"I sparred with Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, David Tua and others"

Lol Ruiz getting SHITTED on here. Hard to blame him, though. Fuck fighting Lennox if you don't have to.


"I never sparred with Larry or any of the other ex-champions you mentioned. Lennox Lewis used to spar with John Ruiz, who much later became heavyweight champion. But those camps were boring. All John did was hold and run. With Lennox so big and John so small and constantly running it looked like Big Bird chasing a chicken. It was frustrating and only a matter of time before Emanuel Steward said "Get this guy outta here." But of course back then no one could have predicted that John Ruiz would one day become world heavyweight champion."
 
Seems pretty well spoken for a career sparring partner. I hate to say it, but I'm pretty skeptical.
 
[From a poster named Brooklyn's Finest, one of my favorite posts itt. I don't hold Tyson's career in as high of a regard as many other boxing fans do, but there's no denying he was a fucking legend at 18, so crazy.]

"I sparred with Mike Tyson for a few weeks in early 1986. I was 28, he was 18. The kid came to fight! Each and every damn day. I used to go to bed with headaches and bruised ribs more often than I care to remember. I'd go home to my wife with black eyes, bruised ribs, etc and she'd say "A kid did all this to you???!!" And I was like "He don't punch like no damn kid!!" One time Mike broke my nose. He's one of the hardest punchers I've ever trained with. I worked with James 'Bonecrusher' Smith too and he hit a little harder than Mike but Mike landed those bonecrushers far more often than James would. Every punch hurt. The money was real good, a couple hundred a week, but it's not worth it to come home to your wife and kids and they don't recognize you and you're always sore and in constant throbbing pain all over your body. I see Evolution is a mysterious cat but I'm not. The name's Steve Russell. Get at me on here or shoot me an email. I got plenty of stories about Mike. [email protected] "
 
nac386 said:
Seems pretty well spoken for a career sparring partner. I hate to say it, but I'm pretty skeptical.
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How ya been bud? Feels like it's been a minute. Yeah you're not the only one to say that. Somebody else in that thread also questioned him about his stories but apparently he's legit according to the guys that know him and have given their names out like Russell above and Clark who I posted about earlier. I think he's legit.
 
(Back to the main guy, Evolution)

"Wow this place is like a reunion. I know you Steve. I'll email you my contact info. Another guy you're familiar with, Jimmy (Bad Intentions) is on these boards too. We all need to meet up and have a drink sometime.

I never sparred with Mike but I saw what an animal he could be in the gym. Fortuneatly most of the big punchers I sparred with were often lazy (Bert Cooper, David Tua) or took it light most days (George Foreman, Wladimir Klitschko, Lennox Lewis).

For me it was Evander Holyfield who went to war almost every single damn time. I used to dread the thought of getting it on with him because he always put me through my paces. He worked like a damn pack animal and turned my head into a bobble head doll all the time, even flooring me the first time I sparred with him. Jesus. Great friend to this day but not in the ring.

Mike was never really too nice of a guy but I witnessed him putting grown men to sleep when he was as young as 15. He really had talent."


Evander sounds like a fucking nightmare. Such an intense individual, always had something to prove. Tyson ko'ing grown men at 15, holy shit. Dude is like 5'10" it's not like he was a giant at 6'6" or something at that age, either.
 
(We're back to Brooklyn's Finest answering questions here)

@Brooklyn's Finest. Where would you rate Mike's handspeed? Did he have the fastest hands of anyone you fought/worked with? How tall are you?
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"I didn't expect so many questions! I don't mind. I can joke about those days now. But back then wasn't a damn thang funny.

1) Where would you rate Mike's handspeed?At the top of the hill, man.

2) Did he have the fastest hands of anyone you fought/worked with?By far. No one comes close, even some of the cruiserweights I worked with. He would hit you in the blinking of an eye. You couldn't see the blows coming.

3) How tall are you? 6'2

4) What weaknesses did Mike have?Don't keep me wrong. Mike always came to war! But he was moody and could be withdrawn. Sometimes if you sparred him late in the day after the other guys he'd be a little winded and not as aggressive at the start of the day. But he always hurt and always came after you! His pace just slowed a little later on.

5) Who is that bad chick in your avatar? Julie Cash. That's my boo right there.

6) Who else did you spar with other than Mike and Bonecrusher?Pinklon Thomas, Carl The Truth Williams, James Quick Tillis, Mike Acey, Michael Dokes and a couple others. The only huge name is Mike Tyson.

7) Do you agree with the opinion that Mike struggled with tall fighters? Absolutely. The problem was that most guys were intimidated and scared of getting hit so they grabbed him and held on for dear life! I saw it a lot. But if you're confident in your long wingspan you could make it hard for him to get close and land his blows. It's scary no matter what because the kid would cut the ring on you no matter how much you run. He was a skilled counter puncher too. He looked more aggressive than he really was. He rushed you but waited for you to miss a punch. That's when you die. But knowing what I know and saw I'm confident that skilled and tough tall boxers like Lennox Lewis would beat him. Maybe Vitali Klitschko too. They would make Mike uncomfortable and frustrate him. But someone like Jess Willard who doesn't know how to use his reach effectively would be gunned down. I was frustrated when I watched Mike fight Kevin McBride because Kevin wouldn't have lasted a round against the Tyson I sparred with.

8) Did you ever get a good lick on Mike?No. Never anything meaningful. I landed on him a few times but I never hurt him. He was too busy hurting me! Like I said earlier you were scared to swing at Mike because when you miss you pay for it. His headmovement made him hard to hit anyway. The dude was like a tornado coming right at you and you're helpless.

9) (This question was via email) Describe Mike Tyson's power?Man words don't do it justice! Bonecrusher Smith hit me so hard I'd go numb. But his big blows only landed here or there. Mike landed those big blows every chance he got! And they were even more devastating because A) They were so fast that you couldn't see them coming and B) They were counters so you were wide open, off balance and vulnerable. Game over.

10) (Via email) Did Mike Tyson ever knock you out? Numerous times. He generally knocked out two men a day."
 
@mozfonky you know I love your opinion and stories, man. What do you think of all this? Would love to get your take and some stuff you've heard about said fighters itt, if you don't mind.
 
I could read these types of stories all day. Especially Tyson. Probably the most mesmerizing fighter Ill ever watch.

He was a skilled counter puncher too. He looked more aggressive than he really was. He rushed you but waited for you to miss a punch. That's when you die.
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A couple of points he brings up:

Bert Cooper - Oliver McCall has stated that Cooper hit him harder than anyone else...and that was in sparring.

John Ruiz - Ruiz himself has stated that he is a small heavyweight. If he is not in full camp mode, he is simply too small to keep up with the big guys. However, once he is in a serious camp, he gains weight because his appetite increases. I assume a 205 lbs guy with Ruiz's technique would not want to go to hard with the likes of Lewis during a Lennox camp
 
Fluffernutter said:
A couple of points he brings up:

Bert Cooper - Oliver McCall has stated that Cooper hit him harder than anyone else...and that was in sparring.

John Ruiz - Ruiz himself has stated that he is a small heavyweight. If he is not in full camp mode, he is simply too small to keep up with the big guys. However, once he is in a serious camp, he gains weight because his appetite increases. I assume a 205 lbs guy with Ruiz's technique would not want to go to hard with the likes of Lewis during a Lennox camp
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Thanks for that info. Yeah I don't blame Ruiz for running, as I mentioned earlier itt. He ran away b/c Lennox was a monster and Steward was known for having his guys go hard in sparring. "We don't play spar!" or something to that effect. I will say tho, that if you're a sparring partner you're kind of paid to go in there and do what the main guy and their team want. He didn't do what Manny and Lennox, etc., wanted him to do so they kicked him to the curb, allegedly. Hard to blame them either. Not a great match at the end of the day, I guess.

There was some talk about McCall in that thread, they say he had one of the best chins out there and that Tyson kept him as one of his main sparring partners at times b/c he was one of the few guys who could take his shots and keep coming. We know the guy is super durable but I found that interesting. Paid him a couple grand a week to be the main sparring partner, iirc.

Also the only man McCall was ever really afraid of was @MC Paul Barman who would've kicked that psycho's ass around the ring.

Cooper seemed to have tons of potential but was lazy and they say he was a fiend. which obv fucked with his career. There's some stories you hear out there about the guy's battle with addiction it's pretty sad. Hardly rare but sad considering his potential.
 
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PUO3 said:
I could read these types of stories all day. Especially Tyson. Probably the most mesmerizing fighter Ill ever watch.
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Yeah he was a fucking monster, even as a kid. True wunderkind, imagine ko'ing grown men before you were able to drive legally, lol. I love that quote you posted b/c it's insightful on Mike's true style but also the "that's when you die" line gets me every time, haha.
 
BluntTrauma21 said:
Thanks for that info. Yeah I don't blame Ruiz for running, as I mentioned earlier itt. He ran away b/c Lennox was a monster and Steward is known for having his guys go hard in sparring. "We don't play spar!" or something to that effect. I will say tho, that if you're a sparring partner you're kind of paid to go in there and do what the main guy and their team want. He didn't do what Manny and Lennox, etc., wanted him to do so they kicked him to the curb, allegedly. Hard to blame them either. Not a great match at the end of the day, I guess.

There was some talk about McCall in that thread, they say he had one of the best chins out there and that Tyson kept him as one of his main sparring partners at times b/c he was one of the few guys who could take his shots and keep coming. We know the guy is super durable but I found that interesting. Paid him a couple grand a week to be the main sparring partner, iirc.

Also the only man McCall was ever really afraid of was @MC Paul Barman who would've kicked that psycho's ass around the ring.

Cooper seemed to have tons of potential but was lazy and they say he was a fiend. which obv fucked with his career. There's some stories you hear out there about the guy's battle with addiction it's pretty sad. Hardly rare but sad considering his potential.
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Well Ruiz was never the same after getting ktfo'ed by Tua. Fought crab style ever after.

McCall.....yeah man but he sure got his brains scrambled long term.

Bert Cooper was a legit fiend. My coach told me meeting him in the back room when they were both getting ready to perform and there he is taking a blast !
 
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4daLuLZ said:
Well Ruiz was never the same after getting ktfo'ed by mercer. Fought crab style ever after.

McCall.....yeah man but he sure got his brains scrambled long term.

Bert Cooper was a legit fiend. My coach told me meeting him in the back room when they were both getting ready to perform and there he is taking a blast !
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Holy shit, he was getting high right before fighting? You can't get much worse than that, damn.
 
Great thread, thoroughly good read. Who the fck would want to spar wlad? Definately no question around Joshua’s chin. The crack when that shot landed sounded like he was hitting the pads
 
Jonny Ninja said:
Great thread, thoroughly good read. Who the fck would want to spar wlad? Definately no question around Joshua’s chin. The crack when that shot landed sounded like he was hitting the pads
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Lol true, you'd have to pay me a ton to get anywhere close to that man when he was gloved up.

Vitali and him apparently had wars so bad in the gym that they weren't allowed to spar each other after awhile b/c they beat the living shit out of each other.

For sure, AJ can take a shot, no doubt. Wlad not only has that genetically infused Chernobyl power but he's fast as hell for a guy his size, too. That's a scary combo for a guy that big. Great athlete. Can't wait to see AJ back in the ring again.
 
BluntTrauma21 said:
@mozfonky you know I love your opinion and stories, man. What do you think of all this? Would love to get your take and some stuff you've heard about said fighters itt, if you don't mind.
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we had this thread 2 or 3 times didn't we?
 
MC Paul Barman said:
What thread did we NOT have 2 or 3 times already?
Now answer the man's story or @Seano will have to deal with you.
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