Jimmy Tibbs

Brought up in tough post-war East London, Jimmy shone in the boxing ring from an early age and turned professional at just 19, rejecting a management offer from the notorious Kray twins, instead putting his trust in Terry Lawless and Mickey Duff.


As his career took off, he sparred with Muhammad Ali and enjoyed life at the height of the Swinging Sixties before events took a turn for the worse as Jimmy got embroiled in a near-deadly gang war that saw him sentenced to 10 years in prison.


That would have finished most men. But Jimmy is a remarkable figure. 


After being released, he reinvented himself as one of Britain’s finest trainers, guiding the likes of Frank Bruno, Michael Watson, Nigel Benn and Barry McGuigan. Still training champions today, Jimmy reveals the truth behind his time inside and outside the ring – including a battle with cancer and how his Christian faith helped change his life.


Jimmy Tibbs: Sparring With Life is the brilliantly raw and inspirational account of a man who has spent 50 years in and around the toughest game of them all.