BTR Boxing Podcast Network

"Prince" Naseem Hamed as a young amateur in Brendan Ingle's gym in 1987 and ten years later as unified featherweight champion in 1997.

"Big" George Foreman snaps back the head of heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield during their surprisingly entertaining showdown in Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1991.

Holyfield was hurt, but stormed back to smack Foreman around with combinations and win a decision.

"Outside the ring, Earnie Shavers was one of the most likeable guys in all of boxing. And he was my friend. Over the years, we'd sparred a bunch of rounds and hung out together. I'd found him to be an unassuming guy with a nice sense of humour. Earnie was easy to be around, but push come to shove - make no mistake, he was all man.

I remember one time a bunch of us were playing cards in a Cleveland hotel room, with thousands of dollars on the table and Earnie riding a winning hand, one of the guys tried to claim a mixed deal on account of an accidentally exposed card.

Earnie wasn't buying the bulls***. With one of his big-knuckled hands, he picked up the money and with a glare that might have made Sonny Liston envious, said; 'This money belongs to me. Anybody says different, come and get it.' Nobody said different.

That was, like I say, unusual for him. Most times you couldn't find a more peaceable guy. Earnie never put on a macho front. Earnie was Earnie, a regular kind of guy."

🗣 - Larry Holmes

"Locche trained lazily. He lacked a punch. He smoked up to 50 ci******es a day. Heck, he smoked ci******es in the ring between rounds! And despite all this, Nicolino Locche was quite possibly the most brilliantly defensive fighter in the history of boxing.

Like Pep, Locche could stand in the center of the ring, hands at his sides, and openly laugh as his opponents tried desperately to land a solid punch, each effort missing by just an inch as Locche just barely moved out of harm’s way."

🗣 - Ray Arcel

"I still don't like being reminded about Hagler, every time I hear about it I just want us to fight again. He had a hard head, no wonder he was bald! It was one of the shortest yet most exciting fights most people had ever seen, but it was three rounds I just want to forget. In my opinion, both of us had drained ourselves to make the weight, But, as soon as the bell rung, we both just ran out of the corner. I was thinking to myself 'look at this fool! What's wrong with him? Something has made him mad.' I knew it wouldn't be long before someone was out of there.

I punched him again and again as hard as I could, then just wondered how on earth he was taking these shots. I hit him with everything I had, it was unreal. He was a freak. He just kept coming, I am not a quitter but I think I lost heart. All I could think to do was keep popping him as he came forward. Then he got me. It's only ever takes one punch to change things and that's what happened to me. There's always that danger."

🗣 - Thomas Hearns

"All the time you're getting ready for a fight, working hard, but relaxed, always surrounded by people, never alone. And then suddenly it's time and you go out there, you and the other guy, and you're all alone out there in front of all those people and you have to take what you've learned and use it without making any bad mistakes, because one slip and it might be all over and there might not be another chance.

You don't think of the money, although that's what you're in there for. You don't think of the crowd, although you sometimes hear them. You're trying to concentrate. You have your pride. All you want to do is win. And it's just you and him and only one of you can win."

🗣 - Rocky Marciano