'Rock, you're an animal' - Ingle

“Be nice to people on your way up, because you’ll meet them on your way down” – just one of the phrases beloved by Brendan Ingle, the Dubliner who became Britain’s greatest boxing trainer. Ingle died aged 77 five years ago this week, having left an enormous legacy in the sport. He trained four world champions in Naseem Hamed, Johnny Nelson, Kell Brook and Junior Witter while his Wincobank Gym in Sheffield but even more importantly, he changed the lives of hundreds, or even thousands, of young kids who came through the doors of his gym in the old Steel City. One of the pros who worked with Ingle was his fellow Blue, Jim Rock, who was known as ‘The Pink Panther’ during his fighting days. Here, Rock recalls his struggles (as a come-forward fighter) in adapting to ‘The Ingle Way’ – particularly when he was being outdone in the footwork stakes by some of the little kids in the gym when he started out. Jim talks about spars with Naz and Witter (featuring some slight bending of the rules) and the impact mentors like Ingle can have on young kids. Speaking of those on the way up, and the way down, we discuss the return of big-time boxing to Dublin, Katie Taylor’s first loss at the hands of Chantelle Cameron, Dennis Hogan’s unhappy homecoming and Gary Cully’s shock defeat. And given we’ve mentioned 'The Diva', Jim also tells us the story of when the tabloids and paparazzi put the blame – and full media glare – directly on him following the break-up of the Spice Girls due to his ‘relationship’ with ‘Ginger Spice’ Geri Halliwell. Spoiler: he was her boxing trainer.

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