It all started with a speed bag...

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  • paranday
    Speed Bag Guru
    • Sep 2009
    • 2515

    It all started with a speed bag...

    Evander Holyfield's speed bag odyssey:

    Chip Mitchell: "Wow! Good story! Good story! Okay now, Evander, how did you get your start in boxing?"

    Evander Holyfield: "Well I started at the Boys Clubs. At the age of eight years old, I wanted to hit the speed bag and this man said “YOU HAVE TO BE ON THE BOXING TEAM!” I told him I want to be on the boxing team and he said “NO!” So every day I would ask him. Eventually I wore him out! (Chuckles) So he let me come in and I wanted to hit that speed bag. He told me no and told me to hit the heavy bag. I hit the heavy bag and I knocked the skin off my knuckles, but I kept hitting it. He said, “You’re bleeding”. I said ‘I know it’ and I just kept on and he said “No, no, no, no. Come on, come, come on, and let me get this blood off your hands”. Then he said, “You tough ain’t you?” I told him ‘YES’! Then said “Don’t you know you can be heavyweight champion of the world?” I looked at him, you know, because he’s an older white guy and my mother always told me to respect my elders. I said ‘I’m eight years old’. He said, “You won’t always be eight”. And I believed him because I knew the next week I would be nine. So he asked me what did I think and I said I was only 65 pounds. He said, “You won’t always be 65 pounds”. So I looked at him and he said, “What’s next”. I asked him what the heavyweight champion is. I didn’t know nothing about no boxing. He said, “You don’t know what the heavyweight champion is?” He asked me if I ever heard of Muhammad Ali. I said yeah. He asked how I knew him and I told him they had Black History week and they talk about him. He told me that I could be just like him. That’s the first man, outside of my mother telling me, that I could be something worth being. And that’s how it started."

    By Chip Mitchell: Boxing fans, I recently had the opportunity to interview a legend. Folks, the ONLY boxer to win the World heavyweight title four times…. I
  • jumpcannon
    Creator of the Powermill Evil Swivel

    • Jul 2010
    • 606

    #2
    Wow thats cool.
    evilswivel@yahoo.com

    Comment

    • toolboxdiver
      Speed Bag Guru
      • Jan 2008
      • 516

      #3
      great story thanks for posting it Paranday

      Comment

      • Speedbag
        Author of the Speed Bag Bible, founder of speedbagcentral.com

        • Feb 2006
        • 7109

        #4
        Originally posted by paranday View Post
        Evander Holyfield's speed bag odyssey:

        Chip Mitchell: "Wow! Good story! Good story! Okay now, Evander, how did you get your start in boxing?"

        Evander Holyfield: "Well I started at the Boys Clubs. At the age of eight years old, I wanted to hit the speed bag and this man said “YOU HAVE TO BE ON THE BOXING TEAM!” I told him I want to be on the boxing team and he said “NO!” So every day I would ask him. Eventually I wore him out! (Chuckles) So he let me come in and I wanted to hit that speed bag. He told me no and told me to hit the heavy bag. I hit the heavy bag and I knocked the skin off my knuckles, but I kept hitting it. He said, “You’re bleeding”. I said ‘I know it’ and I just kept on and he said “No, no, no, no. Come on, come, come on, and let me get this blood off your hands”. Then he said, “You tough ain’t you?” I told him ‘YES’! Then said “Don’t you know you can be heavyweight champion of the world?” I looked at him, you know, because he’s an older white guy and my mother always told me to respect my elders. I said ‘I’m eight years old’. He said, “You won’t always be eight”. And I believed him because I knew the next week I would be nine. So he asked me what did I think and I said I was only 65 pounds. He said, “You won’t always be 65 pounds”. So I looked at him and he said, “What’s next”. I asked him what the heavyweight champion is. I didn’t know nothing about no boxing. He said, “You don’t know what the heavyweight champion is?” He asked me if I ever heard of Muhammad Ali. I said yeah. He asked how I knew him and I told him they had Black History week and they talk about him. He told me that I could be just like him. That’s the first man, outside of my mother telling me, that I could be something worth being. And that’s how it started."

        http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/01/...eld-interview/
        Here is a great moment in speed bag history that never happened.


        In July of 1996 I attended the Olympics in Atlanta Georgia, for the purposes of hosting several speed bag training seminars for the international security forces housed at Morehouse College and also to provide a short entertainment interlude for a "night of American Boxing" banquet being held for the USA Olympic Boxing team and it's supporters/sponsors. The program was to include me doing a speed bag / punch drum demo and featured Evander Holyfield as guest of honor, main speaker. The Olympics is two weeks long, (July 19 - Aug 4) and the only night that did not have boxing matches was wednesday (july 31) of the second week.

        I arrived on Friday morning July 26, and got checked into Morehouse College. Later that night I checked out the fitness area, tried out the speed bag rack, taught a few guys from security volunteers from Germany and went out to eat with them. Saturday July 27th I awoke to the news of the Bombing of the Olympic Park. Security went on High Alert, The Olympic Village and all athletes were put on lock down and the banquet was cancelled. The rest of that week I just did some seminars in Morehouse College and took in some events, but my heart was broken for I wanted to dedicate my performance to Evander Holyfield and say it was an honor to be on the program with him because of his own love for the speed bag, and that it also brought him to boxing. ( I already knew the above history, and that was also why the sponsors requested a speed bag demo) I was also hoping that we might join together in some speed bag promotions later after the olympics. Just another of several speed bag dreams never realized.
        Speed Bag

        Put a little Rhythm in YOUR workout!
        *attendee: Every SB gathering so far!
        The Quest Continues...
        Hoping for another Gathering...


        sigpic

        The Art of the Bag

        Comment

        • toolboxdiver
          Speed Bag Guru
          • Jan 2008
          • 516

          #5
          Originally posted by Speedbag View Post
          Here is a great moment in speed bag history that never happened.


          In July of 1996 I attended the Olympics in Atlanta Georgia, for the purposes of hosting several speed bag training seminars for the international security forces housed at Morehouse College and also to provide a short entertainment interlude for a "night of American Boxing" banquet being held for the USA Olympic Boxing team and it's supporters/sponsors. The program was to include me doing a speed bag / punch drum demo and featured Evander Holyfield as guest of honor, main speaker. The Olympics is two weeks long, (July 19 - Aug 4) and the only night that did not have boxing matches was wednesday (july 31) of the second week.

          I arrived on Friday morning July 26, and got checked into Morehouse College. Later that night I checked out the fitness area, tried out the speed bag rack, taught a few guys from security volunteers from Germany and went out to eat with them. Saturday July 27th I awoke to the news of the Bombing of the Olympic Park. Security went on High Alert, The Olympic Village and all athletes were put on lock down and the banquet was cancelled. The rest of that week I just did some seminars in Morehouse College and took in some events, but my heart was broken for I wanted to dedicate my performance to Evander Holyfield and say it was an honor to be on the program with him because of his own love for the speed bag, and that it also brought him to boxing. ( I already knew the above history, and that was also why the sponsors requested a speed bag demo) I was also hoping that we might join together in some speed bag promotions later after the olympics. Just another of several speed bag dreams never realized.
          Great story Alan, too bad it never happened

          Comment

          • Speedbag
            Author of the Speed Bag Bible, founder of speedbagcentral.com

            • Feb 2006
            • 7109

            #6
            Originally posted by toolboxdiver View Post
            Great story Alan, too bad it never happened
            There is always "...the rest of the story".

            I met some Several loyal baggers from a couple of countries and I still communicate with a few even today - 15 years after the event.

            Poor Holyfield probably never knew what he missed.
            Speed Bag

            Put a little Rhythm in YOUR workout!
            *attendee: Every SB gathering so far!
            The Quest Continues...
            Hoping for another Gathering...


            sigpic

            The Art of the Bag

            Comment

            • toolboxdiver
              Speed Bag Guru
              • Jan 2008
              • 516

              #7
              Originally posted by Speedbag View Post
              There is always "...the rest of the story".

              I met some Several loyal baggers from a couple of countries and I still communicate with a few even today - 15 years after the event.

              Poor Holyfield probably never knew what he missed.
              for sure it was his loss, I'm excited about Jersey in Juneand hope to be there

              Comment

              • toolboxdiver
                Speed Bag Guru
                • Jan 2008
                • 516

                #8
                Originally posted by Angelbella
                Great, let the fashion bag ladies give you more details about the 2011 world fahion bag trend. Happy?
                SPAM SICK EM Tim...lmao

                Comment

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