How important Is 'The Corner?'

[The Old LefHook]

We have all heard it: If so-and-so had been in the corner with him, he would have won.

Is it ever true? Is the advice a corner gives ever so wrong that with another corner the losing fighter could reasonably have been expected to win? Specific examples, please.

[Sadiqkingofko]

Wlad would have beat Fury had he had a more angry corner

[GhostofDempsey]

The corner is very important. A good coach will tell you what you or your opponent is doing wrong and how to correct it or overcome it. By providing specific guidance and motivation the corner can indeed make a difference.

Emanuel Stewart was great at giving instructions in the corner. If a fighter listened to him, it worked to his favor. Same with Eddie Futch, Ray Arcel, Teddy Atlas, Gil Clancy, etc. Ray Arcel would never ask his fighters how they were feeling when they came back to the corner. He didn't want to give them an opportunity to think about it and realize they were tired, hurt, or losing. He would tell them they looked good, and how the other guy was getting tired or what he was doing wrong. He would use positive reinforcement and in between he would let them know that their opponent was dropping his left or that they needed to cut off the ring and land that hook.

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Eddie Futch an his instruction to Joe Frazier vs. Ali:

''Ali had to throw his uppercut,'' Futch said, ''but I knew he would throw it wrong. I told Joe: 'Every time you see Ali's hand come down, that means he's going to throw an uppercut. But the minute he drops his right hand, throw your left hook, because he's got nothing up there to parry it.' ''

In the 11th round, Frazier's barrage had Ali wobbling on the ropes. In the 15th, Frazier flattened him with a classic left hook.

''Ali got up quickly,'' Futch recalled, ''because the punch hit him on the jaw. If it had hit him on the chin, that would've been it.''

[Canelo and GGG]

Imo most of the work is done before a fight ,corner can make only small corections ,most fighters cant just change fight around ,they can change small things.

[just the facts]

totally loaded question. Obviously with some fighters it's everything and with some the corner means very little

[Anthony342]

Agreed. Although, Larry Holmes probably would've been better off if Eddie Futch had stuck with him for the Michael Spinks fight or both fights.

[ShoulderRoll]

Extremely important.

Mike Tyson's career would have gone very differently if Cus D'Amato had lived another 5 years.

[joeandthebums]

Extremely important.

Mike Tyson's career would have gone very differently if Cus D'Amato had lived another 5 years.

I don't believe D'Amato ever worked Tyson's corner.

[Anthony342]

Or maybe if Tyson had stuck with Rooney. The original post reminds me of something Larry King would ask as he usually asked questions like that in interviews like asking a skateboarder "How important is the board" haha, he actually said that.

[ShoulderRoll]

I don't believe D'Amato ever worked Tyson's corner.

You got me there, but when he was alive both Teddy Atlas and Kevin Rooney followed his instructions to the letter in Mike's corner.