New interview with author/boxer Gary Todd
If you want to train like a champ, you better be up by 5 a.m. and eat a lot of oatmeal. That’s just one of the tidbits I learned while reading author/boxer Gary Todd’s brand new title “Workouts from Boxing’s Greatest Champs II.” His best-selling first edition was a big hit and now the Scottish-born writer is back with even more training tips and interesting facts gleaned from an all-star array of various champions from the ring.
I first met Todd, who spent his hardscrabble childhood in Dundee, Scotland, last year during a fight weekend in Vegas. I recognized his name from his first book that was released in 2004 (seen with a photo of Muhammad Ali on the cover) and we chatted for a while during a boxing event that weekend. He had mentioned his new book would be out soon and I couldn’t wait to read it. Back then, he also regaled us with a preview of some of the stories that are now included in this second book while adding a couple of salacious anecdotes that just wouldn’t be suitable for print!
Maybe someday he’ll add those down-and-dirty tales in a future tell-all book. But for now, boxing fans can read all about each fighter through short bios written by Todd, what their typical training day is like, plus added commentary of the author’s personal meetings with the champs. For me, I was intrigued by the more mundane and routine parts of their days. Todd, who resides in Australia, asks each boxer a standard list of questions including, “What time did you get up in the morning,” “What did you have for breakfast/dinner”, “What time did you go to bed?” etc. And I’m not sure why, but these answers were the most fascinating to read. Maybe it’s because we see our ring heroes bigger than life and upon reading their answers, we realize they are just like us mere mortals in their daily routines. They get up early, they go to “work” and they eat three meals a day. Oh, and they also have championship belts, worldwide fame, and much larger paychecks than many of us. But part of their daily lives are made up of the “regular” stuff just like everyone else.
It’s that sliver into what a fighter is really like that we’re all curious about. That’s what makes Todd’s second volume such a fun read. It’s like looking inside of someone’s medicine cabinet; why that’s interesting I don’t know but I’m sure we’re all guilty of doing that at least once! Well in “Workouts from Boxing’s Greatest Champs II,” the champions tell you for themselves all about their training habits, daily routines, quirks and interests outside of the ropes. With it’s handy and convenient size, the paperback is a perfect one to flip through with ease.
The new title offers interesting insight and cool tidbits from 33 current and former fighters including Manny Pacquiao (whose laughing mug graces the cover), Floyd Mayweather Jr, “Iron” Mike Tyson, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Tommy Hearns, “Irish” Micky Ward, Vic Darchinyan, Vitali Klitschko, Roberto Duran, Nonito Donaire, and the late Diego Corrales. It’s chapter formats make it an easy read as well; you don’t have to read it in order, you can go back and forth throughout the book in a comprehensive format. A bonus not to be missed is the “When I met…” section at the back of the book. You’ll see Gary Todd behind the scenes with the international superstars from the ring in a relaxed setting either in a gym or arena.
Read on for an exclusive Q&A with the successful author/fighter/trainer/promoter who was born to box and later grew up to write about it!
Michele Chong: Gary, congratulations on your new second edition! Tell us a little about your own boxing history and career in the sweet science.
Gary Todd: Hello! My boxing career…I started going to the Lochee Boys Club in 1976; it was amateurs. I loved training and used my fitness to keep out of trouble and with the training, I learned discipline and morals. I have always loved boxing and its the only sport I know. Since that time, I have trained, fought, sparred, coached kids in the gyms, helped street kids to overcome issues. I have also promoted boxing shows and I have been writing my thoughts on boxing all my life.
MC: What inspired you to write the first edition–and now this follow-up edition?
GT: I wrote my first book years before I thought of the idea to try and get it published. I have always worked in construction and the idea came to me one night while me and my lads were on jackhammers! I thought about how the world champs must have had to hold down a job while trying to train and fight. I had been saving up the boxers workouts for years so I could incorporate it into my own; from there it just came to me.
MC: How does the second edition vary from your first book?
GT: With my second book, I have added how I saw the world champions’ careers and also how I met them. I had lots of requests from the fans, so you have to listen to your fans. I feel very proud of the book. It took me almost seven years to write it and i poured everything into it.
MC: Did any of the boxers you interviewed turn out to be completely different than you originally expected?
GT: Most boxers are tremendously humble men. They are working class who reached for the stars, and through hard work, they made it. Most boxers are good–but when you get a bad one, you know it!
MC: Off the top of your head, can you quickly name…
MC: Funniest boxer you met?
GT: Funniest boxers are Roberto Duran, Leon Spinks and Ricky Hatton.
MC: Hardest-working boxer in the gym?
GT: Hardest worker are Tyson, Pacquiao and Mayweather. They all train exceptionally well in the gym, it’s just some are more intense than others.
MC: Fiercest fighter while training?
GT: The fiercest fighter is Tyson.
MC: After your initial meeting with Tyson in 1999, did you see him often in the gym or around fights? And if yes, did he change a lot?
GT: Over the years, I have met Tyson on a few occasions, each memorable in their own right. But when I saw him in the gym, he was a fearsome sight! There was an aura around him. I saw him at different stages through his career, and each time I met him was different. The last time I saw him training (just before the Lennox Lewis fight) he was a shadow of his former self with regards to stamina and resistance. And as I said in my book, Mike Tyson was the most ferocious heavyweight world champion ever! like to remember him as that.
MC: Favorite gyms you’ve visited around the world?
GT: My favorite gyms are Gleason’s Gym in New York, Phoenix Gym in Manchester and Giles Gym in Sydney, all the gyms in Mexico, and Universum Gym in Germany.
MC: I love your Tommy Hearns arm-wrestling story! Was that interview the hardest to get?
GT: The hardest interview to get? Thats a good question. The hardest one to get is the one I havent got yet.
MC: What fighters are on the top of your list to next interview? And will there be a third edition in the future?
GT: One of the fighters I still would like to get is Marvelous Marvin Hagler. He was a huge hero to me growing up.
MC: How can fight fans order your new book?
GT: They can buy my book at www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.com and www.pennantbooks.com
MC: Gary, in homage to your own book:
MC: What time do you get up in the morning?
GT: I get up at 5: 30 a.m.
MC: What time do you go to bed?
GT: 10:00 p.m.
MC: What is your favorite exercise in the gym?
GT: Floor to ceiling.
MC: Tell us about your family and any other outside interests away from the ring.
GT: With regards to what I do outside boxing, I work long hours working underground and digging tunnels, so with what I get up to I finish work then go straight to training. I keep my gear in the truck. I train for two hours, three nights a week, and I go and do cross training once per week. I also go to the sauna and steam room usually twice a week. When I’m not working and training, I spend as much time with my wife and kids. With my writing, I get the kids to bed and then I settle down to write my analysis stories, usually late into the night. Weekends are for our family time. Other than that, boxing is a huge part of my life and I also like music, especially when I’m working out.
Todd has been involved in the fight game for almost 30 years and is a brave one both inside and outside the ring; he even combatted his own fear of flying so that he could travel to countless gyms while writing his book! A member of the famed Boxing Writers Association of America, he also provides fight analysis for Sky Sports and various online and print publications.
Todd’s new sequel isn’t just for fight fans and boxing buffs, I think any sports buff will find it a good read. For fitness enthusiasts from novice to professional, it’s a great companion to your own routine where you just might find some new training tips. And for those of you who are more of a couch potato or weekend warrior-type, the champion and fighters determination and healthy regimen could even inspire you. And with Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s also a quick gift idea too.
Happy reading…Keep punching–And see you at the fights!
Photo courtesy of Gary Todd between “Two Joes”: Joe Frazier and Joe Bugner