« A day out with Big Joe Egan »

Big Joe Egan experience.

Twice I have met Mike Tyson and now I am going down to spend the day with a man that knows Mike Tyson very well. Big Joe Egan is Tyson’s old sparring partner. Joe lived and trained for about two years in the Catskills Mountain and has had many a bruising from Mike.

Joe resides in Birmingham and keeps himself busy. A friend of ours Charlie Hale was an inspiration to Joe when he explained that Joe’s life was so full of great stories and funny ups and downs that he should write a book. Joe did and always is thankful that Charlie spoke up and told him his thoughts. Charlie is a comedian and a courageous man. Joe’s book was a big success and then a few films came along including Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes, Joe actually plays Big Joe in the film.

Andy Farrell meets Big Joe with a big smile 

Meeting up with Joe was difficult due to his busy life style, as is the movies I suppose, but we got there and like a giant of a gentleman he is, we got lost, he found us and picked us up. I went along with Daz to show Joe a bit of Thailand’s sport.

Joe was interested in the footage we have of top champion Thai Boxers from Bangkok. Joe loves all combat sports and his friends all day just talked to us about the fight games. Me and Daz in an Irish pub full of Ex Boxing champs in Birmingham watching Thai culture with Joe’s lads. What a life we can have from fighting for the correct reasons.

They all loved the footage and Joe commented that kids training from Thailand just had fun. It reminded him also how sports and competitive fighting is positive and team building. He explained that training and competing is very hard and through sports like martial arts, the bullied can stand up and feel better, in those kinds of environments.

Joe was bullied as a child even though he was a giant child he still had feelings and western boxing helped control his pains and frustrations. Joe explained that sport is good for us. Look at the videos you have, these Thai’s are having fun while keeping fit whilst learning to defend themselves at the same time. You don’t get that in many sports.

Big Joe a man with a big heart and he wears it all the time. He always signs his autographs with ‘Happiness’.

Thanks for a big day out, we drove back up north proud, impressed with happiness and fully fed.

Joe your fiends are great; they all know their stuff and Thanks Thanks Thanks!!

Signed Ronnie Green