. He also participated in the 1996 Olympics.

This was years after he stopped competing, though, and only light sparring.

 

The very best I sparred with was Bernard Gray, a local talent,
who at one time was 16-0 pro and just missed the 84 Olympics.
Most feel he actually beat Mel Taylor in the Olympic Trails
but fight was given
to him because of his name recognition.
Also I sparred with Joey Martinez, another local talent,
who couldn't control his personal demons, but had all the talent in the world.
Gray actually was the fighter that introduced me to the reality and limitations
of Isshin Ryu Karate /Kick boxing against a pure boxer.
Handed me my head spectacularly lol, I learned I could take
a good punch!.
Needless to say, I learned very painfully with all my perceived
advantages of punches AND kicks, and with all my point fighting
experience and tournament wins means absulutely nothing in a
boxing ring against a well schooled pro boxer.
My hubris intially got my ass whooped, but I became a much
better, much more well rounded fighter becaause of it.

 

Spoon is on here?

 

Yes.