By Carlos Irusta
AMILCAR BRUSA told journalist Eduardo Cauich, from Diario Hoy, that he is thinking of retirement. He worked with 14 world champions and, at 84; Brusa is planning to return to Santa Fe, where his wife is seriously ill. As an Argentinean focus, Brusa is a big part of the national boxing history. His work with Carlos Monzon was an example of modesty, planification and effort.
Brusa was an amateur heavyweight, with a brief career. Born in Santa Fe, he quit boxing for to become a wrestler. He learned a lot of tricks he will be teach in the future, specially with Carlos Monzon. Brusa also trained soccer teams while he worked in a provincial bank of Santa Fe.
One day, a thin boxer, with dark hair, come to him. He was Carlos Monzon. He had only a couple of amateur fights only. Monzon asked Brusa to train him, because in his gym was in discomfort. At this time started a tremendous couple. Brusa and Monzon lived in a father and son way of life. Brusa sent him with a doctor. The boxer was in bad condition and they started to feed him properly. “He need iron in his blood”, told Brusa.
Monzon learned very well all the tricks, and how to box using his long arms. But, when he started his pro boxing career was only a common boxer, without a little drop of charisma. Tito Lectoure organized a tournament for middleweights with the name of one of the most important boxers of the past in the division, Eduardo Lausse. Monzon not only destroyed all his opponents, but he floored Jorge Fernandez, capturing the national belt. Fernandez fought for the welter championship with Emile Griffith at Vegas, losing by disqualification.
This is not the moment to tell the Monzon story, but the relationship between boxer and trainer. Brusa was always in command and Monzon, still in his most brilliant moment as world champion, was his boxer, obeying him word by word. Brusa is still an old fashioned trainer who thinks only in boxing. He can laugh in the gym, of course, but never loses his focus in what he is doing.
Brusa was in the corner of Carlos Baldomir when defeated Zab Judah. Brusa is our pride, because he was a real tremendous ambassador of Argentinean Boxing. But let me tell you this, is difficult to talk in past, because he can be planning his retirement, but we are sure that he will start to work again when any young boxer came to him asking for a chance.
