"Shadow Boxing" The Jimmy Williams story (fmr Ali opponent)

[jkaisen41]

Here's an interesting story about a man named Jimmy Williams. Williams faced Ali one time and vanished. No one knew where he was or what he was doing. It wasn't until a man who had a dream to obtain the signatures of all the men that fought Ali, that Williams was realized to be missing. Take a look at this story. It's a great piece of journalism from ESPN and well worth the read.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/etick.../JimmyRobinson

Indeed a great piece and so sad...

Who can blame boxers who really want to make money... I mean in the end they will all suffer... it's simply not healthy to get hit against the head... and most won't live of their earning for ever and have to start something new... some even criminal... I think boxers find it very difficult to walk away from their sport because most are nothing anymore to society after they walked away...

I once read a funny story about Mayweather... a guy fought him as an amateur but he had a different name back then (Floyd Sinclair) and was surprised after getting beat that he never heard of him again... until he found out that Floyd Mayweather is Floyd Sinclair...

Recently I watched Joe Louis... Hero betrayed or something... also a sad story how even of the greatest got treated... also saw Ring of Fire - Emile Griffith story... where much of the death from Paret was dealt with and what consequences it had on their lives etc.

[ИATAS]

Amazing article. From the end of it:

Tunney Hunsaker, the first opponent, spent nine days in a coma after a bout.

Trevor Berbick, the final opponent, was beat to death with a steel pipe.

Herb Siler went to prison for shooting his girlfriend.

Tony Esperti went to prison for a Mafia hit in a Miami Beach nightclub.

Alfredo Evangelista went to prison in Spain.

Alejandro Lavorante died from injuries sustained in the ring.

Sonny Banks did, too.

Jerry Quarry died broke, his mind scrambled from dementia pugilistica.

Jimmy Ellis suffered from it, too.

Rudi Lubbers turned into a drunk and joined a carnival.

Buster Mathis blew up to 550 pounds and died of a heart attack at 52.

George Chuvalo lost three sons to heroin overdoses; his wife killed herself after the second son's death.

Oscar Bonavena was shot through the heart with a high-powered rifle outside a Reno whorehouse.

Cleveland Williams was killed in a hit-and-run.

Zora Folley died mysteriously in a motel swimming pool.

Sonny Liston died of a drug overdose in Las Vegas. Many still believe the Mafia killed him.

[Ray*]

Thanks for posting this, Its nice to ready and study up on past fighters and learn about history..Amazing journey for the guy who was collecting autograph of Ali past opponents.

Maybe i should do the same with Hatton's early opponents.....

[PensionKiller]

its amazing how a boxers life can be. worse than our own. id love to be even a bum and to say that i was in the ring with ali let alone be a b level guy who necer quite made it