Good friends that boxed each other?

[chuck9788]

I believe Hasim Rahman and Monte Barrett were/are very close associates, making their 2005 fight awkward.

Are there any other instances of good buddy's slugging it out with each other in the ring?

[Enlightened-One]

Simon Brown versus Maurice Blocker

[oogiebe]

Joe Louis v. John Henry Lewis. John Henry was going blind and Louis gave him a payday. They were good friends.

[ValMar]

Ali vs Holmes.

[oogiebe]

Ali vs Holmes.

That was more beating up your hero. Ali did a lot for Holmes early in his career. (sparring him and making recommendations to spar others, although Ali did that ofter, (Ron Lyle for example). It was more like Marciano/Louis, where Rocky was literally weeping in his locker room after the fight. ...or not...

[armageto]

McCline vs Byrd comes to mind.

[gilgamesh]

McCline vs Byrd comes to mind.

I was literally seconds away from the same reference.

Their wives were holding hands walking into the ring after the fight FFS

[oogiebe]

McCline vs Byrd comes to mind.

I was literally seconds away from the same reference.

Their wives were holding hands walking into the ring after the fight FFS

I had no idea about that! LMAO!

[Boxerbeetle]

Joe Calzaghe and Richie Woodhall were on good terms, as I believe their fathers were friends. I remember Woodhall saying in an interview that a few weeks before the fight, his dad and Calzaghe’s dad were talking on the phone and made the boxers come on the call to say hello to each other

[ValMar]

Ali vs Holmes.

That was more beating up your hero. Ali did a lot for Holmes early in his career. (sparring him and making recommendations to spar others, although Ali did that ofter, (Ron Lyle for example). It was more like Marciano/Louis, where Rocky was literally weeping in his locker room after the fight. ...or not...

Anyway, they were some kind of friends.
I know so many examples, but all from amateur boxing (Balkan, 1975-1990), some of them at the elite level (even T. Stevenson has been included).

[SenorPipino]

Battle of the Z Boys.

Carlos Zarate vs Alfonso Zamora

Two unbeaten, power punching bantamweight champions of the 1970s.

One time stable mates and still great friends.

But when they entered the Forum ring in 1977, friendship went out the window as they tried to take each others head off in a non-title tiff.

The classy Zarate came closest, battering Zamora to the canvas en route to a 4th round KO, and claiming true bantamweight supremacy.

Afterward, a very unhappy Alfonso Zamora Sr. charged his son's ex-trainer Cuyo Hernandez, claiming that he had rubbed a caustic substance on Zarate's gloves, blinding Zamora.

Shades of Clay-Liston.

Riot police were called in to quell the brouha.

Through it all, however, the Z Boys remained friends.

[oogiebe]

Battle of the Z Boys.

Carlos Zarate vs Alfonso Zamora

Two unbeaten, power punching bantamweight champions of the 1970s.

One time stable mates and still great friends.

But when they entered the Forum ring in 1977, friendship went out the window as they tried to take each others head off in a non-title tiff.

The classy Zarate came closest, battering Zamora to the canvas en route to a 4th round KO, and claiming true bantamweight supremacy.

Afterward, a very unhappy Alfonso Zamora Sr. charged his son's ex-trainer Cuyo Hernandez, claiming that he had rubbed a caustic substance on Zarate's gloves, blinding Zamora.

Shades of Clay-Liston.

Riot police were called in to quell the brouha.

Through it all, however, the Z Boys remained friends.

Wow! Didn't know that either! Loved them both! Electric.

[Noxy]

Campbell and Coyle

[Ilya Muromets]

There have been countless cases. Many boxers know each other from gyms and sparring partner jobs. Kovalev's last fight was with his Russian friend. Not all boxersare bellowing "Let's go champ!" section eight nut cases. (His personality changed radically after the terrible beating Vitali gave him. His corner and the ref and the missing ring doctor - not even a phony one like Wilder's! - should have been charged with aiding and abetting an attempted homicide or something for failing to throw in the towel, plus Vitali got gyped out of another well earned KO!)

[SenorPipino]

Battle of the Z Boys.

Carlos Zarate vs Alfonso Zamora

Two unbeaten, power punching bantamweight champions of the 1970s.

One time stable mates and still great friends.

But when they entered the Forum ring in 1977, friendship went out the window as they tried to take each others head off in a non-title tiff.

The classy Zarate came closest, battering Zamora to the canvas en route to a 4th round KO, and claiming true bantamweight supremacy.

Afterward, a very unhappy Alfonso Zamora Sr. charged his son's ex-trainer Cuyo Hernandez, claiming that he had rubbed a caustic substance on Zarate's gloves, blinding Zamora.

Shades of Clay-Liston.

Riot police were called in to quell the brouha.

Through it all, however, the Z Boys remained friends.

Wow! Didn't know that either! Loved them both! Electric.

It always sticks in my mind.

I was at the Forum that afternoon. Surprisingly it wasn't a sellout for such an anticipated fight. About 13,000. It was televised in Mexico, so that may have affected the attendance.

But it was wild. A drunken guy in shorts climbing into the ring during the first round, assuming a martial arts pose at both Zarate and Zamora.

He was naturally hauled out quickly by police storming the ring, igniting a nonstop explosion of fireworks in the arena.

And then the Hernandez-Zamora Sr. post-fight fight, as beer and other questionable liquids were hurled into the ring.

Ahhh, 1970s boxing in Los Angeles. Good times.

[oogiebe]

Battle of the Z Boys.

Carlos Zarate vs Alfonso Zamora

Two unbeaten, power punching bantamweight champions of the 1970s.

One time stable mates and still great friends.

But when they entered the Forum ring in 1977, friendship went out the window as they tried to take each others head off in a non-title tiff.

The classy Zarate came closest, battering Zamora to the canvas en route to a 4th round KO, and claiming true bantamweight supremacy.

Afterward, a very unhappy Alfonso Zamora Sr. charged his son's ex-trainer Cuyo Hernandez, claiming that he had rubbed a caustic substance on Zarate's gloves, blinding Zamora.

Shades of Clay-Liston.

Riot police were called in to quell the brouha.

Through it all, however, the Z Boys remained friends.

Wow! Didn't know that either! Loved them both! Electric.

It always sticks in my mind.

I was at the Forum that afternoon. Surprisingly it wasn't a sellout for such an anticipated fight. About 13,000. It was televised in Mexico, so that may have affected the attendance.

But it was wild. A drunken guy in shorts climbing into the ring during the first round, assuming a martial arts pose at both Zarate and Zamora.

He was naturally hauled out quickly by police storming the ring, igniting a nonstop explosion of fireworks in the arena.

And then the Hernandez-Zamora Sr. post-fight fight, as beer and other questionable liquids were hurled into the ring.

Ahhh, 1970s boxing in Los Angeles. Good times.

Love it! The good ole' days are gone forever!

[Stuarty]

Moore v Macklin?

Sure Crolla and Willie Limond were pretty good mates as well. Was Crolla mates with Murray when they boxed?

Haye and Bellew enjoy walking their dogs together and the odd Nandos but have to keep it on the down low because of Eddies fake beef policy

[oogiebe]

Moore v Macklin?

Sure Crolla and Willie Limond were pretty good mates as well. Was Crolla mates with Murray when they boxed?

Haye and Bellew enjoy walking their dogs together and the odd Nandos but have to keep it on the down low because of Eddies fake beef policy

Is that true? I felt like the bickering was a bit contrived.

[SenorPipino]

Evander Holyfield and Henry Tillman, 1984 Olympic teammates, were very good friends.

Holyfield would be honored as the Best Man at Tillman's wedding.

But first he beat up Tillman in 1987 in a cruiserweight championship bout, stopping Tillman in 7 one sided rounds.

[oogiebe]

Evander Holyfield and Henry Tillman, 1984 Olympic teammates, were very good friends.

Holyfield would be honored as the Best Man at Tillman's wedding.

But first he beat up Tillman in 1987 in a cruiserweight championship bout, stopping Tillman in 7 one sided rounds.

How does one put that aside at a family barbeque? lol

[SenorPipino]

Evander Holyfield and Henry Tillman, 1984 Olympic teammates, were very good friends.

Holyfield would be honored as the Best Man at Tillman's wedding.

But first he beat up Tillman in 1987 in a cruiserweight championship bout, stopping Tillman in 7 one sided rounds.

How does one put that aside at a family barbeque? lol

I guess they both considered it just another normal day at the office.

[oogiebe]

Evander Holyfield and Henry Tillman, 1984 Olympic teammates, were very good friends.

Holyfield would be honored as the Best Man at Tillman's wedding.

But first he beat up Tillman in 1987 in a cruiserweight championship bout, stopping Tillman in 7 one sided rounds.

How does one put that aside at a family barbeque? lol

I guess they both considered it just another normal day at the office.

LMAO!!! Very passe that answer! Just like that eh? LOL! Better men than me.

[punchoutsb]

Harry Duiven Jr. vs Harry Duiven Sr.

[oogiebe]

Harry Duiven Jr. vs Harry Duiven Sr.

In the living room or the octagon?

[SenorPipino]

Here's one from back in the long ago that I just recalled.

Mando Ramos vs Raul Rojas.

These 1960s world class stable mates used to beat the poop out of each other in sparring daily under the watchful eye of trainer Jackie McCoy.

And when they were finished they would hug, get dressed and then go out and close down every bar in Long Beach and San Pedro in wild style.

If they weren't such local celebrities, they would have been banned from every one of these bars. But fame has advantages.

Ramos of course went on to win the lightweight championship while Rojas took a version of the world featherweight title.

It was only natural that Ramos and Rojas were eventually talked into fighting each other. Not a problem, since they were accustomed to pummeling each other for free in the gym. Why not at least get paid for it?

It was naturally billed as a grudge fight, but I suspect that both Ramos and Rojas laughed their heads off at that bit of promotional malarkey.

In 1970 the two trekked down to the fabled El Lay House of Fisticuffs, the Olympic Auditorium, laced on the gloves and picked up where they left off in sparring.

Ramos, the naturally bigger man, was closer to his prime than Rojas, and proceeded to give his best friend an awful whipping. It was the final fight of Rojas' career.

The two would work together as longshoremen in Long Beach in their post-boxing days, continuing their lifestyle as best buddies.

Neither, sadly, are with us today. Rojas passed in 2012, while the younger Ramos died in 2008.

But during their era, these friends certainly enlivened an already exciting Los Angeles boxing scene.