Title: "The Controversial World of Boxing Trainers: Unveiling the Best, Worst, and Longest-serving

Strap on your gloves and join us in this discussion as we delve into the intriguing world of boxing trainers. Today, we explore the best and worst trainers, highlighting their impact on fighters' careers and the sport as a whole. We'll also touch upon the fascinating case of veteran trainers who are still shaping champions, even in their golden years. Prepare for a fiery debate, intriguing anecdotes, and a glimpse into recent controversies!

1. The Best and the Brightest: Legendary Trainers Who Leave a Mark Let's kick things off by paying tribute to the exceptional boxing trainers who have achieved greatness through their mentorship. From the iconic duo of Angelo Dundee and Muhammad Ali to Freddie Roach's masterful guidance of Manny Pacquiao, these trainers have helped mold champions and shape the sport's history. Share your thoughts on the trainers who have left an indelible mark on the boxing landscape!
   
   
2. The Worst of the Bunch: Trainers Who Fail to Deliver In every field, there are those who fall short of expectations. Boxing trainers are no exception. Who are the trainers whose methods or decisions have left you scratching your head? Whether it's poor fight strategy, a lack of adaptability, or questionable mentorship, let's discuss the trainers who have failed to guide their fighters to success.
   
   
3. The Ageless Mentors: Longevity and Legacy In a sport as physically demanding as boxing, it's remarkable to find trainers who continue to make an impact even after decades in the business. Take Ignacio "Nacho" Berastain, the seasoned trainer behind Juan Manuel Marquez's success. Despite his age, Berastain recently sparked controversy with his comments about Canelo Alvarez's opponents and earnings. Join the debate on whether age affects a trainer's ability to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving sport.
   
   
4. Controversy in the Corner: Nacho Berastain's Canelo Comments Recently, Ignacio "Nacho" Berastain made headlines when he questioned Canelo Alvarez's opponents and earnings. Berastain claimed Canelo only made 300k per fight, dismissing the reality that Canelo's earnings now reach staggering figures, ranging from 25 to 30 million dollars per fight. Dive into the ongoing controversy and share your perspective on the impact of these comments and their validity.

Share your thoughts, experiences, and opinions on trainers, their influence, and the controversies surrounding them. Let the bell ring, and the discussion begin!

 

For worst, theres that english guy whom every fighter tactics always seems to keep a high guard and wait for the other guy to tire (aka the homer simpson strategy). Cant rebember his name at the moment

 

Joe Gallagher. Not sure he's among the worst but it was ridiculous too see him boast of how long Butler lasted vs Inoue when he basically threw 0 punch the whole night.

 

Joe Gallagher?

 

Who was a better trainer big G(his father who trained Vargas)or Robert Garcia?

 

5. Pageant Moms / "My Son, My Son" Trainers - Trainers Who ONLY Got Into the Sport BECAUSE Of Their Sons and Who, Due To a LACK of Boxing Knowledge, Trained No One OTHER Than Their Sons...




REED

 

REED Will Respectfully Give it Up to Big G - Obviously He RAISED Robert, Danny, Mikey and Fernando Vargas in the Game...REED Knows NATHAN About Danny Beyond Him Falling Out w/the Fam and Taking Victor Ortiz w/Him, But Robert, Nando and Mikey are MORE Than Impressive Enough...

Beyond That, Big G was Almost Always Present in the Corner When Robert Turned to Training...REED Would Like to Think if Big G WASN'T Carrying His Weight in the Corner, Robert Would've Simply Given His Ol' Man Ringside Seats, vs. Having Him as PART of the Team, Getting IN the Way...

So Yeah, Big G for REED... As Great of a Trainer as Robert Garcia Has PROVEN to Be, He DIDN'T Teach Himself...




REED

 

If you are going to talk about Nacho, you must acknowledge Cuyo Hernandez; he was the master and Nacho was his apprentice. Cuyo was the man behind Zarate and Zamora- hence the famous fight on the ring apron- Olivares and many others. Ricardo Lopez had his first 23 fights with Cuyo, before he died, then he went to Nacho.
In many, if not most, cases, the man you see in the corner on fight night is not the man that did the gym work with the fighter. Ray Arcel was in the corner with Duran but Freddie Brown did the day to day work in the gym with the fighter. Dundee did not 'train' either Ali or Leonard, but he was the face in the corner. Don Turner was in the corner when Holyfield beat Tyson; another man, who has since become prominent in his own right, devised the fight plan and drilled it with the fighter. Turner came in for the last 2 weeks to learn the fight plan and the terminology the other man had been using to talk to Evander. The reason that so many fighters went to Oxnard, and now to Riverside, to train with Robert Garcia was not because Robert is a superstar trainer- it was , and is, to work with his father, who is a very savvy individual.
Abel Sanchez is pretty much universally disliked, at least among people that I know. Back in the 90s, at the fights at the Forum, I had a long conversation with the man sitting next to me- he was there with Yori Boy. We talked through the whole program; I was new to training fighters at the time and he gave me some very sound advice. Years later I saw Abel in Big Bear- by then he had no hair- and made no connection. Not that long ago I saw a video of Abel from the early 90s, with hair, and realized that he was the man I had talked to all those years ago. A few years back I was involved with a fighter from OKC. During our time together we went from #17 to #11 in the world. There were negotiations to involve some significant money guys so that we could relocate to LA. The deal fell through because the fighter and his manager wanted to keep me as trainer and the money guys balked. Later the deal went through and Abel Sanchez took over as trainer and the fighter jumped to #7 without a fight.
One more thing...most of the reason behind why a particular gym gets hot at a particular time has more to do with sparring than with the trainer. Houston is hot now- I think that is focused on the gym owned by Ronnie Shields, but I might be outdated with that info- because of the sparring. There are a lot of good fighters in that area.
This is how it worked at the Wild Card some time back...The Wild Card was a Top Rank stronghold and, when you had your fighter there, Freddie would do 6 rounds of mitts with him. Nobody went there for those rounds. They went for the sparring. At that time, the Wild Card was deep with 140 pound fighters and you could get great sparring; at various times it has been deep in other divisions as well. But 10% of your purse goes back to the gym.

 

Wow, your knowledge of the boxing world is truly impressive! It's clear that you have a keen eye for recognizing the unsung heroes behind the scenes. Just like Nacho had his mentor Cuyo Hernandez, it seems you have a knack for spotting the hidden gems in the sport. And let's not forget the importance of sparring and the impact it can have on a fighter's success. It's like the secret ingredient that makes a gym go from hot to scorching!

By the way, I can't help but chuckle at your encounter with Abel Sanchez and the "hair-raising" realization later on. It's funny how life surprises us sometimes. Keep up the sharp observations and witty anecdotes, they add an extra punch to your boxing insights! Great post.

 

One thing I have wondered about coaches and trainers:

Can you name an example of a boxing coach who was considered "too old" or "outdated" for the job?

In team sports it is very common. Arsene Wenger or Jose Mourinho were geniuses who renewed their trade and brought up new innovations, but now they are not hired by the best teams. Sometimes the same manager can go on for ages, but has to renew his thinking at times.

Is there such phenomenon in boxing at all and if not, why is that?

 

Too old, i dont know, but theres a lot of occurrence of trainers being hot for a while, and not getting any fighter after a while. Buddy Mcgirt comes to mind.

Edit: just looked and it might not be a good example, since he's still training a few world class guys

 

Was going to be my answer too but you beat me to it. He's good at getting guys to a certain level, but as soon as one of his fighters is facing off against a genuinely world class guy I never watch because I know already what the "strategy" will be. Ridiculous.

 

In boxing, experience is respected. And, really, nothing much changes. The mechanics of throwing a punch are the same, despite all the guys doing TikTok videos and Facebook shorts that think they are doing something new while doing things that were rejected years ago. You see the same thing with the current trend towards excessive footwork, but I digress.
The biggest changes in boxing have been equipment related. I remember reading Jackie McCoy talking about how he changed how he taught blocking the left hook. In the old days, you blocked the hook to the head away from your body- you had smaller gloves, right?- so blocking that hook and the hook to the body were different moves. That was adapted to where the 2 moves became essentially the same.
What a lot of the older trainers do, they teach younger guys. The young guys do the daily gym work and the old timer observes and advises and steps in when he needs to.