Cross Over Competitors & Challenges

[HomicideHenry]

Being a fan of both boxing and strongman competitions, what surprised me was finding out in the late 1980's Jon Pall Sigmarsson the then three time (he would win it four times) world's strongest man winner challenged out Mike Tyson to a boxing match. Despite the interest the match never took place.

Anyone else have any interesting challenges from competitors in other sports and/or athletes coming into boxing?

[Rover]

What about that Chamberlain/Ali fiasco that never (fortunately) occurred?
Unfortunately, Ali/Inoki did occur (in wrestling, I know, but God was that awful).

[HomicideHenry]

Some notable cross-over competitors:

Dan Hodge- Olympic Wrestling medal winner

Paul Berlenbach- Also a amateur wrestling standout

Paul Anderson- Quite possibly the strongest man in history

Rick Roufus- Kickboxing & MMA legend

Tonya Harding- Olympic Ice Skater

Tony Halme- Professional Wrestler & MMA

Mark Gastineau- Football

Ed 'Too Tall' Jones- Football

John Hoppoate- Rugby

[Rover]

You mean Mark Gastineau?

[macaca]

Oliver Reed challenged and defeated five Royal Navy sailors at arm-wrestling blind drunk on 3 bottle of jamacian rum, eight beers and a number of double whiskeys on a lunch break from filming Gladiator as a 61 year old.

RIP Olly!!!

[Ambling Alp II]

Football-George Trafton, Charlie Powell, Alonzo Highsmith
Basketball-Kendall Gill

[gilgamesh]

There was a guy not all that long ago in MMA named Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis, he made a pretty decent name for himself in MMA there for a bit, and went 16-2 as a Pro Boxer prior to that.

[HomicideHenry]

You mean Mark Gastineau?

Thanks for the correction.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

There was a guy not all that long ago in MMA named Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis, he made a pretty decent name for himself in MMA there for a bit, and went 16-2 as a Pro Boxer prior to that.

Chris Lytle & KJ Noons also had Boxing careers first. I think Fabio Maldonado was undefeated in Boxing before he went to MMA.

[Rover]

Mike Lee, who played football at Notre Dame and is now a pro (and DW's least favorite fighter). He does Subway commercials.
Tom Zbikowski (football and boxing).

[Ambling Alp II]

I overlooked those guys. Interesting, George Trafton played for the Irish as well.

[Rover]

Seth Mitchell played football at Michigan State.

[SenorPipino]

How 'bout Shaq taking on both de la Hoya and Mosley?
Turned it into kind of a circus, especially the Mosely encounter, but interesting in a car wreck kind of a way.

[Rover]

Refrigerator Perry was also in celebrity boxing, right?

[SenorPipino]

Refrigerator Perry was also in celebrity boxing, right?

I think he "fought" the 7'7" basketball player Dikembe Mutombo.
A perfectly dreadful exhibition with the slow Refrigerator chasing a galloping Mutombo. The judges somehow came to a decision and gave the "fight" to Mutombo.
He threw a few punches. I don't think any landed despite his 95" reach. The Fridge never got close enough to land a shot and was huffing and puffing after 3 rounds. Incredibly bad match.
But Danny Partridge (Danny Bonaduce) vs. Greg Brady (Barry Williams) was great.
What a beating Danny put on Greg. Check it out on You Tube. Michael Buffer actually does the ring intros.

[Rover]

Refrigerator Perry was also in celebrity boxing, right?

I think he "fought" the 7'7" basketball player Dikembe Mutombo.
A perfectly dreadful exhibition with the slow Refrigerator chasing a galloping Mutombo. The judges somehow came to a decision and gave the "fight" to Mutombo.
He threw a few punches. I don't think any landed despite his 95" reach. The Fridge never got close enough to land a shot and was huffing and puffing after 3 rounds. Incredibly bad match.
But Danny Partridge (Danny Bonaduce) vs. Greg Brady (Barry Williams) was great.
What a beating Danny put on Greg. Check it out on You Tube. Michael Buffer actually does the ring intros.

Jose Canseco also fought in celebrity boxing. Got stopped by a former football player.

[SenorPipino]

Should have sent his twin in to take the pounding.

[Rover]

Should have sent his twin in to take the pounding.

They had the guy who knocked him out as a studio co-host for a week on FNF.

[SenorPipino]

Should have sent his twin in to take the pounding.

They had the guy who knocked him out as a studio co-host for a week on FNF.

Was it Sikahema, the former NFL player?
He supposedly had quite a bit of amateur boxing experience and Canseco way way out of his league.

[Rover]

Should have sent his twin in to take the pounding.

They had the guy who knocked him out as a studio co-host for a week on FNF.

Was it Sikahema, the former NFL player?
He supposedly had quite a bit of amateur boxing experience and Canseco way way out of his league.

Yeah it was.

[Ambling Alp II]

Refrigerator Perry was also in celebrity boxing, right?

I think he "fought" the 7'7" basketball player Dikembe Mutombo.
A perfectly dreadful exhibition with the slow Refrigerator chasing a galloping Mutombo. The judges somehow came to a decision and gave the "fight" to Mutombo.
He threw a few punches. I don't think any landed despite his 95" reach. The Fridge never got close enough to land a shot and was huffing and puffing after 3 rounds. Incredibly bad match.
But Danny Partridge (Danny Bonaduce) vs. Greg Brady (Barry Williams) was great.
What a beating Danny put on Greg. Check it out on You Tube. Michael Buffer actually does the ring intros.

Jose Canseco also fought in celebrity boxing. Got stopped by a former football player.

Celebrity Boxing was a guilty pleasure. Actually it was Manute Bol that the Fridge fought. The judges really had no choice to give the fight to Manute since the Fridge hardly landed anything. Manute donated the winning to the starving people of his native Sudan.

The Danny Bonaduce(Danny Partidge)-Barry William(Greg Brady) fight was not legit; Bonaduce admitted to being on steroids at the time. :)

I actually enjoyed watching Todd Bridges (Willis from Different Strokes) beat the crap out of Vanilla Ice.

[gilgamesh]

Refrigerator Perry was also in celebrity boxing, right?

I think he "fought" the 7'7" basketball player Dikembe Mutombo.
A perfectly dreadful exhibition with the slow Refrigerator chasing a galloping Mutombo. The judges somehow came to a decision and gave the "fight" to Mutombo.
He threw a few punches. I don't think any landed despite his 95" reach. The Fridge never got close enough to land a shot and was huffing and puffing after 3 rounds. Incredibly bad match.
But Danny Partridge (Danny Bonaduce) vs. Greg Brady (Barry Williams) was great.
What a beating Danny put on Greg. Check it out on You Tube. Michael Buffer actually does the ring intros.

One time. I believe in a Toughman bout Perry fought Bob Sapp as well. Bob Sapp stopped him against the ropes in the 2nd round I think. Swinging like a gorilla.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfiZzkr9sfE

[dempseyfire]

Refrigerator Perry was also in celebrity boxing, right?

I think he "fought" the 7'7" basketball player Dikembe Mutombo.
A perfectly dreadful exhibition with the slow Refrigerator chasing a galloping Mutombo. The judges somehow came to a decision and gave the "fight" to Mutombo.
He threw a few punches. I don't think any landed despite his 95" reach. The Fridge never got close enough to land a shot and was huffing and puffing after 3 rounds. Incredibly bad match.
But Danny Partridge (Danny Bonaduce) vs. Greg Brady (Barry Williams) was great.
What a beating Danny put on Greg. Check it out on You Tube. Michael Buffer actually does the ring intros.

Jose Canseco also fought in celebrity boxing. Got stopped by a former football player.

Celebrity Boxing was a guilty pleasure. Actually it was Manute Bol that the Fridge fought. The judges really had no choice to give the fight to Manute since the Fridge hardly landed anything. Manute donated the winning to the starving people of his native Sudan.

The Danny Bonaduce(Danny Partidge)-Barry William(Greg Brady) fight was not legit; Bonaduce admitted to being on steroids at the time. :)

I actually enjoyed watching Todd Bridges (Willis from Different Strokes) beat the crap out of Vanilla Ice. [/quote]


Ha, I remember that show. Should have had more episodes . . .

[pbchron]

Although he only lasted two minutes before being KO'd by Jim Wiley in his pro debut at the Alhambra in Phila. in 1961, I guess you could include 1960 Olympic Shot Put champion Bill Neider. He got the message and never fought again.
Also Alonzo Highsmith.

[SenorPipino]

I think I always confused Bol with Mutombo, Ambling Alp II. My apologies to the memory of Bol, who passed away several years ago.
Wasn't aware Bonaduce was on steroids, but not surprised.
Nevertheless, he supposedly trained extensively in the gym and would have demolished Williams without the 'roids.
I believe the beating the kid who played Screetch gave to the actor who played Horshack on Kotter may have spelled the end of Celebrity Boxing.
Dustin Diamond outweighed Ron Palillo by at least 50 pounds and also had gym training. Palillo obviously never went near a gym in his life.
The producers' didn't seem to care about weight divisions or gym experience. Diamond almost killed Palillo.
Celebrity Boxing was a tragedy waiting to happen.
I loved it.