Exclusive Interview with John Scully 10/04/07

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Exclusive Interview with Former Light Heavyweight Title Challenger

John “The Ice” Man Scully – 49 fights with 38 wins 11 losses 21 wins by KO

12 Rounds with John “Ice Man” Scully

1) You have been in with the worlds best including the likes of Michael Nunn and Henry Maske to mention but a few, now that you are retired are you passing your knowledge on and are you still involved in boxing?

ICE: I actually was training amateur boxers while I was still an active professional and I am continuing that to this day. I also train some pretty good professionals including USBA 122 pound champion Mike Oliver who fights May 4 here at one of the casinos.

2) You mentioned you are currently writing your autobiography I am sure you have some great stories to tell, when can we expect it out in the shops?

ICE: I am actually going to sell it on my own right through my email so if anyone is interested in asking any questions about the book or anything at all for that matter they can reach me through my website at www.icemanjohnscully.com. When people buy my book I will be going to the post office and mailing it to them myself.

3) You finished your career on a high with a great win over rated fighter Cleveland Nelson what made you decide to retire did you not fancy pushing for another title shot?

ICE: I actually did not retire so to speak and, as a matter of fact, right after that fight I was very, very optimistic about my future in boxing and I definitely expected to work my way back up. It was a good performance by me and I expected to use it as a springboard to something bigger but what happened was I had nine fights in a row fall out on me over the next two and a half years and when the last one got cancelled I just kind of concentrated on training Lawrence Clay-Bey and while I still spar in the gym all the time I was forced to let the career go.

4) Out of your 38 wins which of them do you rate as your best performance and which did you get the most pleasure from?

ICE: Believe it or not I consider my 12 round decision loss to Michael Nunn as the most impressive performance of my career considering who he was at the time, that being the #1 rated contender in the world and a former two-time world champion. I fought Michael very closely, many thought I won the fight, and sometimes a loss like that is more impressive than a win over someone not held in as high regard.

5) Which moment of your boxing career amateur and professional are you most proud of?

ICE: I think that my victory in 1988 over world amateur champion Darin Allen is my proudest moment because Darin was such a spectacular amateur and, as a matter of fact, he captured the world title with a decision over Henry Maske. Darin to me was the measuring stick of amateur 165 pounder’s from my era and to fight him was a great moment in my career.

6) What is the best question you have ever been asked in an interview?

ICE: You know, I have been asked so many questions over the years by so many people and I definitely prefer to answer the thought provoking ones as opposed to the basic “How did training go?” type questions. I have had some great questions asked of me including a couple of the ones that you have asked me already.

7) What is you favourite fight you haven’t been involved in?

ICE: I have three that usually come to mind. The Thrilla In Manila, the third fight with Ali and Frazier. The heavyweights don’t fight with that type of intensity and competitiveness anymore. Then I have the first Arguello-Pryor and the first Leonard-Hearns fights. Great showcases of skills, talent, power, speed and, especially, determination. The will and drive that Ray showed to overcome Hearns was awe-insiring!!!

Who do you think is the best pound for pound boxer around today?

ICE: Well, I have an unusual way of deciding who the best is. When Roy Jones was the best fighter in the world there were some that claimed he wasn’t and I put it to them like this: If you told all the fighters in the world that they could magically be given the skills, speed, power and movement of any fighter in the world they would overwhelmingly choose to be like Roy Jones. Today if asked the same question I think they would choose Floyd Mayweather Junior

9) What is your first boxing memory?

ICE: What I remember very vividly was that back in the 70’s and early to mid 80’s it was a thing where the big networks would show big fights almost every single weekend on free TV. Now you have to have HBO or SHOWTIME to see the same level of fights. I was not even boxing yet but I was watching fights like Alexis Arguello-Ray Mancini every weekend with my father and that was pretty much what fed my interest in the game.

10) Now you are retired how would you like people to remember you?

ICE: One thing that always kind of bothered me about my pro career is that I don’t think I ever truly showed my full capabilities and talent and potential. People often say to me that they remember me as a tough guy, a tough competitor with heart and that’s all OK but I often wish that I didn’t let some of the circumstances and situations in my career get in the way of me showing more of my skills. I fought some good fights but never the one that showcased all that I had.

By the same token I have to say that to even be remembered at all as a fighter would be amazing to me because I came up as a fan first and there are so many guys that I still remember to this day that I watched and if someone out there remembers me like I remember those guys it would be pretty cool.

11) Who is the toughest guy you have ever been in a ring with?

ICE: I don’t think there would be any way to narrow it down to just one person because I have had almost 130 amateur and pro fights and I have also sparred with more than 500 different fighters. I can say that Vinny Pazienza was a very, very tough person mentally and physically. Henry Maske because of his great height and jab was tough to deal with. James Toney is a very tough, rough guy. Lamar Parks was a very sharp, hard punching guy. He was probably the hardest puncher, punch for punch, that I ever fought or sparred with. So many tough guys, too many to mention here.

12) Which boxer has inspired you the most in your career?

ICE: That would definitely be Muhammad Ali and not just for his boxing, either. I read in his book when I was about 12 years old that he didn’t smoke, drink or do drugs and that was good enough for me. All these years later and I have still never taken even a sip of alcohol, never smoked even one puff from a cigarette and have never, even taken an illegal drug. I even have a chapter in my book called “The Influence of Muhammad Ali.”

Reading about Ali also helped me liven up my career a great deal. i was never able to be outwardly cocky and brash like he did but when I was a kid I used to imagine that my amateur fights were big events like the “Thrilla In Manila” was and I would write poems about my opponents and conduct interviews with myself the night before fights, talking about my opponents like they were Joe Frazier or Sonny Liston. Ali’s influence made boxing fun for me.

Thanks John and good luck with the Book

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