What is your fondest memory of meeting a boxer in person?

Question

I have 3 actually. My first was when I met Muhammad Ali as a 6 year old kid in a restaurant in Hollywood. It was b4 his 1st fight with Leon Spinks. He wrote a poem on a napkin, autographed it and then came to my familys table and spoke to everyone for about 10 minutes. I lost the napkin but never the memory.

2nd was meeting Gene Fullmer in Salt Lake City at his restaurant and he and my dad spoke forever it seemed, I was 9 at that time and in awe. He was such a gentleman.

3rd was in 85' at the Fabulous Forum in L.A. and I arrived with a pair of leather gloves to get signed by whomever I could. As I was walking to my seat I ran into Sugar Ray Robinson who spoke with me for a half an hour and signed my gloves. He looked great and was to this day THE nicest boxer I ever met. He listened and gave advice to me and I never forgot it. These men are what made boxing and I was honored to meet them. So tell me your best experience with a boxer.

Answer 1

Wow!Great stories!I'm jealous as I've never had the pleasure of meeting any practicers of the sweet science.Although I plan to make a pilgrimage to Canastota this year and hope to meet some of our greats!......Seriously? Ray Robinson?....Ali?....Fullmer?....again I'm jealous.Great question.

Answer 2

I met Michael Watson In 1997, It was a charity event my mother took me too, It was sad to see him in that sort of state, he used to be a great boxer and spirit

Answer 3

Terry(Knods) Malone.....I Was Not Impressed.  He Likes To Use My Name Alot

Answer 4

I met Ali twice, once as a kid, a bunch of us were following him down the street and jumping on him, he was swinging us from his arms, and I remember how huge his hands seemed.  He was young then, and there must have been 20 of us mobbing the champ, he was playing with us, and it was the first time I ever met a boxer.  I was about 7 or 8, my sub-midget baseball team was playing not far from a Mosque near Vernor and Dix ave and we all went over to see why there was a crowd of people outside the Mosque.  We were fearless kids, I remember messing with the National Guardsmen and trying to get close to the tanks during the riots back then.  I shined shoes, and was a regular in all the bars, and we had Jr. usher badges to get into Tiger Stadium, we would wipe off the seats and watch the games for free, times were different then.  Ali was amazing, he took the time to play with us under those circumstances, what a man.

I ran into Muhammad later in life at the palace the night Oba and Michael both fought on the same card.  Actually sat a seat or two away and talked with him most of the time he was there.  He was already mid-stage Alzheimer's by then, but the brilliance and intelligence never dimmed.  He signed a bunch of autographs, and a pair of gloves that night for some promotion, and he didn't remember that kid swinging from his arm's, but I remembered him.  I got tears in my eyes thinking about it as I write this.  Great boxer, Great man, they don't make em like that any more.

Over the years I met George Forman, Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes, Michael Moorer and Shannon Briggs along with a slew of lesser heavyweights and countless other boxers.  Me, Jeremy Williams, Gabe Reuelas, Tarick Salimaci (a kid from my neighborhood) and a couple other friends of mine went to see this 15 year old Olympic hopeful the day before we saw James Toney fight Roy Jones Jr.  The kid had an entourage at 15 and already they were giving him the star treatment, he was Fernando Vargas.  We (Not with Vargas) hung out together that week end and Rafe was bragging how Goosen was gonna get him a fight with Dela Hoya.  It reminded me about the time another kid from my area was bragging how he was gonna get a fight with Terry Norris.  Norris KOed Brett Lally about as fast as Oscar KOed  Rafe, but we were invincible back then.  I stood at ringside with Ray Leonard talking to Ray about how quick Roy Jones was, not more than 10 feet from ringside when Roy beat James.  Back when George KOed Mike, he was still working with HBO along side Lamply and Merchant.  Tarick was still with Jackie Kallen when James KOed Nunn, but he and James had some words that ended with Tarick's dad chasing James around the Galaxy gym with a curling bar.  James was the champ, which meant $$$ so Tarick left Jackie.  Such is life.

In Detroit, Thomas Hearns was royalty, so when I ran into Stan Hoffman a little while after the first Barkley fight, I let him know how much we appreciated his work with Iran in Detroit.  It was all friendly small talk, but not really.

Prior to Big George saving Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant at the Garden during the Golata/Bowe riot Lamplely used to obnoxiously rib George.  After George KOed Michael, I grabbed Lamplely and yelled "what do you thing of Big George now".  I never got along with Jim, and consider Burt Sugar another arrogant @$$, but me and Merchant always were friendly.  I drank a lot for a while, and so did Larry so were natural allies.

Never made it out to L.A. but I met a lot of boxers and boxing greats from Vegas across the country to Atlantic City, In the past forty years I met a lot of boxing people, I couldn't list them all, it would take too long, and even raised a few of them.  I wore a few of the belts just to see what it felt like to wear them, but never won one myself.  But for all the memories of all those boxing match's, and all the people I have met over the years in the boxing scene.

Nothing compares to a kid swinging on the Champ's arm, it's how I started my life long preoccupation with boxing.

Answer 5

meeting Jon Conteh for the first time ,pixxed up,and he recollecting his dealings with Idi Amin wANTING TO REF THE FIGHT IN UGANDA,real down to earth geezer and funny as they come!!

Answer 6

The day I met Muhammad Ali was in Chicago about six years ago.  It was an autograph appearance set at a sports memorabilia show.  I placed in front of him an old, original wire photo (that I had purchased directly from the RING magazine archives) of Clay with Floyd Patterson.  I asked him if he knew who these men were, and he said, "Me and Floyd. . . I kicked his ***. . .. twice."  At least thirty people around us laughed out loud at his response.  After he signed his name on the photo (and dated it) he stood up (which I know was hard for him to do) and put his fist up by my face, which I also did to him. . .and smiled for the camera.  

To this day, my wedding ring and that photo with Ali are my two most prized possessions.  

***Incidentally, if anyone wants to meet piles of current and former champions IN PERSON. . . . get to the Induction Weekend at the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY.  Second weekend of June. . . check them out at ibhof.com.  I've met countless fighters there. . . . Hagler, Leonard, Frazier, Norton, Chuvalo, Duran, Buster Douglas, Tommy Morrison, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar, Floyd, Shane, Diego Corrales (RIP), the list goes on and on. . . . This year, they're inducting LARRY HOLMES!!!!!!!!!!     Get there!!!

Answer 7

ACEMAN, I never got to personally meet a boxer in person, but when I was stationed in Little Creek, Virginia at the Naval Base, about 1980, I attended a boxing event (amateurs) and they wheeled in the immortal "Brown Bomber" Joe Louis into the gym, arena area.  He waved at the crowd as everyone gave him a long standing ovation.  Man, chills went down my spine and I had a tear in my eye seeing this great former champion who was idolized by millions of all races throughout the world.  That is something I'll never forget.

Answer 8

I first met Floyd Patterson while he was in Manchester, NH with his boxing team for matches at the JFK Coliseum. He was quiet and reserved and acted as though he was not interested in the public. He did autograph an 8 x 10 B&W of himself hitting Ali in the one of their matches.  I marveled at how small he really was and thought of how Liston must have felt looking at him. He certainly didn't look the part IMO.I also met Willie Pep, while visiting the boxing hall of fame in Canastota, N.Y. He was walking out of the hall as my wife and I approached. I said hello, Mr.Pep and the guy who he was with said to me, do you know Willie. I said, I certainly know of him. Willie said to me, " It's Willie, not Mr. Pep. He then bid his friend adieu and came in with us and walked with me for an hour explaining everything to us, including showing us his Championship belt on display, etc. My line is gloves and the equipment end of the business, so I was interested in his story on BENLEE gear. All in all, the best time there ever.