I enjoyed the shit out of mma sparring Stories on the UG. So, it got me thinking about boxing stories. I’ve found a couple on a BoxRec sparring Stories thread. Anybody else with some?
6’1" 1980s middleweight contender “Hard” Darnell Knox preparing for his NABF middleweight fight with Michael Nunn.
Knox trained at the Kronk gym and had a record at that time of
26 wins (20 KOs)
1 loss (SD loss)
Emmanuel Steward wanted a southpaw for Knox to spar with so they bought in a little known 20 year old amateur boxer named Michael Moorer.
On the first day of sparring Moorer knocked Knox out. They sparred the next day and Moorer knocked him out again. This happened four days on the trot. Steward said Moorer “destroyed him” and told Moorer to forget about the Olympics and turn pro.
After Moorer turned pro he was 13-0 when he sparred with former light heavyweight champ Matthew Saad Muhammad. Wearing 16oz gloves he fractured Muhammad’s rib. “The doctor thought he had been hit with a hammer, he didn’t believe that a fist in a 16oz glove could cause a break like that” said Steward.
The reigning WBO Junior Welterweight champ Zack Padilla suffered brain damage during a 1994 sparring session with young pro Shane Mosley. Padilla had to retire. Padilla was a very good fighter. He’d already beaten Roger Mayweather, Carlos Gonzales and Juan Laporte
This next one I just copied the whole post.
I’ve posted this before but I think it’s worth a read if you haven’t seen it already. If you read the whole thread the guy seems legit to me.
I sparred with Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, David Tua and others
http://www.ajdugger.com/forum.html#nabble-td4090601
Hello everyone. I’m a friend of AJ’s from another forum. I used to box professionally from time to time, but nowadays I still spar. I’ve sparred with many legends. AJ asked to me describe what it is like to be in the ring with them and gauge their punching power. I will not reveal my name for personal reasons, but under anoymousity I feel a bit safer. If you want to know my identity send me an email, but I doubt you’ve heard of me anyway. I only had three professional fights.
I fought Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe as an amateur.
Riddicks power wasnt memorable to me. It probably got better as he got older, cause he never even remotely buzzed me in either of our contests.
Lennox hit like a effing tank. He cowed me; I won the first round, and he literally broke my spirit and took my soul with a right uppercut and straight right hand in the 2nd. I tried to stay away, and forgot to punch. He never got me quite as good again, but I will never forget those two punches. When we sparred years later, he hit very hard. Distinctly unpleasant to be hit by the man.
David Tua was unpleasant. I can’t see myself getting stopped by him early, as he never really staggers me, but every shot hurt, and he’d bang. Every other guy I ever sparred would box when I got aggressive, but David would stand his ground and give. I’d get these horrible headaches after sparring with him, and Dave told me once that whenever he knew I was on the dance card, he’d drink extra water for his brain. Nice guy. Hit like a wrecking ball. David Tua hit hard enough to knock my headgear clean around my face. Dude had a pretty limited style, but that left was quick as a cobra when he was sharp, and boy did it have bite. Having sparred them both, Wladimir would school Tua and probably turn out his lights. He just lacks almost any sort of refinement to his violence. Granted, I don’t really either unless I’m really, really on that day, but the best heavyweights I’ve sparred handled me a lot easier than David did.
Feels kinda bad critiquing the dude, though. He’s a fun guy, super hospitable and friendly, hit like a truck and put me through plenty of painful paces. I only hope our careers and lives don’t end up with me required to face him with 12’s and no mask. I can’t afford the surgery.
Evander Holyfield was a machine gun. He put me on my butt first round we ever sparred with a 7 or 8 punch volley. He just punched well; He’d move around and when he let them go, they hit, hard and fast and in large numbers. He was the weakest of the group since Bowe, but probably the most dangerous. He never found me difficult to find, and turned me into a bobble head more than once.
George Foreman was tricky. His jab was absolutely numbing-Ive never felt a jab like that, where your whole face would feel like it got novacained after he hit you with it. He’d also throw light punches primarily, almost pitty pat, till he had the opening, and then he’d wallop you. His punches had the most force; They didn’t hurt any worse than Tua or Lewis, but I remember how badly they’d screw with my balance. His shots moved me. He also broke my nose with a straight right.
Wladimir Klitschko hit me by far the hardest, though. I couldn’t get past the jab, and his right hands hit like thunder. They reminded me of Lewis’, but they were quicker and sharper. Wladimir staggered me regularly in sparring. There are literally whole rounds I don’t remember. He also knocked me out with a left hook. Not down, out. Only time in my life I’ve seen canvas and not been able to stand up by 10 seconds.