****, man. Great trainer for the Olympics and the pros... Total of fifty-six champions were trained by him (amateurs and otherwise). R.I.P.
Kenny Adams was great man and an amazing trainer! He was a staple of the USA amateur program and a guy that helped countless fighters. RIP
Kenny Adams may be the greatest trainer in the history of the U.S. Olympic program. He coached boxers to 12 gold medals, four silvers and three bronze, serving as an assistant one year and head coach four years later, in which the U.S. won nine gold medals. Adams served a long term (30 years?) in the Army. He won the Army and Interservice championships as a flyweight and turned down chances to go pro. He was an alternate on the 1964 U.S. Olympic team. He was put in charge of the Army team as a trainer and turned the program around after it was on a long streak of being inferior to German boxers the U.S. fighters faced in Europe. I met Kenny one time, at a gym in Las Vegas. He had trained, as a pro, a guy I later briefly managed (not while he was with Kenny). He was open about discussing training methods when I quizzed him and happy to share information. Very welcoming. I remember he was as free with his time in the gym with beginners as he was with contenders who were there that day (although I forget who, it was some of the Olympians he trained). That tells you all you need to know about Kenny Adams — he coached because he loved the game and wanted to help boxers learn. None of the ‘I’m big-time, come see me when you’ve accomplished something’ you sometimes see. Invited me to call him any time, and I took him up on it once or twice. A credit to his country and to boxing. Rest In Peace, coach.
