04/24/24
February 02, 2012
Ali's Trainer Angelo Dundee Dies: Angelo Dundee, the legendary boxing corner man who trained Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and 13 other world champions, died Wednesday at his home in Tampa, Fl. He was 90. Dundee stuck with Ali through all the controversies in his career, including his conversion to the Nation of Islam in 1964 and his conviction on draft evasion charges, and was on hand to celebrate the boxer's 70th birthday last month. "He let me be exactly who I wanted to be, and he was loyal. That is the reason I love Angelo," Ali wrote in the foreword to a book by Dundee.
I never cared much for Ali, thought Norton was ripped off when he broke Ali's jaw, but I believe Sugar Ray was the best fighter pound for pound I ever watched box. Sad to see Dundee go, he had a good long ride. The boxing world could use some like him today. MMA and UFC are surpassing the sweet science today, but they will never live up to some of the old classic match ups of boxing.
posted by preacher81 at 10:54 AM on February 02, 2012
As a kid, listening to The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports radio broadcasts of the Friday Night Boxing from New York was a ritual with me. The late 1940s and early 1950s might have been the end of the golden age of boxing in the US, but Angelo Dundee, having been part of it, carried it on through another era. He paid his dues, learned his trade, and brought others to greatness. I do not believe his role could be overrated.
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posted by Howard_T at 04:40 PM on February 02, 2012
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posted by BornIcon at 04:04 PM on February 06, 2012
Going back in my mind through all the Cosell commentaries and fight calls, I can hear him saying Angelo's name and Ferdie Pacheco's name with great fondness and urgency. Cosell made sure people understood that they were a huge part of the Ali journey.