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(hint- he lived in New York from 1982 to 1988)
GOLDEN BOY
In my first amateur fight, the referee stopped the contest after only 30 seconds ... and declared me the loser. The guy wasn't the same weight as me, perhaps only ten pounds heavier, but that is a big advantange in the ring. He hit me in the chest with a perfect punch and I was so startled by the weight behind it that I stutted back and froze. I couldn't move, so the referee stopped the fight. I won eight amateur bouts on the trot after that, all three-rounders, stoppages or decisions. My amateur career consisted of 26 fights, seven of which I lost and the remainder I won. I was already incredibly focused, but now I was beginning to develop some momentum.
One day after training, I was in the McDonald's on 149th Street and 3rd Avenue, South Bronx. I was carrying two heavy gym bags and leaning up against the counter where a section is hinged for staff to push up and walk out. I was looking out of the window and didn't notice a man who worked there waiting for me to move so he could get in behind the counter. He tried to lift it which startled me, so I turned to see what was happening. He stared at me and said, 'Move out of the way, n-igger! Move out of the way!' I said, 'What?!' His aggression took me by suprise, so I said, 'What are you going to do?' to which he replied, 'Oh, what? You want some? Right, if that's the way it is, I'll go and get my boys.'
At that point, I knew this was a situation that had to be confronted. I pulled my shoulders back and held my head up high, chest proudly puffed out. My arms dropped down by my side and as they did, the bags dropped down my arms and finally fell off the wrists, leaving me standing there in that pea**** pose that I later became famous for. If you had frozen that moment in McDonald's, it would have been no different to how I looked in the ring against Benn for the world title in 1990. That was my natural stance. A porcupine puts his spikes out, a dog growls and shows his teeth - this was my stance of protection. I never held my hands up - with my arms so low and open, the message was very clear, 'Let's do this, whatever you've got, I'll have it.' You're showing that person conviction, plus you'd be suprised what you can do from that position, if you know your boxing. I think someone tipped this fellow off about the fact I was an amateur boxer, because he went out to get 'his boys' but never came back.
By the age of 18, I was sufficiently skilled to make it through to the light-middleweight final of the prestigious Spanish Golden Gloves tournament, widely seen as a testing ground for future champions. The semi-final was very tough - for the first time I sensed the flickering of white lights in my head that would have gone on to become a knock-out if I had not eluded further punishment. Fortunately, I went on to get the decision and won the light-middleweight belt. The final was just as tough. I was getting punched left, right and centre. I won because of my aggression; the judges appreciated the fact that I was always taking the fight to him. That was a landmark victory, the first rung on the ladder so to speak.
I had just gone 19 when I turned professional, I was still at Morris High School but the decision to turn pro was simple - I needed the money. I was due to earn $250 for my first fight in Atlantic City. The day you.........
and it carries on... that's it for now
GOLDEN BOY
In my first amateur fight, the referee stopped the contest after only 30 seconds ... and declared me the loser. The guy wasn't the same weight as me, perhaps only ten pounds heavier, but that is a big advantange in the ring. He hit me in the chest with a perfect punch and I was so startled by the weight behind it that I stutted back and froze. I couldn't move, so the referee stopped the fight. I won eight amateur bouts on the trot after that, all three-rounders, stoppages or decisions. My amateur career consisted of 26 fights, seven of which I lost and the remainder I won. I was already incredibly focused, but now I was beginning to develop some momentum.
One day after training, I was in the McDonald's on 149th Street and 3rd Avenue, South Bronx. I was carrying two heavy gym bags and leaning up against the counter where a section is hinged for staff to push up and walk out. I was looking out of the window and didn't notice a man who worked there waiting for me to move so he could get in behind the counter. He tried to lift it which startled me, so I turned to see what was happening. He stared at me and said, 'Move out of the way, n-igger! Move out of the way!' I said, 'What?!' His aggression took me by suprise, so I said, 'What are you going to do?' to which he replied, 'Oh, what? You want some? Right, if that's the way it is, I'll go and get my boys.'
At that point, I knew this was a situation that had to be confronted. I pulled my shoulders back and held my head up high, chest proudly puffed out. My arms dropped down by my side and as they did, the bags dropped down my arms and finally fell off the wrists, leaving me standing there in that pea**** pose that I later became famous for. If you had frozen that moment in McDonald's, it would have been no different to how I looked in the ring against Benn for the world title in 1990. That was my natural stance. A porcupine puts his spikes out, a dog growls and shows his teeth - this was my stance of protection. I never held my hands up - with my arms so low and open, the message was very clear, 'Let's do this, whatever you've got, I'll have it.' You're showing that person conviction, plus you'd be suprised what you can do from that position, if you know your boxing. I think someone tipped this fellow off about the fact I was an amateur boxer, because he went out to get 'his boys' but never came back.
By the age of 18, I was sufficiently skilled to make it through to the light-middleweight final of the prestigious Spanish Golden Gloves tournament, widely seen as a testing ground for future champions. The semi-final was very tough - for the first time I sensed the flickering of white lights in my head that would have gone on to become a knock-out if I had not eluded further punishment. Fortunately, I went on to get the decision and won the light-middleweight belt. The final was just as tough. I was getting punched left, right and centre. I won because of my aggression; the judges appreciated the fact that I was always taking the fight to him. That was a landmark victory, the first rung on the ladder so to speak.
I had just gone 19 when I turned professional, I was still at Morris High School but the decision to turn pro was simple - I needed the money. I was due to earn $250 for my first fight in Atlantic City. The day you.........
and it carries on... that's it for now
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