*** The official cutmen thread ***

One of the least discussed roles in all of boxing - certainly taking a backseat to the likes of boxers themselves, referees, judges, head trainers, promoters, managers, strength & conditioning coaches and even nutritionists these days - is also one of the most critical and can at any given time become the determining factor in a fight's outcome.

Cutmen perform a variety of duties, virtually all of them extremely important and virtually none of them glamorous. Prior to the fight they often wrap the boxer's hands (if this is not performed by the head trainer) and **** up their charge with Vaseline. During, they clean and seal open wounds, chill and keep pressure on swollen flesh, swab snot-holes, and make sure the fighter is as fresh and clean as can be. Afterward, they may need to work with physicians or alone to treat especially bad cuts sustained during a fight.

A bad cutman can have both short-term consequences (losing by TKO due to an uncontrolled cut caused by a punch, or by TD due to one caused by a headbutt if it's after a certain # of completed rounds designated by the commission) and long term (including permanent scar tissue, constant reopening of cuts in subsequent fights, permanent damage and disfigurement, ruined vision, inability to get licensed to box).

A good cutman is one that you needn't ever take notice of (because they're on top of problems before they even become problems). A great cutman is one that you wouldn't otherwise take notice of if you weren't originally 100% sure that the problem in question was going to be a fight-ender (only to have it nipped in the bud with quick and calm professionalism).

The Bradley-Alexander 140 lb unification bout featured a nasty eyebrow rip caused by an unintentional headbutt, but the highly capable Jim Strickland bought the participants and fans several more rounds than might have been the case with his expert handiwork. When you get right down to it, though - there is only so much that can be done in some situations. It is the fight game. It is violent. Skin is going to break, blood is going to flow, and the damage dealt by legal blows and fouls alike is often going to force premature endings to contests...even those where the premier talents in laceration control are on hand.

Take a moment to salute these sanguine-stained miracle workers and their tireless dedication to the gruesome and unenviable task that often permits us to enjoy the action on borrowed time in spite of the nicks and bruises that are part & parcel.

Some of the very best present-day and recent enswell-jockeys of the modern era, where they hail from, and who they've worked with:

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Chuck Bodak (RIP, 1919-2009) - Indiana, USA (countless champions and top contenders incl. Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Oscar De La Hoya, Jorge Paez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Meldrick Taylor, Tommy Hearns, Carlos Hernandez)

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Miguel Diaz - Argentina (countless champions and top contenders, incl. Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Fernando Vargas, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Sultan Ibragimov, John Ruiz, Kelly Pavlik, Erik Morales)

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Stitch Duran - California, USA (countless champions and top contenders, incl. Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Lovato, Fabrice Tiozzo, DeMarcus Corley, Mason "the Line" Dixon :yep)

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Rafael Garcia - Mexico (countless champions and top contenders incl. Floyd Mayweather Jr., Angel Hernandez, Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, Wilfredo Gomez, Rafael Limon)

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Joe Chavez - Mexico (countless champions and top contenders incl. Israel Vazquez, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr.)

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Joe Souza - Massachusetts, USA (countless champions and top contenders incl. Arturo Gatti, Michael Katsidis, Jesse James Leija, Fernando Vargas, Juan Diaz, Pernell Whitaker, Andrew Golota, Rocky Juarez, Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko)

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Jim Strickland - Illinois, USA (Devon Alexander, Evander Holyfield, Jeff Lacy, Cory Spinks)

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Danny Milano - New Jersey, USA (Paul Williams, Paul Malignaggi, Andre Berto, Antonio Tarver, Peter Manfredo Jr.)


One of the current worst (or at least, most disgraced after having choked very publicly on a big stage - even if it truly was just "an off night") is Sid Brumbach, who bungled the gashes around Kelly Pavlik's eyes in his failed middleweight title defense against Sergio Martinez. [FONT=&quot]
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Brumbach has also performed in the corners of Kermit Cintron, Corrie Sanders, Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson and Tim Witherspoon.

Feel free to toss out honorable mentions or jeers to any other lesser-known Q-tip wranglers, or share any good cutman anecdotes.

 

Some other notables:

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Matt Baranski - New York, USA (Mike Tyson)

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Leon Tabbs – Philly, USA (Bernard Hopkins, Demetrius Hopkins, Kassim Ouma)

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Buffalo Jose Martin – Mexico (Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.)

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Nonito Donaire Sr. - Philippines (Michael Katsidis, Nonito Donaire Jr., Marvin Sonsona, Glenn Donaire)

 

I believe Vitali had Souza that night, rather than Duran. :think

edit: he did.

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Souza was dismissed and replaced by Duran as the cutman for both Klitschko brothers, following the Lewis loss for Vitali and the Brewster loss for Wladimir. Souza was even accused of having sabotaged Wlad via poison vaseline. FWIW, Duran himself holds his predecessor up on a pedestal of highest reverence and respect...and maintains that he is not only one of the very greatest at the job but also a pillar of integrity.

Emanuel Steward has also spoken up in Souza's defense and admonished Wladimir for being paranoid.

As for Klitschko-Lewis, that was a horrible furrow. Souza did the best he could, which is about the best anyone could do. Bear in mind that he had just a minute to work with and that the injury was already severe (having occurred early in a very physical round). That's to clean up and clear the area (which was a mess), try and force a clot and get it jellied enough that it wouldn't burst open as soon as Vitali got off his stool. Also bear in mind that he's old enough to be Vitali's grandfather and was still able to keep his fingers steady and do all the right things in a situation gone hopelessly wrong. Yes, it looks at one point like he's just spreading the flesh around and opening it up but that's just an indication of how torn up Vitali already was. Flesh simply shouldn't do that when rubbed as lightly as he was. It was all towards the end of getting it shut full of goop, which he managed to do just in time. Then Lewis starts rag-dolling him again. :yep
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Tough ask.

 

Brumbach's downfall last April was that he's just too timid. Well, that and several other fundamental flaws in his character. It certainly wasn't his shining moment.

This is where Pavlik's grill - and Sid's standing in the trade - really go through the sausage grinder:
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Way too much time was spent just soaking up gauze pads held in place with the clock ticking away and the flow's speed unchanged.

Pavlik was sent out horribly ill prepared for the 10th round, still spurting profusely. By the time he returned, three minutes later - he looked revolting.

Then, things went from bad to worse.

A cutman should be a voice of calm authority, second only to the head trainer. In times of crisis, confronted with severe facial wreckage, the head trainer should defer to his expertise and GTFO of his way, and encourage all assistants to be at his disposal to help. They should NEVER backseat-drive and bark out orders, like that jackass Jack Loew did between the 10th and 11th. At this hugely pivotal moment, entering the championship rounds and with the wounds already of grave concern - Brumbach is instructed by Loew to "wipe him down good" and obliges, just swaddling Kelly's head in a towel for more than half of the minute allowed...and rather than leave the prognosis and decision-making to the person qualified, Loew can actually be heard saying "Oh, he's fine on that side..." atsch

Then...before the last round...very little effort was put in as the same ineffective methods were repeated, just going through the motions.

There was just no sense of urgency on Sid's part as he seemingly froze up under pressure from the moment the cuts emerged,and it genuinely hurt the athlete he was responsible for.

Now, Pavlik obviously didn't lose to Martinez expressly because he retained Brumbach as his cutman and had it blow up in his face (literally) - but you could certainly say he took worse beatings in some of those rounds than he might have without his sight obscured and searing pain as the cuts were reopened (or remained open) and continually had leather, grease, and sweat poured into them.

Now, Sid did slightly better for Cintron back in the first loss to Margarito - being a little more alert and on the ball. He still didn't very well seal the cut off, again focusing too much on absorption and allowing it to be re-corked in both the fourth and fifth: (a far worse cut was handled much better by Cintron's new cutman, against Martinez...anybody know his name? Burly black dude...)
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^ Compare to the expedient and tidy work done across the ring in Margarito's corner by Francisco Espinoza.

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Espinoza also tends to the facial-mending needs of Hugo Fidel Cazares and Jesus Soto Karass (very effectively stemming the blood on both sides of his face when JSK was shredded by Mike Jones...and later that same night, doing as well as anyone could reasonably expect in the main event of Margarito vs. Pacquiao). He's also a co-manager for Margarito and Soto Karass.

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One very familiar face to TV audiences is Carlos "The Cut Man" Vargas, who not only served on The Contender, but was a trainer on Bully Beatdown. The firefighter-by-day has also been in the employ of several well-known pro boxers including Jeremy Williams, Sergio Mora, Stevie Forbes, Peter Manfredo Jr., and Robert Guerrero - but like both Stitch Duran and Leon Tabbs, he has branched out into and found most of his recent work in MMA.