How good of a trainer was Lou Duva?

[billeau2]

If my memory is correct, Duva passed out after the fight. When they tried to carry him out in a stretcher, they dropped him. It was both comical and sad.

Anyone else remember this?

Lol yes more or less....I remember he got attacked by a cell phone, one of those tough old cell phones from the mean streets of Dae Woo, not one of em cheap pansy chinese jobs.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

If my memory is correct, Duva passed out after the fight. When they tried to carry him out in a stretcher, they dropped him. It was both comical and sad.

Anyone else remember this?

Yeah,,, I remember watching live, and also the legendary nights episode showed it as well... Poor guy... Still one of the craziest things I ever saw live on TV, that and fan-man, ear-bite and mccall's breakdown.. Damn the 90s were crazy

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Lol yes more or less....I remember he got attacked by a cell phone, one of those tough old cell phones from the mean streets of Dae Woo, not one of em cheap pansy chinese jobs.

Golata got attacked by one of those mag lite flashlights.. Tomahawked by it.. Ouch

[joseph5620]

Yeah,,, I remember watching live, and also the legendary nights episode showed it as well... Poor guy... Still one of the craziest things I ever saw live on TV, that and fan-man, ear-bite and mccall's breakdown.. Damn the 90s were crazy

LOL That really was a crazy era in boxing.

[Anthony342]

I remember Al Certo for working with Buddy McGirt and making him a pretty damn good fighter.

Presumably Buddy is passing on that knowledge now that he is a trainer (although he has been hit and miss with some of the guys he trains.)

Al Certo was also unforgettable in Golota's corner in his fight against Tyson, with Golota quitting and Certo trying to get him to go back out there.

[Anthony342]

Isn't Loui's daughter also in the game? Its rough these days to figure out the relative merits of a trainer technically speaking. In the old days you went to a doctor...now you go to a stomach doctor, or a brain doctor...its the same in the gym. I often coached MMA guys in traditional aspects of Japanese Ju Jutsu. These guys inevitably also had boxing coaches, strength coaches, a wrestling coach, a nutritional coach... Things are so fragmented.

Change is not necessarily good or bad. I know that exerscize trainers now a days are much more knoweagable than when I was a Nautilus trainer. hence most athletes learn about all aspects of training....yet when we look at a boxing trainer and speak of his imprimatur, his mark or excellence, its very hard to see in a fighter.

I tend to think that guys like Duva have some talents because of when they came up, but we see Duva with guys like Golata and one has to woder how much knowledge gets through. Fighters also jump trainers a lot more these days...Virgil Hunter, is a good example of a guy sought out because of Ward. But how much does a fighter actually develop the tools a trainer seeks to give him/her?

Compare Stewart modifying Vlad's very basic European style, to a trainer like Blackburn taking Louis from the ground up and molding him. Again, there is a similar situation in the martial arts. Because of MMA 90% of combat training involves concepts that people have validated as useful because if some jerk annoys you in a bar, a great chokehold, a good punch and a basic understanding of ground and pound will make you invincible lol. And...most people are more apt to get into a contest like this, than come up against a professional intent on doing them harm.

In other words it makes sense. A famous boxing trainer (name escapes me) once told the story of a kid who came in the gym and told him he wanted to learn how to box. After a few minutes of conversation the trainer, a wise and decent man understood that this puny runt of a kid didn't want to box! The trainer took him aside and told him "I will show you how to throw a good punch so if one bullies you you can protect yourself.

Trainers and combat teachers of all stripes have had to adapt to change. Some of it good some of it not so good..Duva was right on the line of guys who saw how it was done back in the day.

True. Kind of like how Ronda Rousey's mom has been critical of her boxing trainer recently and said he's getting undeserved attention because of her success, which is probably more due to her well rounded skills, even though she's got some stoppage wins, than his training.

[Anthony342]

Do you remember when Duva was working Pazienza's corner in his fight against Roger Mayweather? There was some controversy at the end and Duva charged at Roger, who promptly punched him in the face. Good times...

Yeah or Duva having to be taken away in a stretcher after Bowe-Golota 1 during that riot or when his advocating got Junior Jones a DQ win over Barrera.

[Anthony342]

Lol yes more or less....I remember he got attacked by a cell phone, one of those tough old cell phones from the mean streets of Dae Woo, not one of em cheap pansy chinese jobs.

Actually was a walkie talkie from one of Bowe's security detail. The incident cost him a job with the NYPD as well.

[Anthony342]

I heard of Kathy Duva as a promoter. What is she, a sister of Lou's?

[TBear]

I respected Lou Duva. He as a big part of many fighters becoming great. Yes he had a great team like the previously mentioned Benton. He also passionately cared for his fighters and the fans. Whether his jumping into the middle of a riot after the Golota-Bowe fiasco or charging out at Micky Duff and Honeyghan when Lloyd hit Bumphas while Bumphas was getting up from his stool in the corner. He truly cared for his fighters. One whom he loved like a son, the late Oscar Diaz, suffered a head injury in the ring and I think that broke his heart.

His passion also was displayed towards fans. On my first meeting with him I mentioned I was a big boxing fan and he quickly called a bunch of his fighters over to meet me and talk. You don't see that kind of behavior often. At least not often enough!