Goody Petronelli

Had a pretty decent track record IMO. I also liked the no fuss, no bs entrance of Hagler....just him and the two brothers.

 

I think the Petronellis were good but with Marvin I think they got to a point where they were hesitant to tell him things he didn’t want to hear in the corner — like not getting him to step on the gas earlier vs. Duran, allowing him to fight orthodox too much early (and generally try to box rather than stalk and slug) with Leonard.

Nothing major to fault with them, they had some success with a few guys in a small stable, but they could have been better if they were willing to challenge MMH more.

 

I agree, I don't believe they were that much of a net plus. And on the Leonard fight, I still haven't figured out what Hagler was doing the first 5 rounds

 

I’ve studied it closely and come to the conclusion that what he was doing in the first five round was … losing.

Seriously, I think Marvin somehow got it in his head that he was going to outbox Leonard and show the world what a master he was. Maybe he’d been sleeping in those silk pajamas for a bit too long.

 

Ya I absolutely loved that: us against the world.

 

Not as well known but he also trained Ian Gardner.

 

I would have given Goody Petronelli more praise if he had sent Marvelous Marvin Hagler out early to take out Sugar Ray Leonard in their April 6 1987 title bout, also Hagler came in too light for their fight. If Hagler had come in a little heavy within the 160 lb limit it would have allowed Marvelous more strength behind his punches. The strategy was poor.

 

I don’t necessarily believe the sum worth of the Petronelli brothers must hinge on Hagler losing to Leonard.

it’s like writing off Angelo Dundee through Ali losing to Leon Spinks.

 

I think it’s more about worshipping at Marvin’s alter and being afraid/unwilling to tell him what he didn’t want to hear — that he was giving rounds away to a busier Vito Antuofermo, that he needed to put his foot on the gas earlier vs. Duran and Leonard, even that he shouldn’t be trading haymakers with Mugabi and should have used his jab and skills more.

Game plans don’t matter when you’re the superior guy fighting Fully Obel or Caveman Lee. They do when you’re in a tight fight. Goody and Pat weren’t willing to get in Marvin’s grill and motivate him. Just along for the ride, it seemed.

I don’t see the Ali-Spinks analogy. Marvin had more in the tank than he showed early vs. Leonard (which we saw when he did decide to get serious in that fight, too late of course) whereas Ali did not. And Leonard was the ancient one who had only one fight in 5 years, yet Marvin was fighting as if rusty.

 

the Petronellis were top class. or Hagler would not stayed with them.
the Hagler record speaks for itself.

 

Exactly 100% right.Ray got into Marvins head and Marvin was hell bent on showing Ray he could be slick.

 

When you put it like that, I can see much truth in what you say.

There seems to be a trend now for a champion to add something new to a corner after a certain level. But it’s like trying to reinvent the wheel. After a certain level the champion himself is responsible enough to figure things out as much as any coach can. I am not so sure a trainers job gets harder the further the fighter gets. The champ needs an outside view of how things look to keep him on track. A bit of corner advice along the agreed game plan.

but I think Marvins school of thought was these guys got him to where he wanted to be and once he was there he knew what he was doing. He wanted guys around him that knew him. That seemed prudent.

 

I admire his loyalty. In no way am I suggesting he should have left them.

But this thread is about Goody (which to me, he and Pat are a package so …) and that’s the only criticism I have. They did great by Marvin. But I think at times they could have been more assertive.

 

maybe they should have been more assertive. There is an argument for that. Certainly with hindsight. There is also a chance they were working to a plan. One where They rolled the dice waiting for the other guy to run out of gas whilst unknowingly uncalculating that it was Marvin who might tire.

Fighting just once a year was catching up on Marvin. If the petronelis accounted for that maybe the method in the madness was avoiding middleweights? Hearns, then Mugabi before Leonard meant that Marvin was continually defending against guys moving up in weight.

I think the Mugabi fight took a lot out of Marvin. It was hard to assess until the night to know just how much. The hope must have been that Leonard was too much out of his depth to capitalise on anything Marvin had lost.

nobody could have forecast Leonard being so fresh