HP Sauce's biggest fan packs a punch

May 24 2006 By Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

HEINZ had better watch out if it still plans to close the HP sauce factory in Birmingham.

The Birmingham Mail campaign to keep the Aston sauce-making plant open has won the backing of a real heavyweight.

Controversial former world heavyweight boxing champion Iron Mike Tyson is going into battle for the Mail's Save Our HP Sauce campaign.

Mike was converted to HP sauce 22 years ago when his Birmingham-based friend and confident Joe Egan introduced him to its tantalising taste.

Joe was Mike's sparring partner before he became world heavyweight champion and the only one Iron Mike didn't knock to the canvas. In respect, he tagged Joe 'the toughest white man on the planet'.

"Mike took to HP sauce like a cat takes to milk," said Joe, himself the former four-times Irish heavyweight boxing champion.

"I had grown up on HP sauce and I took a supply with me when I emigrated to the States and shared a house with Mike.

"When Mike discovered the HP taste he was hooked and I saw little of it after that! HP sauce has been in his family home ever since," said Joe, who now works for Moya Payroll Services in Birmingham.

Joe recalled that during Mike's promotional visit to Birmingham last year, they were driving through Aston to get her with Wolverhampton-based boxing promoter Ken Purchase, when Mike spotted the iconic HP tower.

Added Joe: "Mike screamed 'stop! stop! stop! as if it were an emergency and Ken braked hard, thinking it was. Mike had wanted Ken to take a picture of him and me with the HP tower in the background, because he associated HP sauce with our very first meeting 22 years ago.

"Unfortunately, none of us had a camera and as luck would have it, when you needed a paparazzi, there wasn't one around," said Joe. "As Mike adds the HP sauce to his food, he usually says 'The Best of British' - mimicking what I used to say."