BoxRec

I just watched a clip of the Great Harry Greb playing hand-ball.
I read he found this a very important part of his training, and watching the clip you can see why.

Archie Moore walked on his hands to build them up and claimed this helped his KO percentage.
Marciano stood neck deep in water throwing punches which he claimed helped him.

What other unique practices can you think the greats used to use.

Not a great fighters but Billy Schwer had that ball on a string attatched to his head to help with hand speed and accuracy.

I was told Chris Eubank used to do some of his roadwork running backwards, I am sure he was not the only fighter to do this.

Yes I remember the Schwer thing.
Didn`t they market it also?

And what about the new pads, can`t remember what its called but the Ingle gym seemed to endorse it, I think you fitted both hands into it, Swaby and nelson posed and said they used it, Swaby quickly got dropped from the advert.....

Obviously this is much further back, but in the bare knuckle days Tom Cribb used to condition his hands by punching the bark off trees.

Early in his career Evander Holyfield took ballet lessons.

Harry Willis went on a fast, drinking only water and some bread for one month in order to 'purify' his body. He also reportedly was very fond of taking long hikes in the woods . . .

Ray Robinson drank a glass of ox blood as part of his fight diet.
Dempsey bathed his face in brine.

But I am more interested in training methods.
If any of you haven`t watched Greb playing hand-ball you really should, he swipes the ball with each hand, now as we all know Greb was blind in the one eye and partially sighted some say in the other.

[quote="tonyevs"]Ray Robinson drank a glass of ox blood as part of his fight diet.
Dempsey bathed his face in brine.

I heard brine, but I also heard urine - dont know if this was just a more 'hardcore' legend. He was one tough sonafobitch whatever the thruth.

Michael Armstong (the Bury based Super Feather) and, I think, the reason Michael Gomez is so named, used to sleep on the concrete floor of his garage, to 'toughen himself up' before fights - thats 'hardcore'!

[quote="tonyevs"]Ray Robinson drank a glass of ox blood as part of his fight diet.
Dempsey bathed his face in brine.

I heard brine, but I also heard urine - dont know if this was just a more 'hardcore' legend. He was one tough sonafobitch whatever the thruth.

Michael Armstong (the Bury based Super Feather) and, I think, the reason Michael Gomez is so named, used to sleep on the concrete floor of his garage, to 'toughen himself up' before fights - thats 'hardcore'!

I've heard of fighters chewing tar to strengthen jaw muscles. Seems that may have been Dempsey or it was a story mentioned by George Plimpton in "Shadow Box" which would make it about Archie Moore.
Also heard a weird tale about Primo Carnera. His trainers took the "no sex" conventional wisdom to an extreme. To avoid even nocturnal emissions, they tied a string around "Li'l Primo" overnight!

Not exactly a hall of famer, but everytime Vasily Jirov fought, the announcers would tell the bizarre training methods Jirov would have to endure back in Kazahkastan. Two I remember were:

- in a narrow hallway an attack dog would be let go by Jirov's trainer and Jirov would have to run down to the doorway at the end of the hall as fast as he could or get chomped up (I imagine this would improve anyone's speed)

- Jirov's trainer took a boat out into the middle of a huge lake and then just threw Jirov overboard and ordered him to swim back or stay there and drown

Not as bizarre as Jirov's training methods, but remember light heavyweight champ Marvin Johnson? Johnson, who is from Indianapolis, used to do his roadwork on the track where the Indy 500 is run on.

Siki liked the beer and getting chased by his managers when he started giving his money away to his new found friends

1919 article
Strenuous Training of Old-Time
Fighters.

Another interesting phase of
primitive boxing methods was the
amazing systems of training In
vogue then. It represented a "grilling"
equal only to that sustained In
the fight itself. Back in the era of
Deaf Burke we learn that fighters
plodded for miles holding to the
rear of a fast driven cart. This
conditioning stunt ended only when
the pugilist collapsed from sheer exhaustion,
He was then toted back
to his tavern and revived with copious
dashes of cold water, followed
by a glutton's meal of raw beef, ale
and stale bread. What a rumpus
Willard and Dempsey would kick up
at the thought of exchanging their
well ventilated gymns, skipping rope,
punching bags, sparring partners and
motor cars for such a strenuous routine.
So much for progress

Moore used to chew meat then spit it out to keep his weight down but take the nutrients

I saw a clip of Kostya Tszyu training and he used to stand on his head; no hands; at the end of his session. I also saw film of Tony Zale hitting the speed ball and he was really hitting it, no light tapping, he threw his punches out.

Tony Galento sold blocks of ice. Each weighed between 50 and 100 pounds. He had to carry them up flights of stairs in NYC apartments to sell them. To make enough money for his family, he had to sell about two-tons worth a day. Thus, Two Ton Galento. Now that was a job that WAS training.

I read somewhere of a fighter being a smidgeon overweight for a fight and try as he might to lose the weight it wouldn't budge. Someone told him to stand on his head for a while and hey presto, made the weight :?? :??

I also read a wrietup once on Nino Benvenuto. The emphasis was on the fact he was a cultured fellow and not the stereotypical fighter. His training regimen before a particular fight included sitting around a pool and occasionally getting up to do a few laps of said pool. And having a tipple of cognac in the morning

2005? That might be an all-time boxrec record for digging up of old topics.

jrc26 wrote:2005? That might be an all-time boxrec record for digging up of old topics.

Yeah sorry

Earnie Shavers and Tony Sibson used to chop wood to build power, not sure how unusual that is though? Archie Moore used to eat food without swallowing it so he could lose weight for a fight. He was suck the nutrients out of the food and then spit the rest out.