Angelo Dundee will be "On the Ropes" March 1 at 6pm

Watched Cassius Clay 'n Willie Pastrano drive Angelo nuts with pranks at the 5th St. Gym. They were like hyper-caffeinated 5-year-olds.

 

Non-stop runnin' around the gym, like kids in a playground 'n makin' everyone laugh when Angelo wanted them to be serious. Think twin-Roberto Benignis with boxing gloves.

One time, when Cleveland Williams (who had no sense of humor) was about to spar, while he was pre-occupied, they tied one his gloves to the ropes, 'n he struggled to get free, while everybody broke-up.

 

:rofl:rofl

Absoloute classic.

 

I was around Dundee in the mid 90's when he was training such Swedish greats as Attila Levin and George Scott. He wasnt around that much and left most of it up to his assistants at the time, Norman Rubin and Luis Lagerman, but I always found him to be a very nice guy. Firey and all about business during work time, but a nice down to earth guy outside of the gym. He still lives in western Fort Lauderdale and I see him every once in a while.

 

When him and Bert Sugar are together they are hilarious. At the hall of fame inductions of 2008, he was asked about Carmen Basilio and he got talking a bit and he got onto how he might have had an easy night but it looks like he just went through a meat grinder and he said the line "Hell, Carmen used to bleed when he would sign to fight a guy for Christ's sake." that line has always amused me to no end.

 

Here's a somewhat good one, does anybody remember Tyson vs Pinklon Thomas (I'm HOPING it was Pinklon Thomas at least). Tyson comes out casa del fuego and basically unloads on Thomas to start the fight, dropping him once and wobbling him occasionally. Thomas comes back to the corner and the doctor is all over him. Never one to be out done, Dundee basically steals the show with something like this:

Dundee- GOD DAMN IT MAN LEAVE THIS ****ING GUY ALONE!

Doctor- Please Angelo

Dundee- LEAVE HIM ALONE! ****ING LEAVE HIM ALONE!

Doctor- Pinklon, Pinklon look at me

Dundee- LEAVE HIM THE **** ALONE!

Doctor- Okay Angelo

Dundee- JESUS CHRIST! GET AWAY FROM THIS MAN!

 

Once, after sparring a round at Stillman's, I looked down 'n saw Sugar Ray Robinson ringside. He gave me an approving nod. I couldn't have been prouder if I'd won a title.

 

Yeah that would have done it for me too.

 

Hey, that's good stuff. :good

 

Angelo always seemed to go crazy when his guy fought a prime Tyson. Besides the Pinklom Thomas episode, he also went nuts between rounds of Berbick-Tyson. "Put this on him. PUT THIS ON HIM!!! WHERE'S THE F*CKIN" SPONGE"!