It’s fair to say I’ve been in nicer parts of Philadelphia than the sweltering basement of the Shepard Recreation Center in the Haddington neighbourhood.
But amongst this poor, depressing concrete jungle is a former Olympic gold medallist and heavyweight title challenger with a tale to tell.
And it is quite a story because Tyrell Biggs faced most of the top fighters of his generation (Riddick Bowe, L RSF 8, and Lennox Lewis, L RSF 3, as well as Tony Tubbs, Gary Mason, Francesco Damiani, David Bey and James Tillis) and he had a rivalry with Mike Tyson that spilled over from the amateurs.
First things first, however, and he was saddened to hear of the death of Mason, who stopped him in seven back in 1989 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Gary died in January 2011 when he was struck while cycling in South London. Biggs did not know but fondly remembered a “strong guy with a big punch”.
(Main picture: Author’s collection)
