“Knowing Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to me, although winning the US Open was a pretty good second.”
Sparring with Life
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Jimmy Tibbs, Liverpool, Sport Media 2014. ISBN 9781908695857
Jimmy Tibbs won 17 of his 20 professional fights before being imprisoned for his role in gang violence in London for nearly five years. Afterwards he trained the likes of Charlie Magri, Frank Bruno, Lloyd Honeyegan, Chris Pyatt, Michael Watson and Nigel Benn.When he got cancer, he had no faith but admits to praying: “If there is a God please let me live to see my children grow up”.
He recovered from cancer and later found that was indeed a God and because a Christian. In his words, he “went home and said that prayer. It was a prayer from the heart, asking Jesus to be my saviour”. He describes his wife’s reaction that even Jesus could not change her husband! He accepts that it was a fair comment, adding: “When the boxing fraternity found out, I can imagine they laughed at me to be honest. I had built up a reputation as a very disciplined trainer with a very strict manner so many believed that being a Christian was an image that simply didn’t suit me and that wouldn’t last. Twenty plus years later, they have realized that I have stood the test of time”.
The question, whether boxing and Christian faith were compatible is one that concerned him. He recalls asking the Christian friend who helped him in the early days: “If I committed to God, could I still go for a drink with my mates? Could I still stay in boxing and train fighters? Could I live a normal life?” The answer he received was: “You can do what you like. Leave it to Jesus and don’t try to change yourself.”
He was working with Michael Watson the night Watson suffered severe brain injuries, which again caused Tibbs to question his profession. He was helped by Christians: “A range of emotions were running through my head and several questions rose rapidly to the surface. Was it time to throw in the towel? Did I need to be part of a sport which could potentially do this to another man? …The people from my church had also made their way over my house and they did something which helped convince me to remain in boxing to this current day. They said, ‘Jesus wants you in the gyms. Don’t give up. Your work is not finished’. That was the defining moment that made me carry on, I could have easily swayed the other way in terms of my career as a boxing trainer”.
He believes that he because a better boxing trainer after becoming a Christian: “I have become a calmer character. I argue less and the days of screaming, shouting and throwing furniture around the office are long gone. I understood why I did that back then and now I understand I no longer need to. Giving encouragement to a boxer is far more important than shouting at them”.