Retired boxer Joe Egan took several ‘savage beatings’ from Mike Tyson in sparring that left him in tears – but he never once tasted the canvas.

Egan’s iron chin and unwavering spirit led to him being dubbed ‘the toughest white man on the planet’ by the man himself.

Egan spent two years sparring Tyson during the latter stages of his amateur career
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Egan spent two years sparring Tyson during the latter stages of his amateur careerCredit: GETTY
During his two years living and training alongside Tyson, the pair became regular sparring partners and lifelong friends.

Egan – a seven-time Irish amateur champion and Golden Gloves winner – met Tyson at Cus D’Amato’s famous Catskills Boxing Gym in New York when they were both sprightly young 17-year-olds.

Big Joe, as he is affectionately known, was drafted in to spar Tyson after catching the eye of former heavyweight world champion Floyd Patterson during a training camp in Atlantic City with the Irish Boxing Team in 1982.

He admits he underestimated Tyson at first, but quickly came to respect ‘Iron Mike’ after tasting his legendary power.

“I’d left school when I was 14 years of age and I’d been on the doors of nightclubs at 15 years of age,” Egan told talkSPORT.com.

“When I met Mike I was 17 and I had been fighting men so when I got the opportunity to spar another 17-year-old I was over the moon.

“Mike was several months younger than me, he was shorter than me and he spoke with a bit of a lisp and I thought ‘I’m going to batter this kid’.

“I really had the measure of him in my mind, he was so nice, he was fascinated with the history of Irish boxing so we got on great.

Egan admits Tyson beat him black and blue in the famous Catskills Gym in New York
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Egan admits Tyson beat him black and blue in the famous Catskills Gym in New YorkCredit: Getty

The pair have become lifelong friends since their first meeting
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The pair have become lifelong friends since their first meetingCredit: YouTube

Egan, pictured today, has great memories of Tyson
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Egan, pictured today, has great memories of TysonCredit: Instagram @bigjoeegan
“We walked and talked, we watched fight footage at the top of the house together and then we ran together the next morning.

“When we got to the gym, suddenly all these big powerhouses appeared, all of them very sombre because they knew what was coming.

“They knew the beatings that were going to be dished out by this young heavyweight. I thought they’re all going to box together and then me and Mike are going to box together.

“We stripped off, shadow boxed, bandaged up and Cus said ‘glove up’. Then I saw Mike in the ring stripped to his waist. The physique on the 17-year-old boy, the biceps, the triceps, the neck, the chest, the back.

“I thought ‘there is no way a 17-year-old boy should look like that, that’s not the same boy I ran with this morning and met yesterday, that’s not the same boy I sat with on the mini bus, laughing and joking’.

“Then Cus pointed to one of the big men to get in and spar, he was knocked spark out with one punch. I’m not ashamed to say it, but I ruined a good pair of underpants in that moment.
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“I s*** myself. Two more got in, two more got knocked out. I was number four, I got battered for three minutes, but I stayed on my feet.

“I got out, a couple more got in, they lasted as long as they lasted, I got in again. I did six minutes with him that day and took six minutes of punishment.

“I spent two years with the man, never got the better of him, he battered me many times, made me cry so many times, but it was an honour and privilege to share the ring with him because of what he went on and achieved.”

A year after Egan left the United States to return home for Ireland, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight world champion of all time at 20 years, 4 months, and 22 days old.

Tyson wrote a foreword in Big Joe's book
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Tyson wrote a foreword in Big Joe’s bookCredit: GETTY
He knocked out Trevor Berbick inside two rounds to earn the distinction and then eight months later became undisputed champion when he beat Tony Tucker to unify the WBA, WBC and IBF straps.

Egan’s career, despite being filled with promise, didn’t quite pan out the same way.

Following an impressive run in the amateurs, Egan turned over as a professional in 1990, but his career was cut short by a horrific car accident.

After boxing, he went on to star in several Hollywood movies while his book ‘Big Joe Egan: The Toughest White Man on the Planet’ has earned widespread acclaim.