The intensely personal life story of one of Irelands colourful boxing heavyweights. Big Joe Egan as he's affectionately known had his ring baptism of fire when he fought a then national junior champion Steve Collins. The second fight proved young Joe had come on.

By the age of 24 his fight record was over 80 wins, 7 Irish titles and is also Golden Gloves champion. A mean body puncher with a durable chin this broad shouldered blonde Dubliner with the film star looks Fought 11 times wearing the green vest of Ireland . He's considered unfortunate not to make the Olympics and he attracted more attention when he went to the distance with Lennox Lewis and beat future WBA Champion Bruce Seldon. This fight had it all and enthralled those at ringside like New York 's ‘The Raging Bull' Jake LaMotta, “Great fight kid, great fight”

Encouraged by Floyd Patterson to try his luck in the States he joined mike Tyson's training camp in the Catskill mountains with the great Cus D'Amato. Joe became like a brother and he gives rare and fascinating insight of an early ‘Iron' Mike Tyson who once said of Joe after a particular vicious sparring session he was the toughest white man on the planet. The two became the firmest of friends.

Joe eventually signed pro under Barney Eastwoods stable after a dispute with I.A.B.A the dreams of the boxer were cruelly shattered when forced to quit following a serious road accident on the night of his pro defeat. Changing fortunes then saw Joe struggle to get his life back on track. His personal life made all the headlines after a personal feud resulted from the fallout from his split from his glamorous blonde fiancée, The Irish model Lisa Murphy who left him for multi-millionaire and ‘Lord of the Dance' Michael Flately. The downward spiral continued, the new pub business venture pitted Joe up against an organised protection racket gang armed with guns, axes and machetes. How was shot and later charged with attempted murder only for them to be dropped. Joe survived that until another twist saw him jailed for his part in a luxury car-ringing scam.

A man with a lesser character would have folded but Joe's this man with a massive heart whose adrenaline buzzes was always boxing, in May 2004 and after an absence of 12 years Big Joe Egan at 38 made his ring comeback. The toughest white man on the planet was back.

Source: TysonTalk

"Boxing legend Mike Tyson brought London's Canary Wharf to a standstill this lunchtime when he appeared at a book-signing.

There were chaotic scenes as thousands of office workers and shoppers crammed in to try and get a glimpse of the former world heavyweight champion.

'Iron' Mike, 39, the self-proclaimed 'baddest man on the planet', had to take refuge behind a cordon of security guards as uniformed police watched the scrum.

The American was making his first ever appearance in a UK bookshop to support his close friend, Irish boxer Joe Egan.

Tyson has written a foreword to Egan's biography 'The Toughest White Man On The Planet', which tells how he made a boxing comeback with Tyson's help after his career first ended 12 years ago.

As the crowds demanded a speech and pictures for their cameraphones, Tyson stood on a table and said: "I'm here to support my good friend Joe. Buy the book."
Tyson paid tribute to the crowds that turned up. He said: “I have always admired the British fight fans. It's great to see so many of them out here. “But they didn't just come to see me they came to see my friend Big Joe too.”
Also at the signing at Books etc were Scottish ex-boxing champ Jim Watt and English fighter Alan Minter...."

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