Any opinions/stories on Lou Duva?

Overrated...more of a manager cheerleader than any type of teacher IMO. Benton was the teacher and strategic brains of that successful duo

 

Irritating & obnoxious. Admits to screwing Benton out of a title shot when he was a fighter (“He never even knew I was behind it” or words to that affect). No self-control.

 

I have no opinion on the guy but he did train 19 world champions and is in the IBHOF.

 

I thought he was a liability in the corner.

 

The only thing he cared about was boxing. He wasn't much of a trainer though.
I went to his gym in the early 80s and the only person he would talk to was Bobby Czyz.

Regardless of his colorful personality on TV, after fights, throwing fits etc.... he was not a sociable guy with anybody. Unless of course you were someone special like a celebrity, then he would talk and laugh with you. His son Dan was even more unlikeable.

 

I never met Lou so can’t speak to that — he was both a character and a caricature from what was projected publicly.

I did meet Dan Duva one time and he was a bit of a *****. It’s a one-off, fairly brief meeting so I can’t read too much into it, but my impression mirrors yours.

 

Excellent manager and trainer. Lou was a walking encyclopedia and knew how to get the best out of his fighters both inside and outside the ring.

Lou was also a very funny guy. I met Lou a few times, since he and my football coach were very good friends going back to their days in the service.

Here are few quotes of others talking about Lou and Lou himself talking about his approach to developing a fighter.

"Lou Duva is always a tough man to go against because he provides tremendous tactical advice during fights," said promoter Bob Arum.

"Lou's able to help average fighters become good fighters and good fighters become great fighters. He makes people believe they can do things that they shouldn't be able to do. He's so good for the sport. If Lou Duva gets out the game, boxing will be done. No-body stands up for boxing like Lou Duva."
- Former fighter/current trainer, Ronnie Shields

"Lou fights as hard for me as I do in the ring. Loyalty is very important to me and Lou has been very loyal to me. That's why I've been so loyal to Lou and Main Events for so long."
- Former world champion Pernell Whitaker

"Lou is a throwback to a time before managers started using the sophisticated approach we see a lot of today. Nobody hates to lose more than Lou Duva. He's a bad loser and that's a quality of a good manager."
- British boxing manager Mickey Duff

"I try to give a father image," Duva said. "I know I holler a lot and that I'm not the easiest guy to get along with sometimes, but I'm always trying to bring out the best in my fighter and not just in boxing. A good manager works for the benefit of his fighter. I try to get my fighters the best facilities, the best trainers, everything that's best for them. Some trainers and managers treat fighters like they're some two-hour-a-day job. With me it's 24 hours a day."

Duva's around-the-clock care allows his fighters few opportunities to cut corners. Plus, from his days as a club fighter, Duva remembers every trick a boxer might try to pull to shorten a day's training session.

"I was boxing when I had three other jobs, so I took all the short cuts," Duva said. "I know every trick there is to get out of a workout, so my fighters can't fool me. There was no better screw up than me when I was boxing. I've seen what happens to a fighter who's not managed the right way and not trained the right way."

A key to Duva's success has been to delegate some authority and responsibility and to surround himself with the right people around the ring. In addition to Shields, he's worked with trainers, like George Benton and Roger Bloodworth and top-notch cutmen, like the late Ace Morotta and Joe Souza.
https://imgur.com/g1Y3lMF
https://imgur.com/G6ggvnX
https://imgur.com/2mRBF9O

 

I'll never forget Lou when Johnny Bumphus was defending his title & opponent pulled out. he called the late great Dave Gorman. Dave got Gene Mad Dog Hatcher, another Texas friend to replace him. Bumpus was trying to embarrass Gene when suddenly Gene landed a left hook & down went Bumphus & it was all over. Duva went beserk The Mad Dog was champion !!!!!!!!!!!!! Lou yelled " **** you Gorman you did again".Gene had a pic of himself his Dad & the late Dave Gorman I don't know who's smile was the biggest when they announced the verdict. If you remember Dave put Little Stevie Cruz in as a late minute sub I Vegas against Barry McGuigan, he did exactly the same thing & won the world title too. Dave was a great guy he had a knack of having great last minute subs become champs I have some great memories of my time in Texas made some great friends

 

Lou was doing his job when he got the fighter he managed, Joey Giardello, a title shot that could have gone to Benton. If you’re a manager and can get your guy a title shot (which his guy won), you’re not doing your job if you don’t. If that ‘screws’ somebody, well, I guess every title shot that goes to a fighter screws another … but a manager’s obligation is to HIS fighter and he did right by his fighter. You don’t go to the gym and tell your fighter ‘I could have gotten you a shot at the title, but I felt bad for the other guy so I told them to fight him instead.’

He told Benton that years later when they were working together. Lou also hired Benton to join the Duva team as a trainer at a time when Main Events was signing a good portion of the top talent in the world. Did he ‘screw’ another trainer by not hiring them instead, lol? No, he hired Benton and gave him a chance to train a whole bunch of world champions that he wouldn’t have had access to — guys who were top amateurs and top prospects, many of whom would likely have gone on to be champs with a different trainer.

I’d say it worked out fine for George in the long run.

 

I remember him throwing Tyrell Biggs in with prime Tyson, when he knew he wasn't ready , then shot his mouth off at the press conference, which riled Tyson and sealed Biggs' fate.
He tried to turn Biggs from a boxer into a fighter and advised him between rounds to ' fight him inside you're a better fighter than he is ' .
In Biggs ' first fight back they put him in with unbeaten Damiani in Milan , instead of finding an easy comeback fight.
Then when he lost on a cut , they dumped him.
After the Tyson defeat , Duva threw a large party and took the cost out of Biggs' share of the payday.
He was often to be heard in corners shouting basic , aggressive stuff , without much nuance.
As someone else stated upthread, he was a cheerleader rather than a skilled cornerman.

 

Find a more honest profession, I would tell someone in that business. You’ll thank yourself later.

 

There wouldn’t be anyone left in boxing, haha.

If someone hired you to manage them and you turned down a title shot — or a coveted starring role if it was an actor or a head coaching gig in the NFL if it were an assistant coach or halftime at the Super Bowl if it were a musical act, and so on — because it was the “right thing to do,” they should fire you. Because the right thing to do for a manager is represent the person you manage to the best of your ability and help them advance in their career. You work for them, not for the good of all mankind and for ‘fairness uber alles.’

Being a manager means working for your client’s best interest.

 

I heard he knew Rocky Marciano.

Cuz he told us 40 times a day throughout his entire career.